China also stuck out its tongue at the overwhelming performance of world number one Ahn Se-young (24, Samsung Life Insurance). Local media and fans are also showing enthusiastic reactions as she completely defeated China’s pride, Wang Zhiyi (2nd, 26) and won her second consecutive Indian Open title.
Seyoung Ahn defeated Wang Zhiyi 2-0 (21-13, 21-11) in 43 minutes in the women’s singles final of the 2026 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Super 750 India Open held in New Delhi, India on the 18th (Korean time).
As a result, Ahn Se-young took the top spot for two consecutive weeks following her win at the Malaysia Open last week, solidifying her dominance starting in the new year.
After the game, the Chinese media’s reaction was a mixture of despair and wonder. Chinese media ‘NetEase’ reported, “Ahn Se-young showed off a strong performance and won again. Wang Ziyi only took the silver medal, proving that she still needs to improve.”
The media analyzed, “It was a match in which the difference in skill between Wang Ziyi and An Se-young was clearly revealed,” and “Ahn Se-young overwhelmed Wang Ziyi with more perfect techniques, tactics, and a strong psychological advantage. Wang Ziyi performed well in this competition, but was unable to shake the queen at all in the final.”
In particular, he praised Ahn Se-young’s performance. ‘NetEase’ said, “Ahn Se-young’s performance on both offense and defense was at a textbook level. Whether it was a smash or a play in front of the net, he had plenty of composure,” and added, “Wang Ziyi was unable to find a way out in front of Ahn Se-young’s breathtaking defense, and in fact, he only lost stamina during the rally process.”
The reaction from Chinese netizens was also hot. Local badminton fans’ main reactions were, “You can’t blame Wang Zhiyi. Ahn Se-young is ridiculously strong,” and “It’s Ahn Se-young’s era.”
In fact, today’s match was Ahn Se-young’s solo performance. Ahn Se-young, who was ahead 7-1 at the beginning of the first game, turned the tide again when Wang Zhiyi chased up to 15-13. Immediately, Ahn Se-young scored 6 points and won 1 game, 21-13.
Game 2 was also in Ahn Se-young’s hands. They used the court widely and played leisurely, eventually tiring Wang Ziyi. Ahn Se-young easily finished the second game with a score of 21-11.
With this win, Ahn Se-young continued her overwhelming lead over Wang Zhiyi with 17 wins and 4 losses. Ahn Se-young is currently on a 10-game winning streak against Wang Zhiyi. Since losing in the semifinals of the World Tour Finals in December 2024, they have met nine times in the finals and won all of them. From Wang Ziyi’s perspective, his 9th chance to win was blocked by Ahn Se-young.
Ahn Se-young’s overwhelming performance is an object of fear for opposing players. Ratchanok Inthanon (8th place, Thailand), who lost to Ahn Se-young in the semifinals, said in an interview with local media ‘The Indian Express’, “Ahn Se-young today was like a machine. No matter where I sent the shuttlecock, he was already there,” and added, “To beat him, skill alone is not enough. You have to break down his steel-like mentality, but there is no gap in sight.”
Even Se-young Ahn’s quarterfinal opponent, Puturi Kusuma Wardani (6th place, Indonesia), said in an interview with the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI), “My performance today was not the best. I made too many mistakes myself. At first, I went into the game with the mindset that I had nothing to lose,” but also stuck out his tongue, saying, “Ahn Se-young played a really great game. She did not put too much pressure on me, and the play itself was very efficient.”
In particular, regarding the two games where the outcome was decided, he said, “Ahn Se-young suddenly increased the tempo, and that change of pace made it very difficult for me.”
Ahn Se-young, known as the world’s strongest player, set a phenomenal record last year. Starting with the Malaysia Open in the 2025 season, he swept the three most prestigious Super 1000 level tournaments, including the All England Open and Indonesia Open, and also lifted five trophies in the Super 750 level tournament, which is the same level as this tournament, including the India Open and Japan Open.
In addition, he won the World Tour Finals, a king of kings, and achieved a milestone of 11 wins in the season. This ties the BWF record for most wins in a single season set by Kento Momota (Japan) in 2019.
