Colleagues are lost due to injuries and poor performance… The world’s second-ranked member of Wang Ziyi’s ‘Isolated Warrior’, who was left alone, was reduced to the ‘training partner’ of the number one… Netizens lament during the cruel ‘public execution’ that lasted for 40 minutes, “I should have abstained… Support psychological treatment.”
Ahn Se-young (1st place) is cheering after defeating Wang Zhiyi (2nd place, China) in the women’s singles final of the 2026 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Super 750 India Open held in New Delhi, India on the 18th (local time). Seyoung Ahn won 2-0 (21-13 21-11) and achieved her second consecutive victory in the tournament.Newsis
[파이낸셜뉴스] “My colleagues miss out because they are sick, and they leave after losing… Why am I always the only one left in the finals?”
For world number 2 Wang Zhiyi (China), January 2026 is expected to be remembered as a ‘cruel month’ that she would like to forget. This is because, when reliable colleagues left the ‘Ahn Se-young siege’ one after another using injuries and poor physical condition as an excuse, only Wang Zhiyi had to survive until the end and take on the great disaster that was Ahn Se-young (24, Samsung Life Insurance) with his whole body.
Ahn Se-young easily defeated Wang Zhiyi with a set score of 2-0 in the Indian Open final on the 18th. What was more shocking than the score difference was the content of the game. It was like watching a ‘game between the national team and a trainee.’
With this, Ahn Se-young completed the overwhelming ‘food chain’ of 10 consecutive wins against Wang Zhiyi and a total of 18 wins and 4 losses.
This competition was particularly full of abstentions and surprises. Ahn Se-young’s strong rival, Akane Yamaguchi (Japan), withdrew due to injury, and China’s other aces, Han Yue and Chen Yu-fei, were either eliminated in the final round or did not show their full potential.
Ahn Se-young (1st place, right) is posing with Wang Zhiyi holding the gold medal after reaching the top of the women’s singles at the 2026 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Super 750 India Open held in New Delhi, India on the 18th (local time). Seyoung Ahn defeated Wang Ziyi (2nd place, China) 2-0 (21-13 21-11) in the final and achieved her second consecutive victory in the tournament.Newsis
From China’s perspective, the first and second lines of defense to block Ahn Se-young have collapsed in vain.
In the end, it was once again Wang Ziyi’s job to deal with the ‘final boss’ Ahn Se-young. Although she defeated her nemesis Chen Yufei in the semifinals, it was not a ticket to the finals, but rather a ‘death sentence’ for Ahn Se-young.
Wang Ziyi’s expression on the final court was tired even before the game. While his teammates were sighing with relief in the stands or in their dorms, ‘Monster’ Ahn Se-young, who was on a 30-game winning streak, was standing expressionless across the net.
The game was disastrous. Rather than showing off her competitive spirit, Ahn Se-young looked relaxed, as if she was experimenting with various techniques against Wang Ziyi.
When An Se-young released a hairpin, Wang Zi-yi fell and caught it, and when An Se-young hit a smash, Wang Zi-yi hit her butt. The humiliating scene where the world’s No. 2 looked like the No. 1’s ‘high-intensity training partner’ continued for 40 minutes.
Wang Zhiyi plays in the final against Ahn Se-young. Yonhap News
Every time An Se-young poked every corner of the court, Wang Ziyi was busy chasing the shuttlecock, and a look of despair deepened on her face.
Even local media such as China’s Sohu.com poured out harsh criticism, saying, “Wang Ziyi played in the palm of Ahn Se-young’s hand,” and “Instead of creating tension in the finals, she was reduced to being Ahn Se-young’s warm-up partner.”
Among Chinese badminton fans, there is more sympathy than criticism, saying, “I feel sorry for Wang Ziyi.”
On Chinese social media such as Weibo, self-deprecating reactions poured in, such as “It would have been better to have fallen early like Chen Yufei,” “Losing to Ahn Se-young 10 times in a row is not a game, but ‘mental torture,'” and “The national team should support Wang Zhiyi with psychological treatment right now.”
In particular, regarding the phenomenon of Chinese players complaining of injuries or withdrawing one after another amid Ahn Se-young’s ruthless dominance, some are even putting forward a laughable analysis, saying, “Isn’t this a collective ‘avoidance maneuver’ created by Ahn Se-young’s phobia?”
Defeatism is spreading that it is better to avoid Ahn Se-young using the excuse of injury rather than encounter her.
Wang Zhiyi survived alone and was hit head-on twice in a row by a huge wave called ‘Ahn Se-young’. It seems that the trauma of ‘Antiphobia’ engraved on her will not be easily healed. It’s 2026, Ahn Se-young’s era has only just begun.
jsi@fnnews.com Reporter Jeon Sang-il
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