“Currently, none of China’s main singles players pose a substantive threat to An Seyoung,” a prevailing sentiment within Chinese badminton as the world number one advanced to another final. An Seyoung booked her spot in the French Open championship match by defeating Japan’s veteran Nozomi Okuhara on Saturday at the Adidas Arena in Paris.
The straight-games victory over the 31-year-old Okuhara marked An Seyoung’s 49th match win on the international circuit. Competing at the 2026 BWF World Tour Super 750 event, the 24-year-old South Korean star stands just one victory away from claiming her 10th title of the season. Sunday’s final puts her in position to secure her third French Open crown and her fourth career title at the tournament, including a victory in 2019.
French Open Draw Collapses for Top Seeds
The tournament proved An Seyoung's current dominance as key rivals exited early. World number two Akane Yamaguchi of Japan and world number three Wang Zhiyi of China both crashed out in the round of 16. Wang fell to Japan’s Tomoka Miyazaki, leaving Han Yue as China’s last remaining competitor in the women’s singles draw.
That final Chinese hope was extinguished in the quarterfinals, where An Seyoung defeated Han 21-13, 21-16 in just 36 minutes. Following the match, NetEase reported on the growing anxiety within Chinese badminton media regarding the domestic talent pool’s inability to match the world leader’s pace and court control.
An Seyoung Reaches Final Despite Heel Tendon Pain
An Seyoung’s march to the final is all the more notable given her physical condition. She experienced right heel tendon pain during the final of the Denmark Open on October 18 and entered the Paris tournament without adequate rest or recovery time.
Despite the lingering pain and cumulative fatigue, the top seed dropped very few openings against Okuhara, repeating her dominant performance from their meeting just a week prior in the Denmark Open semifinals, where An won 21-16, 21-8.
Former England international and BWF television commentator Gillian Clark praised the South Korean player’s demeanor on the court following her quarterfinal win against Han Yue. Clark noted that An’s respectful conduct after the match exemplified why she has earned such a broad following among fans despite her fierce competitive record.
Chasing Historic Single-Season Records
Sunday’s final offers An Seyoung an opportunity to inch closer to her own benchmark set last year, when she secured 11 titles across a single season. The top seed will face her next opponent in the scheduled Sunday title match at the Adidas Arena.
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