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Ahn Se-young is roaring after winning the women’s singles title at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Super 1000 Malaysia Open held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the 11th (Korean time). /AFPBBNews=News1
The world was amazed by the majesty of the badminton queen. Foreign media outlets are pouring praise on Ahn Se-young (24, Samsung Life Insurance) after she achieved the great feat of winning her third consecutive title at the Malaysia Open.
Ahn Se-young defeated world No. 2 Wang Zhiyi (China) 2-0 (21-15, 24-22) in the women’s singles final of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Super 1000 Malaysia Open held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the 11th (Korean time).
With this, Ahn Se-young showed off her spirit by standing at the top of the Malaysia Open for three consecutive years, following 2024 and 2025. This is tied with the record of three consecutive Malaysia Open wins achieved by Tai Tzu-ying (Taiwan) from 2017 to 2019.
In addition, he won 9 consecutive wins against Wang Zhiyi, increasing his overall record to 17 wins and 4 losses, proving that he is a perfect nemesis. With this win, Ahn Se-young also won a prize of 101,500 dollars (about 140 million won).
After the game, BWF praised the team on its official website, saying, “The year has just begun, but Ahn Se-young has already sent an ominous message to her rivals. Just a few weeks after having a record-breaking season last year, she has set another milestone in the first competition of the new season.”
Ahn Se-young is kissing the trophy after winning the women’s singles title at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Super 1000 Malaysia Open held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the 11th (Korean time). /AFPBBNews=News1
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) focused on Ahn Se-young’s records this season. /Photo = Badminton World Federation (BWF) official social networking service (SNS)
In particular, he focused on the second set’s double victory, saying, “It was a victory of calmness, faith, and stamina.”
Malaysia’s leading newspaper ‘The Star’ also praised Ahn Se-young, saying, “Ahn Se-young has proven that she is the undisputed queen of badminton,” and “she is fully qualified to stand shoulder to shoulder with legendary players.”
Singapore’s ‘The Straits Times’ was also surprised, saying, “Ahn Se-young started again from where she left off last season. The 23-year-old queen once again overwhelmed Wang Ziyi.”
In an interview with BWF, Ahn Se-young revealed the secret to overturning an 8-point deficit in the second set. Regarding the miraculous comeback, Ahn Se-young said, “When I was behind by 8 points, I tried to relax and stay calm. The moment my opponent (Wang Ziyi) hesitated, my confidence surged,” and “I was ahead without realizing it, and I pushed forward with confidence from there. I’m happy to start the new year on a good note.”
It was a game where mental strength stood out. Ahn Se-young, who was down 1-6 at the beginning of the first game, did not panic and chased down, turning the tide to 12-11, and then won the first game with consecutive points at 19-15.
The deciding factor was two games. Ahn Se-young suffered deep losses as he fell behind by 8-14, 9-17, and 13-19 due to mistakes in the middle of the match.
Ahn Se-young, winner of the 2025 BWF Player of the Year Award in women’s singles. /Photo = Badminton World Federation (BWF) official social networking service (SNS)
Se-young Ahn is posing at the awards ceremony after winning the women’s singles at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Super 1000 Malaysia Open held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the 11th (Korean time). /AFPBBNews=News1
But Ahn Se-young did not give up. Wang Ziyi, conscious of victory, did not miss the moment of trembling and launched an onslaught, eventually tying the score at 19-19. In the end, in a close deuce match, Wang Zhiyi’s attack was caught in the net, and Ahn Se-young, who took the match point at 23-22, roared with victory in the final rally.
On the other hand, China was shocked by Wang Ziyi’s helpless defeat. Chinese media ‘Sina Sports’ reported, “Wang Zhiyi was unable to protect her 8-point lead in the second set and collapsed.”
Chinese fans even poured out harsh criticism, saying, “It’s not just a technical problem, Wang Zhiyi lacks the mental resilience to withstand pressure. Ahn Se-young is too big a wall,” and “Wang Zhiyi is an example of mental breakdown.”
Last year, Ahn Se-young swept 11 wins, tying the record for the most wins in a single season since the 1990s, the highest winning percentage ever (94.8%), and making history by exceeding $1 million in prize money for the first time in history.
Ahn Se-young, who has already won the World Championships, Asian Games, and Olympics, will become the second player in history to achieve a Grand Slam after Carolina Marin (Spain) by simply winning the Asian Championships trophy to be held in April. In addition, they plan to hunt for their second consecutive win at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held in September.
Seyoung Ahn (left) is posing after receiving an award at the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2025 Gala Dinner held in Hangzhou, China. /Photo = Badminton World Federation (BWF) official social networking service (SNS)
Ahn Se-young, who eventually won the championship after overcoming thigh pain, is kissing the trophy. /AFPBBNews=News1
Reporter Park Geon-do [email protected]
