*This content was translated by AI.View Original
Chinese media cited the absence of An Se-young (24, Samsung Life), the "queen" of Korean badminton, as an opportunity for their own players to win the championship.
The sports channel of China's Beijing Youth Daily stated on the 14th regarding the women's singles event at the 2026 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Kumamoto Masters (Super 500), "This tournament is the best opportunity for the Chinese team to win the women's singles title. It is a harsh reality, but true," and assessed, "If An Se-young participates, whether it is China, Japan, or players from other countries, they can essentially only compete for second place."
World No. 1 An Se-young did not participate in this tournament. Having endured a tight schedule while managing injuries, she decided to rest and regroup.
An Se-young's absence became an opportunity for competitors to aim for the title. The media described An Se-young as "the undisputed No. 1 in women's world badminton" and explained, "With An Se-young absent, it was a rare optimal opportunity for Wang Zhiyi and Chen Yufei, currently ranked No. 3 and No. 4 in the world, to win the women's singles title."
Looking at An Se-young's performance this year reveals why such an assessment was made. An Se-young recorded 71 wins and 1 loss in 72 matches this season. Her winning percentage reaches approximately 98.6%. Since losing to Wang Zhiyi in the All England Open final in March, she has maintained a streak of 55 consecutive wins.
Among the 12th individual tournaments she participated in, the only one where she missed the title was the All England Open. She reached the top spot in all other 11 tournaments. It is a record that would make competitors keenly watch her participation status.
Expectations also emerged in Japan for Akane Yamaguchi, ranked No. 2 in the world, to win the championship. Previously, Japan's J Sports noted, "Whether Yamaguchi can claim her second Kumamoto Masters title in two years is a key point to watch."
The women's singles final of this Kumamoto Masters was decided as a matchup between Wang Zhiyi and Yamaguchi. The two players will compete for the championship in the tournament final held on the 15th at the Kumamoto Prefectural General Gymnasium in Japan.
Wang Zhiyi defeated Japan's Tomoka Miyazaki 2-0 (21-10, 21-15) in the semifinal on the 14th. The match lasted 43 minutes. After winning the first game by an 11-point margin, she secured the second game to advance to the final.
The result China had hoped for did not materialize in the opposite semifinal. Chen Yufei took the first game against Yamaguchi 21-18 but lost the second game 8-21. She was trailing 4-11 at the interval of the final game and ultimately withdrew from the match due to injury. The prospect of a final between two Chinese players also fell through.
According to reports, Chen Yufei rested for about two months due to an ankle injury before returning to this tournament. Even after her return, difficult matches continued. She played three games in both the round of 16 and quarterfinals, and accumulated physical strain by competing for four consecutive days up to the semifinal.
The media reported, "Given that she played high-intensity matches for four consecutive days, Chen Yufei's mid-match withdrawal is understandable."
It further emphasized, "Chen Yufei could not stop Yamaguchi. China's women's singles victory must rely on Wang Zhiyi's performance in the final."
Both Wang Zhiyi and Yamaguchi are players who have faced An Se-young multiple times for the top spot. Wang Zhiyi is the one who inflicted An Se-young's only loss this year. She defeated An Se-young in the All England Open final to lift the championship trophy. However, since then, An Se-young has not lost a single match and continues her dominant run.
Yamaguchi also recently failed to overcome An Se-young's wall. In the Korea Open final held on the 8th at Jinnam Gymnasium in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, An Se-young defeated Yamaguchi 2-1 (21-12, 15-21, 21-16). Despite losing the second game, she secured the final game to complete her 11th title of the season. She extended her winning streak against Yamaguchi to 11 matches.
An Se-young's 11 titles include not only eight World Tour events but also gold medals at the Asian Championships, World Championships, and the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. This ties the single-season record for most wins set by Japan's Kento Momota in 2019 and achieved by An Se-young last year. An Se-young is the first player to reach the top spot 11 times in two consecutive seasons.
An Se-young's next goal after the Korea Open is the BWF World Tour Finals, scheduled to be held from December 9 to 13 in Hangzhou, China. She will take on her final challenge of the season after rest and regrouping. If she reaches the top spot at this tournament as well, she will break the single-season record for most wins and become the first player in history to achieve a 12-title sweep in a season.
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*This content was translated by AI.View Original
