“65 wins, 1 loss this year; rivals have gone extinct” — An Se-young reaches French Open final... countdown to ‘V10’

[Financial News] In the world of sports, can a 98.5% winning rate really exist? The “world’s best,” An Se-young (Samsung Life Insurance), has once again defied conventional wisdom and set her sights on her 10th title of the season.
World No. 1 An Se-young reached the final first after routing Nozomi Okuhara (Japan, No. 9) 2-0 (21-12, 21-19) in just 45 minutes in the women’s singles semifinals of the BWF World Tour French Open in Tremblay-en-France, France, on the 24th.
With the win, An Se-young took her record this year to 65 wins and one loss in 66 matches, an astonishing 98.5% winning rate. Okuhara has faced An seven times in total and has yet to beat her, reaffirming An’s status as her nemesis.
The match was one-sided. An comfortably took the first game 21-12 without allowing Okuhara to mount a comeback. She briefly faltered early in the second game, trailing 3-7, but immediately reeled off seven straight points to turn the tide. Then, at 11-11, she showed her trademark fierce concentration and closed out the match 21-19.
The competition had fallen away early. Wang Zhiyi (China, No. 2) and Akane Yamaguchi (Japan, No. 3), considered An’s strongest rivals, both suffered shock 0-2 defeats in the round of 16 and fell victim to upsets. An, by contrast, reached the final without a moment’s hesitation, making it clear that the badminton world is now in an “An Se-young is the undisputed No. 1” era.
An Se-young will face the winner of the semifinal between Pusarla Sindhu (India) and Akechi Hina (Japan) for the title. This year, she has claimed gold at all nine individual tournaments she has entered, with the All England Open Badminton Championships, where she took silver, as the exception. A win in this final would give her a 10th title this season, a third consecutive French Open title (2024–2026) and a fourth overall—a remarkable achievement.
[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter