World number one An Se-young secured her 47th international singles title by defeating Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi 2-1 (21-23, 21-14, 21-18) in a one-hour and 18-minute final at the SJF Bank Arena, setting a new all-time record for women’s singles international tournament victories. The Samsung Life star overcame a first-game loss and an Achilles tendon scare in the deciding game to capture the BWF World Tour Super 750 crown in Odense, Denmark.
Odense Final Tests Top-Ranked Star Through Pain Barrier
The championship match pushed the world’s top-ranked player to her physical limits against the third-ranked Yamaguchi. After dropping a tight opening game 23-21, An found herself trailing significantly in the third game when she slipped on the court and immediately called for a medical timeout to treat pain in her right Achilles tendon at 2-6. When the chair umpire asked if she wished to retire from the match, An answered with a firm “no” before sprinting back onto the court.
VICTOR Denmark Open 2026[BWF World Tour Super 750]🗓️ 18 Oct 2026🛎️ FinalMen’s Doubles🇲🇾 Aaron Chia / Soh Wooi Yik [4] 🆚🇮🇩 Fajar Alfian / Muhammad Shohibul Fikri [3]8-2111-21🥈 CHIASOH SETTLE FOR SILVER IN DENMARK 🇲🇾A tough battle, but heads up, ChiaSoh! Keep going,… pic.twitter.com/F3pXaSlHlg
Trailing 11-5 at the interval, the South Korean player mounted an extraordinary comeback. She reeled off four consecutive points immediately after the break, clawed her way back to level at 12-12, and then claimed the lead at 13-12. Capitalizing on the physical fatigue of the 29-year-old Yamaguchi, An surged ahead with a seven-point run to establish a 16-12 advantage, ultimately closing out the final game 21-18 to defend her Denmark Open title.
Surpassing Susanti to Claim the All-Time Record
The hard-fought victory yielded An’s 47th career international singles title, excluding junior events, pushing her past the legendary Susi Susanti of Indonesia. Susanti, who won the gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics when badminton was first introduced as an official medal sport, held the previous benchmark at 46 titles. The World Badminton Federation (BWF) acknowledged the milestone immediately following the conclusion of the match via social media channels.
With former star Carolina Marín sitting third on the all-time list with 39 titles, the milestone places An in a category of her own while both of her closest historical predecessors remain retired from competition. That dynamic means every subsequent tournament victory An secures will extend an active standard that she alone continues to rewrite.
The triumph in Denmark also marked her ninth individual international title of the 2026 season. Her prior triumphs this year span the Malaysia Open (Super 1000), India Open (Super 750), the Asian Championships, Singapore Open (Super 750), Indonesia Open (Super 1000), the World Championships, the China Masters (Super 750), and the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
Dominance Against Rival Yamaguchi and Historical Win Rates
Sunday’s victory extended An’s flawless head-to-head run against Yamaguchi over the past 12 months, marking her tenth win against the Japanese player. Her overall career record against Yamaguchi now stands at 24 wins and 15 losses, a stark turnaround from a prior 14-15 deficit before the current winning streak.
This level of control mirrors her performance against other top-tier competitors, including a clean sweep of all ten finals and matches against China’s reigning world number two, Wang Zhiyi, across individual and team competitions in 2025. Her season record now stands at 61 wins against just 1 single defeat, translating to a staggering 98.39% match win rate.
Last year, An finished with a 73-4 record across 77 matches for a 94.81% win rate, breaking the all-time singles record across both men’s and women’s categories. She is now positioned to break her own statistical benchmark within a 12-month span. Furthermore, she remains on track to challenge the single-season title record of 11 tournament wins she shared with Japan’s Kento Momota from 2019, with the possibility of reaching up to 13 titles before the year concludes.
Next Stops on the World Tour Calendar
Having successfully defended her title in Odense, An will immediately travel to France to compete in the French Open (Super 750), which opens on October 20 in Paris. Her remaining autumn and winter schedule includes two Super 500 events—the Korea Open and the Japan Masters in November—followed by the BWF World Tour Finals in December.
Because she is slated to enter four more tournaments on the calendar, playing roughly five matches per event, a flawless run through the remainder of the season could see her finish with an 81-1 record and a final winning percentage of 98.78%.
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