An Se-young, "World's First Feat," Finally Achieves "Unprecedented 11 Wins"! Japan's Yamaguchi "Thrilling Defeat"... "Astonishing" 1-Hour 2-Minute Bloodbath

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

It is truly a world-first record. Badminton queen An Se-young (Samsung Life) set an unprecedented great record by becoming the first in badminton history to achieve 11 wins in a single season for two consecutive years, reclaiming the Korea Open throne after three years.

World No. 1 An Se-young defeated No. 2 Akane Yamaguchi (Japan) 2-1 (21-12, 15-21, 21-16) in a fierce battle lasting one hour and two minutes in the women's singles final of the 2026 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Korea Open (Super 500), held on the 8th at Jinnam Gymnasium in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province.

With this victory, An Se-young climbed to the top of the Korea Open for the third time in her career, following her first win in 2022 and back-to-back titles in 2023. She completely washed away the regret of missing the 2024 tournament due to injury and suffering a 0-2 crushing defeat to Yamaguchi in last year's final, settling for second place, in a revenge match one year later.

With this win, An Se-young extended her winning streak against Yamaguchi to 11 consecutive victories and widened the gap in their head-to-head record to 25 wins and 15 losses.

Most importantly, she set a new milestone that will be remembered in world badminton history. An Se-young, who swept up 11 wins in a single season last year, became the first to build the golden tower of achieving 11 wins in a season for two consecutive years, a feat no one has ever accomplished in global badminton history. This record once again stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the single-season most-wins record (11 wins) set by Kento Momota (Japan) in men's singles in 2019.

She also continued her unparalleled unbeaten streak. Since losing to Wang Zhiyi (China) in the All England Open (Super 1000) final in March, she has gone on a 55-game winning streak without a single loss.

Her win rate is also astonishing. This season, she has recorded 71 wins and 1 loss in 72 matches, for a winning percentage of 98.6%. Furthermore, starting with the World Championships in August, followed by the China Masters in September, the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, the Denmark Open and French Open in October, and this tournament, she completed a streak of six consecutive titles at international tournaments. If she also dominates the BWF World Tour Finals, the "champion of champions" event to be held in Hangzhou, China, early next month, she will set a new record for the most wins in a single season with 12 victories.

The final was not easy. An Se-young, who advanced to the final with an unbeaten streak from the round of 32 to the semifinals without dropping a game at this tournament, staged a fierce classic against Yamaguchi, her only rival on the final stage.

The early part of Game 1 was tense. After conceding the first point, An Se-young traded blows in a back-and-forth exchange, tying at 9-9. From a 10-9 situation, she pulled ahead to 12-9 with the opponent's failed challenge and a brilliant hairpin shot. When Yamaguchi recovered one point, An Se-young's attacking power exploded. She scored seven consecutive points with sharp diagonal attacks, instantly widening the gap to 19-10, and ultimately secured the first game easily at 21-12, taking the initiative.

A crisis emerged in Game 2. Cornered Yamaguchi launched a counterattack by scoring four consecutive points early on, and An Se-young, plagued by frequent errors, faced the interval trailing 8-11. As An Se-young wavered, powerful cheers and support poured from the stands. Boosted by the encouragement, An Se-young pierced every corner of the court, closing in to within a point at 14-16 from 11-16. However, bad luck at the net and consecutive errors in the late game resulted in her losing the second game 15-21.

In the decisive Game 3, An Se-young once again raised her concentration. From a 1-1 tie, she led with powerful smashes to score five consecutive points, pulling ahead to 6-1. Although Yamaguchi chased fiercely, narrowing the gap to one point at 10-9, An Se-young remained unshaken. She secured the momentum by scoring six consecutive points with iron-wall defense and sharp attacks, leading 16-9. Utilizing the wide court to drain her opponent's stamina, she capitalized on Yamaguchi's successive errors to solidify her lead, ultimately taking the championship point at 21-16.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original