"So scary it might haunt her dreams"... Wang Zhiyi’s eternal nightmare, a third straight final showdown with An Se-young

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\r[The Financial News] "It’s one mountain after another. The joy of finally beating her nemesis didn’t last long—now the final boss is waiting."
China’s No. 2 women’s singles player Wang Zhiyi has reached the final by defeating her long‐time domestic nemesis Chen Yufei. But she can’t simply celebrate. Waiting on the other side of the net is the overwhelming world No. 1, An Se-young (24, Samsung Life Insurance), who finished her own semifinal in just 32 minutes.
With this, An Se-young and Wang Zhiyi will set a rare record by meeting in the final at three consecutive major tournaments.
World No. 1 An Se-young swept into the women’s singles final at the 2026 BWF India Open (Super 750) in New Delhi, India, on the 17th (local time), crushing Thailand’s star Ratchanok Intanon (No. 8) 2–0 (21–11, 21–7) in just 32 minutes.
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Her performance was so dominant it was hard to believe it was a semifinal. From the very start of the first game, An Se-young rattled off six straight points and never relinquished the lead. The second game was even more ruthless. Locked at 4–4, she shifted up a gear and ripped off eight consecutive points, completely breaking Intanon’s will to fight.
As the 21–7 scoreline suggests, An Se-young booked her ticket to the final without even breaking much of a sweat. She will go into the championship match with her energy reserves virtually untouched.
Wang Zhiyi (No. 2), by contrast, had to grind. In her semifinal on the same day, she defeated her "nemesis" Chen Yufei (No. 4) 2–0 (21–15, 23–21). Considering she had trailed 1–10 in their head‐to‐head before this match, the win was encouraging—but the deuce battle in the second game took a heavy toll on her stamina.
The problem is that her opponent in the final is An Se-young. Against An, Wang Zhiyi trails 4–17 overall and is currently mired in a nine‐match losing streak. She faced An eight times last year and lost every single one, and just a week ago in the Malaysia Open final she again had to settle for runner‐up after being beaten in a comeback by An.
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From Wang Zhiyi’s perspective, it’s as if she escaped the wolf named Chen Yufei only to walk straight into the tiger’s den of An Se-young. To make matters worse, that tiger finished her hunt in 32 minutes and is brimming with energy.
Last year, An Se-young rewrote badminton history with 11 titles, a 94.8% winning percentage, and more than 1 million dollars in prize money. Having already completed a three‐peat at the season‐opening Malaysia Open, if she now conquers the India Open as well, she will build a golden milestone of back‐to‐back titles in the first two weeks of 2026.
Can Wang Zhiyi somehow overcome her "Korea‐phobia" in the face of An Se-young’s relentless charge? Or will An once again become an insurmountable wall for Wang, extending her winning streak over the Chinese star to 10 matches? The final night in New Delhi is fast approaching.
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jsi@fnnews.com Jeon Sang-il Reporter