Ahn Se-young (23, Samsung Life Insurance), world number one in badminton women’s singles, has overcome the pain of defeat and made a new leap forward. Using bitter frustration as a stepping stone for growth, we wrote a historical record. Ahn Se-young’s journey is attracting attention.
On the 2nd (Korean time), the Badminton World Federation (BWF) said through its official social media, “Ahn Se-young had to accept results that fell short of expectations at the 2025 Paris World Championships. However, he used that experience as a driving force to continue his historic move.”
Seyoung Ahn / News 1
The moment that became the biggest test for Ahn Se-young was the women’s singles semifinal match at the World Championships held in Paris, France in August last year.
Ahn Se-young’s dream of advancing to the finals was thwarted as she was defeated 0-2 (15-21, 17-21) by China’s Chen Yufei. In particular, this loss was even more disappointing because it was the result of consecutive losses to Chen Yufei.
Previously, Ahn Se-young lost to Chen Yu-fei in the quarterfinals of the Singapore Open in May 2024, ending her 27-game winning streak in international competitions.
It is said that the psychological burden was considerable as he failed to seek revenge against Chen Yufei, whom he faced again on the world championship stage. However, Ahn Se-young used this defeat as an opportunity to overcome.
In a BWF interview, Ahn Se-young confessed her feelings at the time, saying, “After finishing the World Championships, I felt very frustrated with myself. I held on to those feelings and focused on training again, trying to resolve them one by one.”
Ahn Se-young expressed her strong will, saying, “As a player, it is natural to want to win many titles. I want to once again complete the Grand Slam goal I have been talking about.” He then expressed his determination, saying, “My task now is to develop a faster and more stable play style. It is not something that can be completed overnight, so I have to keep trying and work hard until the results come out.”
News 1
Ahn Se-young is currently at almost all possible heights in badminton women’s singles.
Starting with winning the 2023 World Championships, he won gold medals at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games and the 2024 Paris Olympics, becoming the athlete who swept the World Championships, Asian Games, and Olympics.
The final puzzle to complete the individual career Grand Slam is the Asian Championships.no see. If Ahn Se-young wins the Asian Championships to be held in China in April, she will achieve a personal career grand slam. This is expected to be one of the greatest records in the history of badminton women’s singles.
Ahn Se-young asserts that her prime has not yet arrived and is attempting to change her training methods to reach a higher level.
Recently, I have been seeking new stimulation by actively introducing sparring with male athletes.
News 1
Se-young Ahn explained, “I often practice with male players to change my playing style. Because male players are stronger in terms of speed and power, it helps improve my sense of real-life play.”
Se-young Ahn added, “Currently, I want to further improve the offensive aspect.”
Se-young Ahn said, “I think the most important thing is to maintain the defense and stamina that I have built so far while growing at least a little. As the opposing players prepare various tactics to attack me, I am always thinking about changing my play accordingly.”
These efforts paid off immediately. After losing at the World Championships, Ahn Se-young won the China Masters, Denmark Open, French Open, and Australian Open in succession, and also reached the top of the World Tour Finals, the final stage of the season. Achieved his 11th career win in the 2025 season.and achieved amazing results.
This is the same achievement as the record for most wins in a single season set by Japan’s Kento Momota in 2019.
Ahn Se-young, who turned frustration into a driving force for growth, once again left her own mark on badminton history.
