Se-young Ahn's solo performance of "Unexpected" is over. He was completely defeated by Wang Zui 0-2... For the first time in a row in the Korea at the Jeon Young Open, it failed

*This content was translated by AI.

Ahn Se-young (24, Samsung Life Insurance), the "world's strongest" who was relentless, lost her momentum. He failed to win the British Open after losing to the world's second-ranked Wang Zhi of China. The record for consecutive wins in international competitions also came to an end in 36 games.

Ahn Se-young, the world No. 1 in women's singles, was completely defeated by Wang Zhi 0-2 (15-21, 19-21) in the final of the 2026 World Badminton Federation (BWF) World Tour Super 1000 Young Open at Utilita Arena in Birmingham, England on the 8th (Korea time).

The defeat failed Ahn Se-young's third attempt to win the season following the Malaysian Open and Indian Open. The record of winning consecutive international competitions, which began with the Danish Open in October last year, also ended with 36 consecutive wins.

The first attempt by a Korean singles player to win two consecutive games at the prestigious Jeon Young Open, where the first competition began in 1899, was also canceled. After winning the women's singles title for the first time in 27 years at the 2023 tournament, Ahn was eliminated from the semifinals of the 2024 tournament and beat Wang Zui last year to the top. The final was the first stage in Korean singles to try for the second consecutive win at the Jeon Young Open, but the defeat on the day swallowed up the disappointment.

The overwhelming strength against Wang Zhi has also been dampened. Before the face-off on this day, Ahn Se-young won 10 consecutive games against Wang Zi, showing off her "natural enemy" aspect. However, the defeat ended Ahn Se-young's 10th consecutive win before the Kings, and the opponent's record was narrowed to 18 wins and 5 losses. It is the first time in a year and three months that Ahn Se-young lost to Wang Zui since December 2024.

Ahn Se-young faltered from the first game. He got off to a good start with an early 3-1 lead, but was shaken by allowing five runs down. Ahn Se-young countered with a persistent defense, but Wang Zhi's concentration was also not easy. The gap widened to 8-15 before long.

Ahn Se-young did not miss Wang Zi's consecutive misses and went on a chase. However, while Wang Zhi quickly regained her concentration, Ahn Se-young's concentration was shaken. In the end, Ahn Se-young lost the first game 15-21.

Ahn Se-young launched a two-game counterattack. After being dragged 2-5, he scored three consecutive points to balance 5-5, and after a persistent rally, he succeeded in reversing 7-6 to set the tone. Ahn Se-young, who gained momentum, drove Wang Zui and ran 9-6 more at once. Wang Zhi's pursuit was repeatedly countered with an attack that caught the opponent off guard.

However, Ahn Se-young rarely won. Wang Zhi's pursuit was also not easy, but he allowed a turnaround as the number of points he gave up was accumulated because he could not cross the line or cross the net. As the gap widened to 13-15 by losing the score once again due to his mistake, he seemed to be swallowing regret for a long time with his waist bent.

Ahn Se-young tried to fight back late, but Wang Zhi rarely allowed a gap as he even showed a persistent defense. Even after chasing by one point, Ahn Se-young allowed the lead to 15-19, losing three points again due to her mistake. Ahn Se-young showed his potential to chase 19-20 in the last minute, but failed to reverse the game in the end.

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*This content was translated by AI.