“Thanks to Mom’s voice” ... An Se-young claims 11th international title amid 55-match winning streak

[Financial News] The “queen of badminton,” An Se-young (24, world No. 1), claimed her 11th title of the season at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Korea Open. Encouragement from her mother also helped An, who was struggling with a string of mistakes in the final.
In the women’s singles final at Jinnam Gymnasium in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, on the 8th, An Se-young faced Akane Yamaguchi (29, Japan), ranked No. 2 in the world. As An made a series of unforced errors during the match, a shout of “Do what you do best!” came from the stands. It was An’s mother, Lee Hyun-hee (51), calling out to her daughter.
After going the distance against Yamaguchi, An won 2-1 (21-12, 15-21, 21-16). With this victory, she won the Korea Open for the third time in her career, matching the record held by retired player Bang Soo-hyun (54).
After the match, An said of her mother’s encouragement, “When I make a mistake, I sometimes get intimidated, but thanks to that voice, I was able to make mistakes with confidence and score points. It helped me a lot.”
With this gold medal, An became the first player in badminton history to win 11 international titles in two consecutive years. The only singles players to have won 11 international titles in a single season were An last year and Kento Momota (32) of Japan, who did so in men’s singles in 2019. An matched that feat this year, becoming the first to win 11 titles in two consecutive years.
After losing to Wang Zhiyi (26) of China, the world No. 3, in the All England Open final in March, An has won 55 consecutive matches through today. Her overall record this season is 71 wins and one loss, for a winning percentage of 98.6%.
“I’m proud of myself for being able to consistently achieve the same results as last year,” she said. “I’ve grown mentally compared with last year. I’ve also learned a lot about what to do when I get tired, like taking a little time to reset.”
An had not initially planned to compete in this Korea Open. After withdrawing due to an injury at the Japan Open in July, she returned and went on to compete in the World Championships, the Asian Games, the Denmark Open and the French Open. She won every tournament she entered after her return, but fatigue had built up from her run of consecutive competitions.
Still, wanting to compete in front of her home fans, An chose to enter the Korea Open instead of the Kumamoto Masters, which takes place in Japan next week. During the tournament, all 2,000 seats in the stands at Jinnam Gymnasium were filled with fans.
“I was moved when I saw the fans. It made me happy and proud to realize once again that there are so many people who love badminton,” An said, expressing her gratitude for the support of fans at home.
After taking a rest, An is set to compete in the BWF World Tour Finals, which begin on Dec. 9 in Hangzhou, China. If she wins this event, the season finale also known as the “champions’ championship,” she will become the first player in badminton history to win 12 international titles in a single season.


[email protected] Han Seung-gon Reporter