World No. 1 An Se-young of South Korea will face Malaysia’s Karupathevan Letshana in the women’s singles round of 16 at the 2026 BWF World Tour Korea Open (Super 500) on Nov. 5 at Jinam Gymnasium in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province — and Malaysian media are already conceding that their player would need a miracle to win, Maeil Business Newspaper reported.
Yeosu sets up the round-of-16 meeting
An, of Samsung Life, beat Bulgaria’s Kaloyana Nalbantova 2-0 (21-6, 21-8) in just 39 minutes on Nov. 4, conceding only 14 points across both games. Letshana needed 47 minutes to dispatch a Thai opponent 2-0 (21-17, 21-18) in the round of 32, setting up the Korea Open showdown.
The Star: Letshana needs “something special”
Malaysian daily The Star framed the match as a long shot for its own player. The paper reported that Letshana would need “something special” to end a quarterfinal drought at the Korea Open and get past a world No. 1 opponent. It noted Letshana has failed to reach the quarterfinals in nine consecutive tournaments since making the last eight at the Malaysia Masters in late May, and that the slump looks unlikely to end against a player The Star described as performing on a level apart from everyone else this season.
The numbers behind An’s 51-match winning streak
An’s season form backs that assessment. She has not lost since the All England Open final in March, when China’s Wang Zhiyi beat her; the Korea Open round-of-32 win extended her streak to 51 matches. Her 2026 record stands at 68 wins and 1 loss, a 98.5% win rate.
Last month she won the France Open (Super 750) on the 25th, collecting her 10th title of the season, a fifth tournament crown, and her 48th career international title, according to the report. She is chasing an 11th title of the season at home.
Head-to-head: Letshana is 0-4 against An
The history between the two players tilts entirely toward An. Letshana has lost all four meetings with the Korean, including two this year: the Asian Mixed Team Championships in Qingdao, China, in February, and the women’s team event at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya in September. This Korea Open match is her chance at revenge, but even Malaysian coverage does not rate the upset highly.
What a Korea Open title would add to An’s record
A win in Yeosu would give An her 11th title of the season and a second season with 11 tournament victories. She also won the Korea Open in 2022 and 2023, so a title on Nov. 5 would be her third at the event. The winner of the round-of-16 match advances to the quarterfinals at the Super 500 event in Yeosu.
