An Se-young, another historic achievement overshadowed by her 55-match winning streak... She has won all 22 matches that reached a 1-1 tie, with foreign media also taking note of the "Queen" 's incredible concentration

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

An Se-young (24, Samsung Life), the "Queen" of Korean badminton, has won the final game in all 22 recent matches where she traded one game each with her opponents. Foreign media have also taken note of An's concentration, which is displayed when the match is tied at 1-1.

Badminton specialist outlet Badminton Planet assessed on the 10th (Korean time), "An Se-young's consistency has been particularly impressive in matches that went to three games." The outlet cited the women's singles final of the 2026 World Badminton Federation (BWF) World Tour Korea Open (Super 500), held on the 8th at Yeosu Jinnam Gymnasium, as an example.

At the time, world No. 1 An Se-young defeated No. 2 Akane Yamaguchi (Japan) 2-1 (21-12, 15-21, 21-16). After winning the first game by a nine-point margin, An fell behind 0-4 from the start of the second game and ultimately lost it 15-21.

It was a moment when she could have easily ceded momentum to Yamaguchi. However, as the match returned to a tie, An rallied again. After pulling ahead 6-1 in the early stages of the third game, she was chased to 11-9 but widened the gap again to secure the championship.

The outlet reported, "Since it was Yamaguchi who handed An Se-young her defeat in last year's final at this tournament, this final carried even greater significance. This time, An emerged victorious after a close battle spanning three games."

It further pointed out, "An Se-young has won all 22 matches that went to three games since losing to Yamaguchi at the 2024 BWF World Tour Finals."

The player who last handed An Se-young a defeat in a three-game match was indeed Yamaguchi. In the group stage of the BWF World Tour Finals held in Hangzhou, China, in December 2024, An lost to Yamaguchi 1-2.

Since then, An began her winning streak in three-game matches by defeating Gao Fangjie (China) 2-1 in the semifinals of the Orleans Masters last March. She also defeated Yamaguchi 2-1 in the women's team semifinal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games last September.

Her three most recent titles were also hard-fought battles that went to three games. In the Denmark Open final last month, An faced Yamaguchi again and lost the first game 21-23 after a deuce. However, she took the next two games 21-14 and 21-18 to secure a comeback victory.

An also achieved a comeback win in the French Open final. After losing the first game 16-21 to India's star player Pusarla V. Sindhu, she took the second game 21-11. In the final game, she allowed only 12 points to Sindhu to claim the top spot.

The stage where An completed her 22-match winning streak was this Korea Open final. The outlet assessed, "It was a match that showed how An Se-young regains momentum," adding, "Although she lost the second game, she took the final game against one of the top contenders in women's singles."

An Se-young herself cited mental strength as a changed aspect. According to reports, after finishing the Korea Open final, An reflected that she had become mentally stronger than last year and had learned how to change the flow of the game even when her energy was nearly depleted during play.

The outlet explained, "This growth has contributed to her rarely showing fluctuating performance while handling a tight international tournament schedule."

An Se-young's record this season is 71 wins and 1 loss, with a winning percentage of 98.6%. Her only defeat was against Wang Zhiyi (China) in the All England Open final last March. Since then, An has won 55 consecutive matches and lifted her 11th championship trophy of the season at the Korea Open.

An Se-young has won eight times on this year's World Tour and also claimed titles at the Asian Championships, World Championships, and Asian Games. Following last year, she is again on par with Japan's men's singles player Kento Momota, who set the record for the most singles titles in a single season in 2019. An Se-young is the first singles player to win 11 times in two consecutive seasons.

After a brief rest, An Se-young will challenge for her 12th title of the season at the BWF World Tour Finals to be held in Hangzhou, China, in December. She is also aiming to surpass the women's singles longest winning streak record (59 consecutive wins) set by Indonesia's legend Susi Susanti.

Badminton Planet stated, "An Se-young's 'normal performance,' having lost only once in 72 matches, is at a level that opponents find difficult to match," adding, "An Se-young still has the opportunity to make her already historic year even more special."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original