(Reporter Na Seung-woo, Xports News) Ahn Se-young, the world’s No. 1 badminton women’s singles, reached the finals of the India Open with an unstoppable 28-game winning streak.
The opponent in the finals is world number 2 Wang Zhiyi (China). Badminton fans around the world are paying attention to whether Ahn Se-young will ascend to the throne for the second time in the new year after inflicting the humiliation of losing 10 games in a row to Wang Zhiyi.
Ahn Se-young defeated Thailand’s ace Ratchanok Inthanon (world No. 8) with a game score of 2-0 (21-11, 21-7) in the women’s singles semifinals of the 2026 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour India Open (Super 750) held at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex in New Delhi, India on the 17th (Korean time).
Ahn Se-young’s performance in this competition can be described with the word ‘flawless.’ Following Nozomi Okuhara (Japan) in the round of 32, Yu-sun Hwang (Taiwan) in the round of 16, and Putri Kusuma Wardani (Indonesia) in the quarterfinals, she advanced straight to the finals with a perfect performance, not giving up a single set all the way to Intanon in the semifinals.
In particular, the semifinals were a stage where Ahn Se-young’s evolution could be seen. He was usually a slow starter, so he didn’t seem to struggle in the early stages of the game.
Ahn Se-young dominated Intanon’s lead by taking a 6-0 lead from the start of the first game, and scored four consecutive points in a 17-11 situation to take the first game to 21-11.
Game 2 was even more one-sided. With the score tied at 4-4, Ahn Se-young showed explosive offensive power by scoring 8 consecutive points, increasing the score to 16-5. Against Intanon, who had lost their will to fight, Ahn Se-young won 4 points without allowing a single point from 17-7, ending the game at 21-7 in 32 minutes.
The opponent who will compete for the championship trophy is China’s Wang Zhi. Wang Zhiyi also advanced to the finals by beating teammate Chen Yufei (World No. 4) 2-0 in the semifinals.
Ahn Se-young’s victory is likely. Ahn Se-young holds an overwhelming advantage over Wang Zhiyi with a total of 17 wins and 4 losses. In particular, it is nothing short of a ‘wailing wall’ for Wang Ziyi, as he has won all of the last 9 matches since January of last year.
Just a week ago, on the 11th, in the Malaysia Open final, Ahn Se-young defeated Wang Zhiyi 2-0 to win the championship.
If Ahn Se-young wins in this final, Wang Ziyi will suffer the indelible humiliation of losing 10 times in a row only to Ahn Se-young.
Ahn Se-young’s momentum is sky-high. Since losing in the Korea Open final in September last year, he has been on a 28-game winning streak all the way to the Indian Open semifinals.
In an interview with local media, Ahn Se-young said, “It’s been 4 to 6 months since I last lost, so I feel pressured, but I’m also more confident. Wang Ziyi is an aggressive player, so every game feels new, but I will do my best.”
A record banquet is also planned. If Ahn Se-young wins on the 18th, he will win two consecutive competitions in the 2026 season and also record six consecutive wins in BWF World Tour competitions in his personal career. This is her third win at the India Open, tying the record for most wins in women’s singles.
The India Open final between world No. 1 Ahn Se-young and No. 2 Wang Ziyi will be held at 3 p.m. on the 18th.
Photo = Yonhap News
Reporter Na Seung-woo winright95@xportsnews.com
