"No Chinese player can threaten An Se-young." Even China concedes defeat! World No. 1 on a 49-match winning streak advances to French Open final after defeating Japan's Okuhara again

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"Currently, no key Chinese player can pose a real threat to An Se-young."

Voices acknowledging the dominance of world No. 1 An Se-young (24, Samsung Life) are emerging even within China's badminton community. This reaction came after An advanced to the final by defeating Japan's veteran powerhouse, while all of China's women's singles players were eliminated at the French Open.

On the 24th (Korean time), An Se-young defeated world No. 9 Okuhara Nozomi (31, Japan) in the women's singles semifinal of the 2026 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour French Open (Super 750), held at Arena Grand Paris in Paris, France, to advance to the final.

With this, An Se-young is on a recent 49-match winning streak and needs just one more victory to claim her 10th title of the season. On the 25th, she will challenge for a third consecutive French Open title in the women's singles final, as well as her fourth overall tournament victory, including her win in 2019.

The presence of the world's strongest player was even more prominent at this tournament. This is because Yamaguchi Akane (29, Japan), ranked No. 2 in the world and considered a strong rival to An Se-young, and Wang Zhiyi (26, China), ranked No. 3, both dropped out in the round of 16.

In particular, China suffered the humiliation of not having a single player reach the women's singles semifinals. After Wang Zhiyi lost to Japan's Akechi Hina, Han We (27), who was their last hope, was also blocked by An Se-young.

Chinese media outlet NetEase reported on the 23rd about An Se-young's victory in the French Open quarterfinals, expressing concern over the competitiveness of Chinese women's singles. NetEase stated, "Han We could not find an opening to create an upset against An Se-young's overwhelming match control," and assessed that "China has once again lost its chance at a women's singles title because of An Se-young."

It further noted, "An Se-young has already established herself as the undisputed dominant force in women's badminton. Currently, no one among China's key players can pose a real threat to her," pointing out a lack of attacking power as an issue for Chinese players. In fact, An Se-young comprehensively defeated Han We in just 36 minutes with a score of 2-0 (21-13, 21-16) in the quarterfinals on the 23rd.

International broadcasters also praised An Se-young. Gillian Clark, a former British national team member and BWF broadcast commentator, praised her after seeing the two players show mutual respect following their match against Han We, saying, "It is truly a wonderful scene to see. This is why An Se-young is the most popular player. She is a truly humble athlete compared to her achievements."

She also left little room for error against Okuhara, her semifinal opponent. The two players met in the Denmark Open semifinal a week ago, where An Se-young won decisively 2-0 (21-16, 21-8). Okuhara sought revenge in France but could not overcome An Se-young's wall.

It is even more surprising that An Se-young reached the final without being in full physical condition. An Se-young, who felt pain in her right Achilles tendon during the Denmark Open final on the 18th, participated in the French Open without sufficient rest. Despite injury and accumulated fatigue, An Se-young has continued her winning streak and is once again challenging the single-season record of 11 titles that she set last year.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original