An Se-young advances to the final! Secures a chance for revenge after one year, 'Lost last time but has won 10 straight since'... Fated rematch with Japan's Yamaguchi

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Badminton queen An Se-young (Samsung Life) has secured an opportunity for revenge after a year. She is set to clash once again with Japan's Yamaguchi Akane, who handed her defeat in the final of last year's Korea Open, as they battle for the championship title.

World No. 1 An Se-young delivered a dominant performance on the 7th at Jinnam Gymnasium in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, defeating Hina Akechi (Japan, World No. 16) 2-0 (21-16, 21-12) in the women's singles semifinal of the 2026 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Korea Open (Super 500).

With this victory, An Se-young has advanced to the final scheduled for the 8th, leaving just one win away from her 11th title of the season.

Her opponent in the final is her 'arch-rival' Yamaguchi. World No. 2 Yamaguchi secured an early spot in the final by defeating Lin Xiangti (Taiwan, World No. 18) 2-0 (21-16, 21-12) in the earlier semifinal on the same day.

In particular, this final draws significant attention as it marks a rematch of last year's Korea Open.

An Se-young fell to Yamaguchi in the Korea Open final held in Suwon in September of last year, settling for the runner-up spot. At the time, An struggled against sharp attacks and tenacious defense, bowing her head in defeat.

However, subsequent matchups between the two players have been a one-woman show for An Se-young. Starting with her victory over Yamaguchi in the Denmark Open semifinal in October of last year, she has won all of their last 10 encounters.

She also defeated Yamaguchi to claim the titles in the World Championships final in August this year, the women's singles final at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in September, and the Denmark Open final in October.

Yamaguchi was once considered a difficult opponent for An Se-young. In fact, up until immediately after last year's Korea Open final, An had a head-to-head record of 14 wins and 15 losses against Yamaguchi.

But following her 10-game winning streak, she has reversed the career head-to-head record to 24 wins and 15 losses. A victory in this final would mark her 11th consecutive win over Yamaguchi and her 25th overall victory against the Japanese player.

Earlier, Yamaguchi also commented on An Se-young, stating, "In the past, there were areas where I could take the lead in terms of speed or physicality," while adding, "But now, An Se-young's physical abilities have become stronger and her speed has increased."

She continued, "Previously, she was a player with exceptional defensive skills, but now her attacking power has also become strong. All her weaknesses have disappeared."

Nevertheless, Yamaguchi did not hide her determination to challenge An Se-young. She stated, "Although I have rarely been able to win recently, I think the number of times we play good matches is increasing. I want to challenge her as many times as possible."

Ultimately, the two players are set to meet again in the Korea Open final.

An Se-young's recent momentum is overwhelming. In this tournament, she successively defeated Kaloyana Nalbantova (Bulgaria, World No. 36) in the round of 32, Karupathevan Lechana (Malaysia, World No. 28) in the round of 16, and Junri Riko (Japan, World No. 20) in the quarterfinals, before crushing Akechi in the semifinal.

She reached the final without dropping a single game in her four matches at this tournament.

With today's win, An Se-young has recorded 70 wins and 1 loss in 71 matches this season. Her winning percentage reaches an impressive 98.6%. She is on a 54-match winning streak since losing to Wang Zui (China) in the All England Open final in March.

A new major record is within reach. An Se-young has won titles at this year's Malaysia Open, India Open, Asian Championships, Singapore Open, Indonesia Open, World Championships, China Masters, Asian Games, Denmark Open, and France Open, recording 10 wins for the season.

If she also claims the top spot at this Korea Open, she will tie her own record of 11 wins in a single season set last year. Simultaneously, she will become the first player in badminton history to achieve 11 wins in two consecutive seasons.

Additionally, An Se-young, who won back-to-back titles at the Korea Open in 2022 and 2023, will also challenge for a return to the top after three years.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original