(Seoul = News 1) Sports reporter Lim Seong-il = Ahn Se-young (24, Samsung Life Insurance), world number one in badminton women’s singles, advanced to the semifinals of the first competition of the new year in 2026. The start was shaky, but it quickly got back on track. The opponent she faces on the way to the finals is Chen Yufei (China, ranked 4th), Ahn Se-youngS only opponent in recent times.
This year, we must overcome our rivals in numerous international competitions, and it is indeed a match that we must win in order to reach our ambitious goal of surpassing last year’s ’11 wins’ goal without a hitch.
Ahn Se-young advanced to the semifinals by defeating Denmark’s Line Højmark Kiersfeld (ranked 26th) with a game score of 2-0 (21-17 21-7) in the women’s singles round of 16 of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Malaysia open held at the Asiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the 9th. It was a complete victory achieved in 34 minutes.
This competition is the first competition of 2026 hosted by BWF and the first stage of the Super 1000 series, the highest level.Ahn Se-young, who reached the top of the Malaysia Open in 2024 and last year, will set a big milestone of three consecutive losses if she wins just two more games.
Ahn Se-young struggled quiet a bit in her first match, the round of 32 against Michelle Lee (Canada, ranked 12th). Ahn Se-young, who was dragged throughout the game, including conceding one game, managed to secure a come-from-behind victory after a long, bloody battle that lasted 1 hour and 14 minutes. There were voices of concern about the aftermath of last year’s forced march or the impact of intensive analysis of the opponent, but Ahn Se-young quickly returned to being the normal Ahn Se-young.
