Ahn Se-young Wins 3rd Straight Malaysia Open | Badminton News

Ahn Se-young completely defeats Wang Zhi… First competition win of the new year

Baek Hana and Lee Sohee are completely defeated by world number one China

[서울=뉴시스]Reporter Park Yun-seo = Badminton women’s singles ‘strongest’ Ahn Se-young (Samsung Life Insurance) won the Malaysia Open, the first tournament of the new year.

World No. 1 Ahn Se-young defeated world No. 2 Wang Zhiyi (China) with a game score of 2-0 (21-15 24-22) in the women’s singles final of the 2026 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Super 1000 Malaysia Open held at the Asiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the 11th.

Ahn Se-young, who achieved the best performance last year by tying the record for the most wins in a single season (11 wins), the highest winning percentage (94.8%, 73 wins, 4 losses), and exceeding $1 million in accumulated prize money ($1,003,175), started the new year fresh by winning the Malaysia Open, the first tournament of the season.

Ahn Se-young, who reached the top of the competition in 2024 and 2025, successfully defended her title this year and achieved her third consecutive victory.

In addition, Ahn Se-young maintained an overwhelming advantage over Wang Zhiyi, recording a total record of 17 wins and 4 losses.

Ahn Se-young, who won all eight matches last year, made Wang Ziyi cry in their first meeting this year as well.

Ahn Se-young scored 7 points in a row in Game 1, 10-11, with an exquisite hairpin and a powerful smash targeting the entire court.

After that, Ahn Se-young, who gave up points in succession, took a breather as Wang Ziyi made a series of mistakes, and at game point, Wang Ziyi’s attack went off the line and took the lead.

Ahn Se-young smiled after a fierce battle that reached a deuce in game 2.

He had difficulty blocking Wang Ziyi’s diagonal attack in the beginning, and was dragged down to 8-14 due to several mistakes.

However, Ahn Se-young’s attack that shook the left and right sides of the court revived, and at the same time, Wang Ziyi’s stamina dropped sharply, making the score tied at 19-19.

Later, at 22-22, Wang Zhiyi’s attack was caught in the net, and Ahn Se-young took the match point, and then succeeded in a sharp diagonal attack, confirming the win.

[항저우=신화/뉴시스] Baek Hana (left) and Lee Sohee are playing against Japan’s Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto in the women’s doubles final of the 2025 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Finals held at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center in Zhejiang, China, on the 21st (local time). Baek Hana and Lee Sohee won 2-0 (21-17 21-11) and won the championship, achieving their second consecutive title. 2025.12.22.

The women’s doubles pair of Baek Hana and Lee So-hee, ranked 6th in the world, were defeated by the world number 1 pair of Ryu Seong-su and Tan Ning (China) in the final with a game score of 0-2 (18-21 12-21).

Baek Hana and Lee Sohee, who signaled a revival by dominating the World Tour Finals, also known as the King of Kings last month, attempted to win two consecutive competitions, but had to be satisfied with second place.

Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee, who had laid a stepping stone to victory by defeating Ryu Seong-soo and Tanning in the semifinals of the World Tour Finals, bowed their heads in a rematch that took place three weeks later.

Moreover, their record against Ryu Seong-su and Tanning was 6 wins and 7 losses.

It was painful for both of them not to be able to win the first game. It was tight until the midway point and they took a 16-15 lead, but they lost 5 points in a row and were cornered.

Baek Hana and Lee Sohee narrowed the gap by making up 2 points, but the chase came to an end when they conceded a game point.

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