Malaysian media The Star reported on the 6th (Korean time) that Ahn Se-young is aiming for an undefeated season in 2026, and through this, he is trying to prove that he is a player with extraordinary skills. Se-young Ahn defeated Canada’s Michelle Lee (No. 12 in the world) with a game score of 2-1 (19-21 21-16 21-18) in the women’s singles round of 32 of the 2026 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Malaysia Open (Super 1000) held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the 6th. After the game, Ahn Se-young confessed that his goal for the 2026 season is to achieve an undefeated season. Yonhap News
(Reporter Kwon Dong-hwan, Xports News) Ahn Se-young (Samsung Life Insurance, world No. 1), who rewrote badminton history by winning 11 gold medals last season, took on the challenge of an unprecedented ‘undefeated season’.
Malaysian media ‘The Star’ reported on the 6th (Korean time), “Ahn Se-young is aiming for an undefeated season in 2026, and through this, he is trying to prove that he is a player with extraordinary skills.”
Se-young Ahn defeated Canada’s Michelle Lee (No. 12 in the world) with a game score of 2-1 (19-21 21-16 21-18) in the women’s singles round of 32 of the 2026 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Malaysia Open (Super 1000) held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the 6th.
On this day, Ahn Se-young was dragged 2-5 by Michelle Lee in the early part of the first game. After tying the score at 8-8, they fought a fierce battle and succeeded in coming back with a score of 14-13.
Malaysian media The Star reported on the 6th (Korean time) that Ahn Se-young is aiming for an undefeated season in 2026, and through this, he is trying to prove that he is a player with extraordinary skills. Se-young Ahn defeated Canada’s Michelle Lee (No. 12 in the world) with a game score of 2-1 (19-21 21-16 21-18) in the women’s singles round of 32 of the 2026 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Malaysia Open (Super 1000) held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the 6th. After the game, Ahn Se-young confessed that his goal for the 2026 season is to achieve an undefeated season. Yonhap News
However, Michelle Lee regained the lead at 17-17 and reached match point first to make it 20-18. Ahn Se-young recovered one point, but ended up losing 19-21 and giving up one game to Michelle Lee.
Michelle Lee’s trend continued in the second game. Following the first game, Michelle Lee put strong pressure on Ahn Se-young in the second game, and Ahn Se-young was dragged down to 6-11, raising the possibility of defeat.
Fortunately, Ahn Se-young succeeded in turning the score around by scoring 7 consecutive points. Afterwards, it was a tight game and the score was 16-16, and Ahn Se-young scored 5 points in a row to win 21-16 and take 2 games.
A fierce battle took place in the third game. The two players exchanged points to tie the score at 13-13, and while trailing 14-16, Ahn Se-young scored five points in a row to take the lead to 19-16. Michelle Lee did not give up until the end, but game 3 ended with Ahn Se-young’s 21-18 victory.
Malaysian media The Star reported on the 6th (Korean time) that Ahn Se-young is aiming for an undefeated season in 2026, and through this, he is trying to prove that he is a player with extraordinary skills. Se-young Ahn defeated Canada’s Michelle Lee (No. 12 in the world) with a game score of 2-1 (19-21 21-16 21-18) in the women’s singles round of 32 of the 2026 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Malaysia Open (Super 1000) held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the 6th. After the game, Ahn Se-young confessed that his goal for the 2026 season is to achieve an undefeated season. Yonhap News
After a close match that lasted 75 minutes, Ahn Se-young won and advanced to the next round.
Ahn Se-young had a historic year last season, winning 11 crowns. In 2025 alone, she reached the top of 11 international competitions, setting a new record for the most wins in women’s singles in a single badminton season.
Because of her overwhelming performance last year, it was expected that Ahn Se-young would easily win the Malaysia Open, the first international tournament hosted by BWF in the 2026 season, but contrary to expectations, Ahn Se-young struggled greatly from the first match of the tournament.
The tight schedule had a significant impact on Ahn Se-young’s performance that day. Ahn Se-young finished the BWF World Tour Finals, the last tournament of the season, on the 21st of last month, took a short break, and immediately participated in the Malaysia Open.
Malaysian media The Star reported on the 6th (Korean time) that Ahn Se-young is aiming for an undefeated season in 2026, and through this, he is trying to prove that he is a player with extraordinary skills. Se-young Ahn defeated Canada’s Michelle Lee (No. 12 in the world) with a game score of 2-1 (19-21 21-16 21-18) in the women’s singles round of 32 of the 2026 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Malaysia Open (Super 1000) held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the 6th. After the game, Ahn Se-young confessed that his goal for the 2026 season is to achieve an undefeated season. Yonhap News
If Ahn Se-young plays the Malaysia Open this season, she will have to play the India Open (Super 750) in New Delhi, India from the 13th to the 18th. According to BWF regulations, top rankers are required to participate in four Super 1000 competitions and six 750 competitions every season. Additionally, you must participate in two Super 500 competitions.
In addition to the BWF-hosted competition, Ahn Se-young is expected to have a truly restless year as she has to participate in the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Summer Asian Games in Japan in September.
Despite the tight schedule, Ahn Se-young overcame fatigue and aimed for an unprecedented ‘undefeated season’.
The media said, “Korean badminton star Ahn Se-young is trying to break more records this year, despite fatigue. He has announced his goal to finish 2026 undefeated, which will be an unprecedented feat.”
Malaysian media The Star reported on the 6th (Korean time) that Ahn Se-young is aiming for an undefeated season in 2026, and through this, he is trying to prove that he is a player with extraordinary skills. Se-young Ahn defeated Canada’s Michelle Lee (No. 12 in the world) with a game score of 2-1 (19-21 21-16 21-18) in the women’s singles round of 32 of the 2026 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Malaysia Open (Super 1000) held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the 6th. After the game, Ahn Se-young confessed that his goal for the 2026 season is to achieve an undefeated season. Yonhap News
He added, “The hard-fought win against Michelle Lee showed how difficult it is to maintain consistent performance after a long and difficult season, but Ahn Se-young is determined not only to maintain a high level in 2026, but to surpass her own achievements.”
According to the media, Ahn Se-young said in an interview after the game, “I still need some more time to recover, but the schedule has already been set. As players, we have to follow that schedule and prepare professionally.”
He also said, “I always try to forget what I’ve already accomplished and start again. I want to win more titles. That habit keeps me going. Collecting titles is my driving force.”
In addition, he set his goal for the 2026 season, saying, “It is becoming more and more difficult because many players are analyzing my play and preparing for me. Even though it is very difficult, my ultimate goal is to finish the year undefeated.”
Ahn Se-young, who advanced to the next round after a fierce battle, will face Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara (world number 30) in the round of 16 of the Malaysia Open. If Ahn Se-young, who also won the 2024 and 2025 tournaments, reaches the top of the Malaysia Open again, she will achieve her third consecutive victory in the tournament, something only Suzy Susanthi (Indonesia) and Tai Tzu-ying (Taiwan) have achieved.
Photo = Yonhap News
Reporter Kwon Dong-hwan [email protected]
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