An Se-young on a ‘golden path,’ China on a ‘nightmare path’... Strong favorite for six straight titles as the draw goes wild

As the saying goes, heaven helps those who help themselves. For ‘shuttlecock empress’ An Se-young of Samsung Life Insurance, not only her skills but also fortune are on her side. The heat from her Malaysia Open victory has barely cooled, and now even the upcoming India Open draw has laid out a smooth golden path for her.
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) on the 12th (local time) finalized the draw for the 2026 India Open (Super 750) to be held in New Delhi, India. For world No. 1 An Se-young, it is the best-case scenario, but for her rivals who are all determined to topple her, it is a despair-inducing nightmare draw.
The biggest piece of good news is the absence of one of An Se-young’s nemeses, Akane Yamaguchi of Japan, ranked No. 3 in the world. Initially, there was a very high chance that An would face Yamaguchi in the semifinals. Yamaguchi is a tricky opponent who defeated An at the recent Korea Open.
However, Yamaguchi suffered an injury in the quarterfinals of the recent Malaysia Open and has withdrawn from this tournament. For An Se-young, it means that one of the most troublesome obstacles on her road to the final has disappeared on its own.


As a result, An Se-young is now most likely to face players such as Putri Kusuma Wardani of Indonesia, ranked No. 6, or Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand, ranked No. 7, in the quarterfinals or semifinals. She cannot afford to let her guard down, but given her overwhelming form at the moment, many see her place in the final as virtually assured.
While An Se-young can almost whistle her way through, the opposite half of the draw is shaping up to be a brutal war. That is because China’s three ace players have all been packed into that side.
World No. 2 Wang Zhiyi, No. 4 Chen Yufei, and No. 5 Han Yue are locked into an awkward fate where they must knock each other out for a single ticket to the final. Whoever survives to reach the final will inevitably have spent a huge amount of energy before even facing An Se-young.
From China’s perspective, they have even lost the option of a ‘drag-her-down-with-them’ tactic of meeting An Se-young in the quarterfinals or semifinals just to wear down her stamina. Instead, An can sit back and wait comfortably for her opponent, while the Chinese players are drained before they even get to the final—a scenario that could not be more ideal for An Se-young.
This sweet, favorable draw is especially welcome because of An Se-young’s stamina. She endured a grueling schedule throughout last year, and this year she has been on another relentless run since January.


One of the hidden keys behind her Malaysia Open triumph was also ‘stamina saved.’ When Chen Yufei withdrew before their semifinal, An was able to conserve her energy completely, which allowed her to produce a remarkable comeback in the final, overturning a 9–17 deficit in the second game.
Managing her physical condition is essential both to prevent injuries and to ensure a long career. In that sense, a draw that lets her avoid slugfests with top contenders in the early rounds and even makes the semifinals relatively comfortable is like a tonic for An Se-young.
On the 14th, An Se-young will play her first-round match in the round of 32 against Nozomi Okuhara of Japan, ranked No. 30 in the world.
With even the draw smiling on her, this is truly the era of An Se-young. The question now is whether she can manage her stamina, cruise through the field, and lift a sixth consecutive championship trophy. In New Delhi, the wind is blowing at her back.


jsi@fnnews.com Jeon Sang-il Reporter