An Se-young beats Tanvi Sharma to reach French Open quarterfinals

An Se-young secured a 21–11, 21–14 straight-games victory against India’s Tanvi Sharma at Arena Grand Paris in Paris on Oct. 22, 2026, advancing to the quarterfinals of the BWF World Tour French Open (Super 750) despite persistent injury concerns. The win extends her remarkable season record to 63 wins and 1 loss, alongside a 47-match winning streak that dates back to her defeat against Wang Zhiyi at the All England Open.

An Clears Early Rounds at French Open

Entering the French Open just days after defending her title at the Denmark Open, An faced an unexpected draw adjustment when Japan’s Tomoka Miyazaki withdrew due to injury. The tournament reshuffle placed India’s Pusarla Sindhu into the lower bracket, clearing An’s immediate path. In the 32nd round, the top-seeded South Korean dispatched Denmark’s Amalie Schulz in just 25 minutes, conceding only 10 points across two games.

Facing Sharma in the round of 16, An absorbed early pressure from the Indian prodigy—who claimed the Taipei Open Super 300 title in August—before asserting her control. BWF records note the clash as a rematch of their recent encounter in Denmark, where An once again neutralized her opponent’s tactical attacks.

Achilles Recovery and the Path Through Denmark

An’s physical condition remained a central talking point heading into Paris. During the Denmark Open final against Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi on Oct. 18, 2026, An slipped while defending during the third game at 2–5, experiencing acute Achilles tendon pain that halted play. Despite the injury scare, she mounted a comeback to win 21–18, capturing her ninth title of the season and her second Denmark Open crown.

Speaking after her triumph in Denmark, An acknowledged her physical strain, stating that her condition was poor following the court-slip incident and that she would consult with trainers before deciding on her French Open participation. Her appearance in Paris continued a successful relationship with the French capital, where she captured the 2024 Olympic gold medal and previous French Open titles in 2019, 2024, and 2025.

An Maintains World Number-One Ranking

With her victory over Sharma, An maintains a 98.4% win rate for the 2026 season and holds the world number-one ranking for 104 weeks. Following her gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games—where she completed a run without dropping a single game—her ranking points reached 122,287, extending her lead over second-ranked Wang Zhiyi to 18,298 points. The Badminton World Federation (BWF) praised her achievements, describing her as an all-time great of the sport, while Chinese media outlet Sohu also acknowledged her status at the pinnacle of modern badminton.

An now turns her attention to the remainder of the French Open bracket as she pursues her tenth title of the season, aiming to surpass or match her previous year’s record-setting 11-title haul established alongside Kento Momota’s historical benchmarks.