World number one An Se-young secured her place in the South Korea Open final on 7 November 2026 by defeating Japan’s Hina Abe 21-16, 21-12 at the Jindo Gymnasium in Jeollanam-do.
Dominating the Semifinals in Jeollanam-do
An advanced through the Badminton World Federation World Tour Super 500 tournament without dropping a single game. Her path to the championship match included straight-game victories over Bulgaria’s Kaloyana Nalbantova in the round of 32, Malaysia’s Karupathevan Letshanaa in the round of 16, and Japan’s Riko Gunji in the quarterfinals, before she overcame Abe in the semifinals. StarNews reported that the reigning star maintained a staggering 98.6% win rate this season, compiling a 70-1 record across 71 matches.
Playing on home soil brought both heavy crowd support and physical demands. Supporters filled the venue, chanting her name and playfully shouting nicknames such as “chocolate milk An Se-young” from the stands. An acknowledged the energetic reception after her semifinal win, noting that the opportunity to compete in front of local fans outweighed the heavy physical toll she has carried through a packed calendar.
Facing Rival Akane Yamaguchi for the Title
An will meet world number two Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in the 8 November 2026 final. Yamaguchi advanced by defeating Chinese Taipei’s Lin Hsiang-ting 21-16, 21-12 in her quarterfinal fixture. The championship match marks a direct rematch of the 2025 South Korea Open final held in Suwon, where Yamaguchi captured the title by defeating An in straight games.
Head-to-head metrics shifted dramatically following that meeting. An held a narrow 14-15 disadvantage against Yamaguchi prior to last year’s final, but rattled off ten consecutive victories starting from the October 2025 Denmark Open semifinals. That streak included wins at the BWF World Championships, the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in September 2026, and the Denmark Open final, pushing her overall career record against Yamaguchi to 24 wins and 15 losses.
Reflecting on Past Losses and Current Form
Despite her dominant run, which includes 54 match wins since a defeat at the All England Open in March, An maintained a cautious stance ahead of the final. “Yamaguchi’s strength is so formidable that it would not be strange for me to lose to her at any time,” An told reporters, according to StarNews. She added that she intended to use last year’s loss as a lesson to play with renewed confidence and leave no regrets on the court.
Yamaguchi offered a similar assessment of her opponent’s evolution. The Japanese player noted that while she previously held the upper hand in speed and physical conditioning against a primarily defensive-minded opponent, An has since developed superior physical strength and sharper attacking capabilities that leave virtually no discernible weaknesses in her game.
Chasing History on the World Tour
A victory in the final would yield An’s eleventh title of the 2026 season, matching her own single-season record set the previous year and establishing the first instance of consecutive 11-title seasons in badminton history. It would also mark her first South Korea Open crown since winning back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023.
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