World No. 1 badminton phenom An Se-young has offered words of encouragement to Japan’s rising star, Tomoka Miyazaki.
Global badminton outlet ‘Badpal’ recently shared excerpts from an interview with An Se-young, fresh off her victory at the 2025 badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Finals.the interview, disseminated via social media on the 2nd (Korean time), shed light on An’s perspective on the sport’s next generation.
An Se-young cemented her dominance by capturing the women’s singles title at the season-ending World Tour Finals, held at the Olympic Sports Center in Hangzhou, China, on December 21st.
Her path to the championship was a gauntlet of top-tier talent, as she systematically defeated putri Kusuma Wardani (Indonesia, world No. 6), Tomoka Miyazaki (Japan, world No. 9), Akane Yamaguchi (Japan, world No. 3), and Wang Zhiyi (China, world No. 2) in succession.
The encounter between An Se-young and Miyazaki occurred during the group stage of the prestigious tournament.
miyazaki, born in 2006, has been making waves with her rapid ascent in the rankings. Many see her as the heir apparent to the legacy of Akane Yamaguchi, a three-time world champion, and the future face of Japanese women’s badminton.
Dubbed a “badminton idol” in Japan, Miyazaki boasts a meaningful following, with over 200,000 Instagram followers. Her popularity has also been growing in South Korea, a nation with a passionate badminton fanbase.
Despite her impressive world ranking of 9th at such a young age, Miyazaki faced a stark reality check against An Se-young at the World Tour Finals. She was decisively defeated 0-2 (9-21, 6-21), a scoreline that underscored the significant gap between her and the current world elite. In both games, Miyazaki struggled to find her rhythm and failed to break double digits.
This latest defeat extended Miyazaki’s winless streak against An Se-young to six matches.
Following the match, Miyazaki reportedly expressed her frustration, admitting, “I couldn’t do anything,” acknowledging the overwhelming skill difference.
It has since been revealed that An Se-young took the time to offer miyazaki some valuable advice. According to Badpal, An sincerely encouraged Miyazaki, stating, You shoudl try everything you wont to do and expand yoru experience.
She added, You should challenge all possibilities, learn in the process, and grow further.
Miyazaki recently participated in the all Japan Championships, where she engaged in a thrilling three-game battle with Yamaguchi, ultimately falling 1-2 and missing out on the title for the second consecutive year. Her next challenge will be the Malaysia Open (Super 1000) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, kicking off on the 6th.As the 8th seed, she is on a collision course with An Se-young, with a potential rematch in the finals.
Photo: Yonhap News
