Ahn Se-young vs Chen Yu-fei: Badminton Finals Hopefuls

[OSEN=강필주 기자] While China praises ‘badminton queen’ Ahn Se-young (24, Samsung Life Insurance), it is earnestly hoping that China’s famous star Chen Yufei (28, China) will reach the finals.

Chinese portal ‘Sohu’ released a tense analysis ahead of the match between world No. 1 Se-young Ahn and No. 4 Chen Yu-fei in the women’s singles semifinals of the 2026 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Malaysia Open (Super 1000) on the 9th (Korean time).

Ahn Se-young defeated Rine Kiersfeld (32, Denmark) 2-0 (21-8, 21-9) in just 34 minutes in the quarterfinals. Chen Yufei also defeated Ratchanok Inthanon (Thailand) 2-0 (21-13, 21-14) in 39 minutes.

This media outlet emphasized, “The match between Ahn Se-young and Chen Yu-fei has always been the biggest highlight of world women’s badminton,” adding, “The two players have faced each other in the finals of international competitions several times and know each other better than anyone else.”

[사진]OSEN DB.

In fact, Ahn Se-young and Chen Yu-fei have a tight record of 14 wins and 14 losses. Two of the four losses Ahn Se-young recorded during her overwhelming streak last year were to Chen Yu-fei. If Ahn Se-young wins this match, she will be one step closer to achieving a record of three consecutive wins in the competition.

In particular, Sohu praised Ahn Se-young, saying, “Ahn Se-young, who is currently at the top of the world’s badminton, has completely perfected skills and is also mentally strong, so she will be the most severe test Chen Yu-fei will face on her way to the top.” He described Ahn Se-young as the biggest obstacle to Chen Yu-fei’s path to the finals.

[사진]OSEN DB.

[사진]OSEN DB.

He predicted, “As the two players meet again in the semifinals of the Malaysia Open, it is certain that it will be a sparkling head-on clash.”

He continued, “By defeating Intanon, Chen Yu-Fei has only completed one step-by-step goal, but the real match begins now in the semifinals.” He added, “Chen Yu-Fei needs to maintain her current sense of hot competition, while at the same time preparing more detailed tactics targeting Ahn Se-young’s technical characteristics.”

In addition, the media added, “This head-to-head match between the two countries’ women’s singles aces is expected to not only determine the direction of the finals, but also be the optimal stage to check the training performance and current condition of both sides.”

[사진]OSEN DB.

Here, he said, “Fans are watching with bated breath and hoping that Chen Yufei will continue his upward trend in tomorrow’s game and make a strong challenge for the championship,” and hoped for a victory for their country’s star against Ahn Se-young.

In an interview with Malaysia’s ‘The Star’, Ahn Se-young said about the semifinals, “I think I need to prepare well. I think it’s always going to be difficult no matter who comes up,” and “I think I’ll have to keep playing the way I want to play. All the players are good, so I’m always nervous.”

In addition, Ahn Se-young said about her recently changed aggressive style, “I was always worried about attack,” and “male players are so outstanding in the offensive aspect,” and explained again that she recently did sparring training with male players.

[사진]OSEN DB.

He continued, “I think I’m learning about what kind of play the male players play and how they practice while practicing together,” and “I think that helps a lot with my aggressive play.” /[email protected]

[사진] Korea Badminton Association/Badminton Photo

Kang Pil-ju ([email protected])