▲ Taking advantage of Ahn Se-young’s absence, Chen Yu-fei is playing solo. They reached the finals with great strides. The opponent was decided to be Thai rookie Pichamon, who is still in his teens. Pichamon, who has risen to the top rank, is causing a stir with his appearance and skills. ⓒ Pichamon SNS
[스포티비뉴스=조용운 기자] Pichamon Opatnipus (19, world ranking 36th), who is emerging as a new icon in the Thai badminton world, is aiming for the top spot while Ahn Se-young (24, Samsung Life Insurance) is away.
Pichamon won a ticket to the finals by defeating Karupateban Rechana (42nd, Malaysia) with a set score of 2-0 in the women’s singles semifinals of the 2026 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Indonesia Masters (Super 500) held at Istora Senayan in Jakarta, Indonesia on the 24th.
Pichamon, known as the ‘Princess of Thailand’, took the final stage by clearly showing her growth with Giant Killing. In the round of 16, she surprised everyone by winning a complete victory over Tomoka Miyazaki, a Japanese badminton fairy and ranked 9th in the world. In the quarterfinals, he gained momentum by defeating top-ranked Nguyen Tuy Linh (21st, Vietnam) after a full set.
The semifinals looked rather easy. Born in 2007, he showed off his unique spirit and tireless stamina, showing rapid growth, and successfully advanced beyond a soft landing on the adult stage to the finals. As he won the Super 100 competition last year, he will prove his natural talent if he reaches the top of the Indonesia Masters.
The challenge of winning is never easy. Pichamon’s final opponent was decided to be Ahn Se-young’s biggest rival and the pride of Chinese badminton, Chen Yu-fei (4th place). Chen Yufei showed off her overwhelming skills throughout the competition and reached the finals. Chen Yufei, who showed an impeccable defense from the first game by not allowing even 10 points to the opponent, finished the game without losing his composure in the semifinals.
▲ Taking advantage of Ahn Se-young’s absence, Chen Yu-fei is playing solo. They reached the finals with great strides. The opponent was decided to be Thai rookie Pichamon, who is still in his teens. Pichamon, who has risen to the top rank, is causing a stir with his appearance and skills. ⓒ World Badminton Federation
It has been only three weeks since Pichamon and Chen Yufei reunited. We faced each other for the first time in history at the Malaysia Open, which was the first tournament of the year. Pichamon caused a stir by winning the first game against Chen Yufei, but lost the match due to lack of experience. However, I remember pushing Chen Yufei to the brink to the extent that there was a fierce battle that lasted over an hour, so a tense final is predicted.
This final, where the skill of Chen Yu-fei, who is full of maturity, and the momentum of Pichamon, who is fiercely rising, collide, is the stage to determine the next champion Ahn Se-young in 2026. Of course, it is not a title comparable to Ahn Se-young, but it gives us a glimpse of who is stronger in Ahn Se-young’s absence.
Meanwhile, Ahn Se-young, who won the Malaysia Open and India Open in succession in the new year, skipped this tournament. Since the World Tour Finals at the end of last year until this year, we have been running non-stop, so we are taking a break and recharging in Korea.
At a press conference on her return to Korea, Ahn Se-young said, ‘If you don’t do your best in every game, it will be difficult to achieve results in big competitions. “We will prepare for every game with the same mindset,” he said, reaffirming his determination to continue his dominance without resting on the joy of winning for two weeks in a row.
▲ Chen Yufei (pictured) is taking advantage of Ahn Se-young’s absence to play solo. They reached the finals with great strides. The opponent was decided to be Thai rookie Pichamon, who is still in his teens. Pichamon, who has risen to the top rank, is causing a stir with his appearance and skills.
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