“This tournament is the best opportunity for the Chinese team to take the women’s singles title,” the Beijing Youth Daily sports channel said on the 14 regarding the BWF World Tour Super 500 event.
“It’s a cold reality, but a fact.”
The state of the women’s singles draw at the Kumamoto Masters shifted dramatically once South Korean star An Se-young withdrew from the tournament. An, who holds the world number one ranking, stayed home to rest and recover from a heavy workload and lingering injuries.
Chinese state media said that An’s absence opened a rare door for her primary challengers. “If An Se-young competed, whether China, Japan, or players from other countries, they would practically only be fighting for the runner-up spot,” the Beijing Youth Daily reported.
An has dominated the 2026 season with a 71-1 record, giving her a 98.6 winning percentage across 72 matches. Her sole defeat came against Wang Zhiyi in the All England Open final back in March, after which she strung together 55 victories.
Wang Zhiyi capitalized on the opening by defeating Japan’s Miyazaki Tomoka 21-10, 21-15 in a 43-minute semifinal on the 14. The win sent the world number three into the final at the Prefectural総合 Gymnasium in Kumamoto.
On the other side of the bracket, Japan’s Yamaguchi Akane advanced after Chen Yufei retired during their semifinal match. Chen won the opening game 21-18, but Yamaguchi took the second 21-8 before Chen withdrew due to a leg injury while trailing 11-4 in the decider.
J Sports previously highlighted Yamaguchi’s campaign, noting that a key storyline for the host nation was whether the world number two could secure her second Kumamoto Masters title in two years. Chen’s exit dashed hopes of an all-Chinese final, leaving Wang to carry China’s title hopes.
“Given that she has played high-intensity matches for four days in a row, Chen Yufei’s mid-match retirement is understandable,” reports noted regarding Chen’s heavy physical load following a two-month layoff for an ankle injury.
Wang remains the only player to defeat An this season, claiming the All England Open trophy in March. Yet An quickly rebounded, extending her streak to 11 tournament titles this year, including a recent victory over Yamaguchi at the Korea Open.
An’s 11 titles match the single-season victory record set by Japan’s Momota Kento in 2019 and equaled by An herself last season. She stands as the first singles player to claim 11 titles across two consecutive years.
An’s next appearance is scheduled for the BWF World Tour Finals, running from the 9 to the 13 in Hangzhou, China. A victory there would push her to 12 titles in a single season, establishing a new historical benchmark.
