"An Se-young, breaking records has now become routine," foreign media stunned by the 'Invincible Queen's' dominance... "Stopping her is nearly impossible"

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Korean badminton 'Queen' An Se-young (Samsung Life) reached the top of the Korea Open, achieving the remarkable feat of 11 wins in a single season for the second consecutive year. Foreign media also praised An's overwhelming performance.

World No. 1 An Se-young defeated World No. 2 Akane Yamaguchi (Japan) 2-1 (21-12, 15-21, 21-16) 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, to claim the title.

With this victory, An successfully reclaimed the top spot at the Korea Open for the first time in three years since 2023. Adding her first title in 2022, it is her third overall championship at the tournament. She also washed away the regret of finishing as runner-up last year after losing to Yamaguchi in the final of this event.

The road to victory was not easy. An took the first game 21-12, but lost the second game 15-21 to Yamaguchi's counterattack. However, she displayed focus again in the decisive third game, winning 21-16 to secure the championship.

An's performance this season is truly overwhelming. With this Korea Open title, she set a historic record as the first player in badminton history to win 11 titles in a single season for two consecutive years. She once again tied the record for the most singles titles in a single season, previously set by Japan's Kento Momota in 2019 and achieved by herself last year.

Her results this year are also astonishing. An has played 72 matches this season, recording an impressive 71 wins with only one loss. Her win rate reaches 98.6%.

Since losing to Wang Zhiyi (China) in the All England Open final in March last month, she has been on a 55-match winning streak. She also extended her winning streak against Yamaguchi to 11 matches, improving their head-to-head record to 25 wins and 15 losses.

Overseas media have also taken note of An's remarkable run of records. Vietnamese outlet SVO evaluated An's Korea Open victory, stating, "It seems that breaking records is like a daily routine for the Queen of Korean badminton."

The outlet highly praised her, saying, "For the undefeated Queen of badminton, An Se-young, setting new major records has now become commonplace."

In particular, they highly evaluated that An achieved her 11th title of the season faster than last year. An reached 11 wins by winning the BWF World Tour Finals, the final tournament of the season, in December last year. However, this year, she has already lifted 11 championship trophies by early November.

SVO emphasized, "So far, only Kento Momota in 2019 and An Se-young have achieved 11 titles in a single season," adding, "An has become the first player in history to set the unprecedented record of winning 11 titles for two consecutive seasons across men's and women's singles."

They further noted the possibility of additional records, stating, "An is now looking toward her 12th title."

An is expected to take a break for the time being to regroup. Considering accumulated fatigue, she is known not to participate in the Kumamoto Masters and the Hong Kong Open. Instead, she plans to focus on the BWF World Tour Finals, scheduled to be held from December 9 to 13 in Hangzhou, China.

If An wins the World Tour Finals, she will surpass the record for the most singles titles in a single season and achieve the first-ever 12 wins in a season.

SVO also noted that An had been running without rest until she achieved such a historic record. The outlet reported, "After finishing the Asian Games, An took only one week of rest before consecutively winning two tournaments held in Europe, including the Denmark Open and the French Open."

They continued, "A tight schedule awaited her even after returning to Korea. She had to participate in the Korea Open just one week later."

In fact, An has handled numerous tournaments this season, suffering significant physical strain. For this reason, it is known that she even considered whether or not to participate in the Korea Open.

However, An ultimately decided to play in front of domestic fans and claimed the title, achieving a meaningful historic record. The outlet also praised her, saying, "An sacrificed rest to display heroic spirit on home soil."

SVO evaluated that "An has reached a higher level this season compared to last year."

They added, "At present, it seems nearly impossible to stop An's overwhelming momentum," and "She is writing new history step by step while showcasing near-perfect performance."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original