Ahn Se-young: Dominates Former No. 1 & Wins Grueling Rivalry Match

Seyoung Ahn./Badminton Photo

[마이데일리 = 김경현 기자] Ahn Se-young cleanly hits the first button of the India Open.

World No. 1 Ahn Se-young won 2-0 (21-17 21-9) over 27th-ranked Nozomi Okuhara (Japan) in the women’s singles round of 32 of the 2026 Badminton World Federation (BWF) India Open (Super 750) held at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex in New Delhi, India on the 14th (Korean time).

Aiming for consecutive wins. Ahn Se-young won the first tournament of the new year, the Malaysia Open. This India Open is also a strong candidate to win. Based on the bracket, there is a high possibility of advancing to the finals. Strong opponents such as 2nd place Wang Zhiyi, 4th place Chen Yufei, and 5th place Han Yue (hereinafter referred to as China) are all located in the opposite bracket.

They maintained a natural enemy relationship. Until this day, Ahn Se-young had won all four matches against Okuhara. They previously clashed in the round of 16 of the Malaysia Open, and Ahn Se-young won in 37 minutes. This time, they won again and maintained an overwhelming win rate by winning all 5 matches.

Okuhara is not a soft opponent. She is the strongest player in women’s singles in the past, having won a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and a gold medal at the 2017 World Championships. Although it is past its prime, it still boasts a ranking that is not low at 27th.

Game 1 started off tightly. The trend unfolded as Ahn Se-young took the lead and Okuhara followed. Ahn Se-young scored 5 points at 16-17, putting an end to the game.

Game 2 was overwhelming. Was it the aftermath of game 1? Ahn Se-young played a leisurely game throughout. Okuhara could hardly ride the momentum. At 5-3, Ahn Se-young set the tone by scoring 5 consecutive goals. And at 13-8, they actually put a wedge in with four consecutive points. Ahn Se-young wins by a landslide score of 21-9.

Now, Se-young Ahn will clash with 38th-ranked Yu-sun Hwang (Taiwan) in the round of 16. Hwang Yu-sun defeated 18th-ranked Korean prospect Kim Ga-eun in the round of 32 with a score of 2-1 (10-21 21-19 21-17). This is the first time he has faced Ahn Se-young.

Meanwhile, ‘rival’ Wang Zhiyi won 2-1 (22-20 21-18 21-13) after a fierce battle against 41st ranked Tanvi Sharma (India) for 79 minutes. The opponent in the round of 16 is 23rd ranked Nguyen Thuy Linh (Vietnam).