"I was winning without even realizing it"... Ahn Se-young's "Overwhelming Class" that surprised the world

*This content was translated by AI.

The world was surprised by the dignity of the Badminton Empress. As Ahn Se-young (24, Samsung Life Insurance) achieved the great feat of winning three consecutive Malaysian Open titles, all foreign media are pouring out praise.

Ahn Se-young defeated world No. 2 Wang Zhiyi (21-15, 24-22) in the women's singles final of the BWF World Tour Super 1000 Malaysia Open in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the 11th (Korea time).

As a result, Ahn Se-young has been remarkable at the top of the Malaysian Open for three consecutive years following 2024 and 2025. This is tied with the record of three consecutive Malaysian Open losses achieved by Tai Tzu Ying (Taiwan) from 2017 to 2019.

In addition, he won nine consecutive games against Wang Zhi and widened his career record to 17 wins and four losses, proving that he is a perfect natural enemy. With this victory, Ahn even won 101,500 U.S. dollars (about 140 million won) in prize money.

After the game, BWF praised Ahn on its official website, saying, "The year has just begun, but Ahn has already sent an ominous message to his rivals," adding, "Just a few weeks after a record season last year, he marked another milestone from the first tournament of the new season."

In particular, he focused on the reversal of the second set, saying, "It was a victory of calmness, faith, and physical strength."

Malaysia's leading newspaper "The Star" also praised Ahn Se-young, saying, "She proved to be the undisputed badminton empress," adding, "She deserves to be on par with legendary players."

Singapore's 'The Straits Times' also said, "Se-young Ahn started again where she stopped last season. The 23-year-old queen again overwhelmed Wang Zhii," he said.

In an interview with BWF, Ahn Se-young revealed the secret of reversing the 8-point deficit in the second set. On the miraculous reversal, Ahn said, "When I was trailing by eight points, I tried to relax and calm myself. The moment the opponent (Wang Zui) hesitated, his confidence soared, he said. "I was leading without knowing, and from there, I pushed with confidence. I'm happy to start the new year well," he said.

It was a game of outstanding mental strength. Ahn Se-young, who was dragged 1-6 at the beginning of the first game, chased without panicking, turned the tide to 12-11, and won the first game with consecutive points at 19-15.

The game was decided by two games. Ahn Se-young was losing in the middle, falling behind 8-14, 9-17, and 13-19.

But Ahn didn't give up. Wang Zhi did not miss the shaking gap in consideration of the victory and poured an onslaught to tie the score at 19-19. In the end, Wang Zhi's attack caught the net in a close deuce match, and Ahn Se-young, who grabbed a match point 23-22, roared with a victory in the final rally.

On the other hand, China was shocked by Wang Zhi's helpless defeat. Chinese media "Sina Sports" reported, "Wang Zui collapsed after failing to keep an eight-point lead in the second set."

Even Chinese fans said, "Wang Zhi is not just a technical problem, but lacks mental resilience to withstand pressure. Ahn Se-young is a very big wall," and "Wang Zui is a sample of mental breakdown," he said, pouring out raw criticism.

Last year, Ahn swept 11 wins, recording the most wins in a single season since the 1990s, the highest winning rate (94.8%), and the first-ever prize money to exceed $1 million.

Ahn Se-young, who has already won the World Championships, Asian Games, and Olympics, will achieve the second Grand Slam in history after Carolina Marin of Spain if she adds the Asian Championships trophy in April. In addition, the Asian Games in Aichi and Nagoya, which will be held in September, will hunt for the second consecutive victory in the tournament.

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*This content was translated by AI.