Ahn Se-young: World No. 1, China & Japan Tournaments Confirmed

[스포티비뉴스=박대성 기자] This is the best card from the beginning. World number one Ahn Se-young and world champion Akane Yamaguchi will face each other from the preliminaries.

The present and the top of women’s badminton collide from the group stage. World No. 1 Ahn Se-young was placed in the same group as this year’s World Championship gold medalist Akane Yamaguchi in the women’s singles group stage of the 2025 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Finals. The ‘preview finals’ on the stage to determine the season’s strongest was concluded too early.

BWF held the World Tour Finals draw ceremony in Hangzhou, China on the 13th (Korean time). The World Tour Finals is a competition in which only the top eight players with the best performance during the season participate, and will be held in Hangzhou from the 17th to the 21st. It’s literally a battle of kings.

The women’s singles tournament featured top-ranked players, including world No. 1 Ahn Se-young, 2nd place Wang Zhiyi (China), 3rd place Akane Yamaguchi (Japan), and 4th place Han Yue (China). In addition, Putri Kusuma Wardani (Indonesia), Pornpawi Chochuwong, Ratchanok Inthanon (Thailand), and Tomoka Miyazaki (Japan) were added, making each group virtually a tournament finals matchup.

Ahn Se-young, who won 10 BWF international competitions this season, maintained her No. 1 ranking in the world and received the top seed. According to the tournament regulations, Ahn Se-young was automatically assigned to Group A. The second seed goes to world number two Wang Zhiyi, who is in Group B. Pot 2 included Yamaguchi, ranked 3rd in the world, and Hanyue, ranked 4th in the world, and as a result of the draw, Yamaguchi headed to Group A, where Ahn Se-young belongs. Hanyue was assigned to Group B with Wang Ziyi. From this moment on, the biggest interest in this competition was decided.

Next, two players from Pot 3 were placed in Group A and Group B. The targets were Wardhani, Chochuwong, Inthanon, and Miyazaki, ranked 6th to 9th in the world. Wardani and Miyazaki entered Group A, where Ahn Se-young belongs. Wardani lost 0-2 to Ahn Se-young in the final of the Australian Open last month, and Miyazaki has lost all 5 matches against Ahn Se-young. Looking at power alone, there is a high possibility that Ahn Se-young will pass the group stage, but a huge wall called Yamaguchi is waiting from the beginning.

The match between Ahn Se-young and Yamaguchi has more meaning than just a group match. Yamaguchi is the only player to lose to Ahn Se-young in the finals this season. In the finals of the Korea Open held in Suwon on September 28, Ahn Se-young lost to Yamaguchi 0-2 (18-21, 13-21) and missed out on winning the home tournament. Except for that competition, Ahn Se-young came out on top in all 10 finals. That’s how powerful this defeat remains.

Their overall record against opponents is also tight. The two players have faced each other 30 times so far and are in perfect balance with 15 wins and 15 losses. BWF also pointed out this point when introducing this competition. In the preview, BWF emphasized, “Yamaguchi is one of the two players, along with Chen Yu-fei, who has a strong record against Se-young Ahn,” and “He is the player who inflicted the last loss of the season to Se-young Ahn at the Korea Open.”

The two players’ actions this season are in stark contrast. Ahn Se-young had the best season, sweeping the championship trophies in both the Super 1000 and Super 750 competitions. However, at the World Championships, she lost to Chen Yufei in the semifinals and had to be content with a bronze medal. On the other hand, Yamaguchi showed off the dignity of a ‘world champion’ by defeating Chen Yufei in the final of the World Championships and winning his third gold medal. However, throughout the entire season, Ahn Se-young’s momentum was suppressed and there was no win in the Super 1000 and Super 750 level competitions.

This World Tour Finals is special for both players. For Seyoung Ahn, it is an opportunity to wash away the regrets of the World Championships and prove that she is the strongest this year, and for Yamaguchi, it is a stage to once again stamp her status as a world champion. Of course, if the two players pass the group stage together, there is a possibility that they will meet again in the semifinals or finals. It may not end with just one confrontation in the beginning.

The women’s singles landscape can be greatly shaken by this one match. The big match that started from the preliminaries immediately raised the tension in the World Tour Finals. A clash between the world number one who dominated the season and the world champion who smiled at the biggest tournament. The greatest rivalry in women’s badminton unfolds again on the court in Hangzhou.