Ahn Se-young Wins All England Open: Korea’s Badminton Queen Returns

(Xports News Reporter Jun-Seok Yoon) Ahead of the opening of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour All England Open (Super 1000), which boasts a 127-year tradition, it began promoting the name of ‘Empress’ Ahn Se-young (24, Samsung Life Insurance) on the front page.

The presence of Ahn Se-young, who is ranked No. 1 in the women’s singles world rankings and is considered the strongest player in the field, appears to be being used as a box office card.

The official account of the Yonex All England Badminton Championships, which hosts the All England Open, released a post promoting the opening of a ticket sales site on the 28th (Korean time).

The post featured a photo of Ahn Se-young and the phrase “The Queen is back!” on the front.

He then emphasized, “Will Ahn Se-young, who won the All England Open for the second time last year, be able to achieve her second consecutive title and third overall title in Birmingham in March?” and “Purchase your ticket right now.”

The fact that the All England Open, which boasts the world’s most authority, announced the opening of tickets centered on the image of a specific player is interpreted as evidence that Ahn Se-young’s symbolism and box office impact are highly regarded.

The All England Open is the oldest competition in badminton history and is classified as a ‘Super 1000’ competition, the highest level of the World Tour. It is a stage that holds special meaning to players in terms of total prize money, tradition, and symbolism.

Ahn Se-young is carefully planning her European tour schedule with her sights set on the All England Open.

Last year, Ahn Se-young went to the UK after competing in the Orleans Masters (Super 300) held in France as a rehearsal competition ahead of the All England Open. It is known that this year, he will not participate in the German Open (Super 300), which is held right before the All England Open. Instead, the Asian Men’s and Women’s Team Badminton Championships to be held in Qingdao, China early next month are expected to be held as the final mock exam for the All England Open. At the All England Open, there is a high possibility that he will challenge for his second consecutive victory after adjusting to the time difference.

In this trend, it is symbolic that the All England Open Organizing Committee began selling tickets with Ahn Se-young as the ‘face’.

This is because the existence of the current world’s strongest player and defending champion has become an element that explains the value and expectations of the tournament.

The phrase ‘the return of the queen’ is not just rhetoric, but reflects the fact that Ahn Se-young is currently at the center of the women’s badminton landscape.

Ahn Se-young is aiming to sweep the four Super 1000 competitions, where a total prize of $1.45 million (approximately 2.068 billion won) is at stake in each competition. Since he easily won the Malaysian Open, the first Super 1000 stage of the new year, more attention is expected to be focused on whether he will conquer the All England Open.

Photo = Jeon Young Open / Yonhap News

Reporter Junseok Yoon [email protected]