[스타뉴스 | 박건도 기자]
Putri Wardhani after the match with Ahn Se-young. /Photo = Captured by the Indonesian Badminton Association
World No. 1 Ahn Se-young (24, Samsung Life Insurance) had a high barrier. The opposing player, who was completely defeated by Ahn Se-young, also stuck out his tongue.
Ahn Se-young defeated Putri Kusuma Wardani (Indonesia) 2-0 (21-16, 21-8) in 37 minutes in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Super 750 India Open held at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex in New Delhi, India on the 16th (Korean time).
Immediately after the match, the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) released Wardani’s interview through its official channels. The world’s sixth-ranked powerhouse honestly admitted that he was helpless in front of Ahn Se-young.
In an interview with PBSI, Wardani said, “My performance today was not the best. I made too many mistakes,” and said, “I went into the game with the mindset that I had nothing to lose at first.”
Regarding Ahn Se-young’s performance, Wardani explained, “Ahn Se-young played a really great game,” and “The play itself was very efficient even though it did not put too much pressure on me.” 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 is roaring after winning the women’s singles title at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Super 1000 Malaysia Open held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the 11th (Korean time). /AFPBBNews=News1
Se-young Ahn is posing at the awards ceremony after winning the women’s singles at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Super 1000 Malaysia Open held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the 11th (Korean time). /AFPBBNews=News1
Wardani, who was blocked from advancing to the semifinals by Ahn Se-young, said, “I hope to get better results at the Daihatsu Indonesia Masters next week,” and pledged, “I will give my all in front of the home crowd.”
As his opponent confessed, Ahn Se-young’s performance was nothing short of amazing. Indonesian local media also expressed regret over their country’s player’s loss and praised Ahn Se-young’s skills.
Local media ‘CNN Indonesia’ reported, “Wardani was ultimately eliminated after losing to champion Ahn Se-young.” Another media outlet, ‘Tribune Wow’, said, “Putri was completely mentally broken by Ahn Se-young. It was a tragic loss,” and added, “In particular, in the second game, he was defeated 8-21 and met a tragic fate.”
Ahn Se-young is kissing the trophy after winning the women’s singles title at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Super 1000 Malaysia Open held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the 11th (Korean time). /AFPBBNews=News1
In fact, with this victory, Ahn Se-young had an official 28-game winning streak since last year’s Denmark Open. Even in his overall record against Wardani, he maintained an absolute advantage with 8 wins in all matches.
The beginning of the game was a bit uneasy. As soon as the first game started, Ahn Se-young seemed to be weak and allowed 5 consecutive runs, falling to 0-5. But I wasn’t embarrassed. After piercing the first score with a sharp straight attack, they started a counterattack with a frightening momentum and quickly tied the score at 7-7.
The score was tied 11-11. Ahn Se-young took the lead by scoring three points with a sharp attack that caught the opponent off guard. Afterwards, they neutralized Wardani’s offensive with their unique sticky defense, widening the score gap, and brought the game to one with a clever attack in a 20-15 set point situation.
As mentioned by the opponent, the two games in which Ahn Se-young raised the tempo were truly overwhelming. With a 5-4 lead, they launched a fierce attack and scored 4 points in a row to secure the victory. Wardani was unable to adapt to Ahn Se-young’s pressure and change of pace and repeatedly fell to his knees.
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) focused on Ahn Se-young’s records this season. /Photo = Badminton World Federation (BWF) official social networking service (SNS)
Ahn Se-young, riding the wave, pulled the reins even further. At 14-8, they showed off their power to win by as many as 7 points, ending the game with a double score difference of 21-8. The total game time was only 37 minutes.
Ahn Se-young’s pace in this competition is scary. Previously, in the round of 32, she defeated Nozomi Okuhara (Japan) (21-17, 21-9) in 41 minutes, and in the round of 16, she won 2-0 (21-14, 21-9) in just 31 minutes against Taiwanese rookie Hwang Yu-shun. He is showing great power by not giving up a single set to his opponent in all three games until the quarterfinals.
Ahn Se-young already conquered the world of badminton 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.
Ahn Se-young, who started 2026 fresh by winning the Malaysia Open, the first tournament of the year, aims to win for two consecutive weeks and defend her title until this tournament.
Ahn Se-young, winner of the 2025 BWF Player of the Year Award in women’s singles. /Photo = Badminton World Federation (BWF) official social networking service (SNS)
Reporter Park Geon-do pgd15412@mtstarnews.com
