*This content was translated by AI.
China also threw its tongue at the overwhelming performance of world No. 1 Ahn Se-young (24, Samsung Life Insurance). Local media and fans are also reacting enthusiastically after defeating China's pride Wang Zhiyi (2nd, 26th) and winning the Indian Open for the second consecutive time.
Ahn Se-young defeated Wang Zhi 2-0 (21-13, 21-11) in 43 minutes in the women's singles final of the 2026 World Badminton Federation (BWF) World Tour Super 750 Indian Open in New Delhi, India on the 18th (Korea time).
As a result, Ahn Se-young won the Malaysian Open last week and won the title for two consecutive weeks, solidifying her dominance from the new year.
The Chinese media's response after the game was a mixture of despair and wonder. Chinese media outlet NetEase said, "Ahn Se-young showed a strong performance and won again. Wang Zhi only won a silver medal, proving that she still has to grind and polish," he reported.
The media said, "It was a game where the difference in skills between Wang Zhi and Ahn Se-young was clearly revealed," adding, "An Se-young overwhelmed Wang Zhi based on more perfect skills, tactics and strong psychological superiority." Wang Zi performed well in this competition, but she did not shake the queen at all in the final," he said.
In particular, he praised Ahn Se-young's performance. NetEase said, "Ahn Se-young's performance on both sides of the offense and defense was textbook-level. Whether it was a smash or a play in front of the net, Wang Zhi said, "Wang Zui couldn't find a way out in front of Ahn Se-young's stifling defense, but rather consumed only his stamina during the rally."
Chinese netizens also reacted enthusiastically. Local badminton fans said, "We can't blame Wang Zui. The main responses were "An Se-young is ridiculously strong" and "An Se-young's era."
In fact, the match was Ahn Se-young's solo stage. Ahn Se-young, who was leading 7-1 at the beginning of the first game, changed the trend again when Wang Zhi chased 15-13. Immediately, Ahn Se-young scored six points and won one game 21-13.
The second game was also in Ahn Se-young's hands. He used his coat wide and ran the game leisurely, exhausting Wang Zui. Ahn Se-young finished the game lightly with 21-11 even in the second game.
With this victory, Ahn continued his overwhelming 17 wins and 4 losses against Wang Zhi. Ahn Se-young has recently won 10 consecutive games against Wang Zhi. Since the World Tour Finals semifinal loss in December 2024, they have met nine times in the finals and won all of them. From Wangzui's point of view, Ahn Se-young blocked nine chances to win.
Ahn's overwhelming performance is a target of fear for his opponents. Ratchanok Intanon (8th, Thailand), who lost to An Se-young in the semifinals earlier, said in an interview with local media 'The Indian Express', "An Se-young was like a machine today. "Wherever I sent the shuttlecock, he was already there," he said. "To beat him, skill alone is not enough. I have to break down my steel-like mentality, but I can't see a gap," he said.
Even An Se-young's quarterfinal opponent, Puturi Kusuma Wardani (6th, Indonesia), said in an interview with the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI), "My performance today was not the best. I've made too many mistakes myself. At first, I played with the mindset that I had nothing to lose, but Ahn Se-young played a really great game. He didn't press me too hard, but the play itself was very efficient," he said tongue-in-cheek.
In particular, regarding the two games in which the game was decided, he said, "Ahn Se-young suddenly raised the tempo, and the change in speed made it very difficult for me."
Ahn Se-young, one of the best in the world, recorded a phenomenal record last year. Starting with the Malaysian Open in the 2025 season, he swept three of the most prestigious Super 1000-rated competitions, including the Jeon Young Open and the Indonesian Open, and also lifted five trophies, including the Indian Open and the Japanese Open, at the Super 750 tournament, which is the same grade as this tournament.
On top of that, he won the World Tour Finals, a king of kings, and built a golden tower of 11 wins in the season. This is tied with the record for the most wins in a single BWF season set by Kento Momota (Japan) in 2019.
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*This content was translated by AI.
