An Se-young won the Korea Open in Yeosu on 8 November, beating Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi in three games: 21-12, 15-21, 21-16. The South Korean thus claimed her eleventh international title of the year, a total that puts her level with a record set in 2019 and already equalled by An herself in 2025.
This final was no formality. An, the world number one, dropped the second game to Yamaguchi before regaining the advantage in the deciding game. The score tells the story of a performance in three phases: a controlled first game, a clear response from the world number two, then a sufficient recovery of control to finish the job.
A final fought through to the third game
An took the first game 21-12. Yamaguchi turned the momentum around in the second, winning it 21-15, before the South Korean prevailed 21-16 in the deciding game. Having lost the second game, An therefore had to win the third to lift the trophy.
A detailed account of the match published by South Korea’s Yonhap news agency says An opened up a lead in the deciding game, then extended it after going 11-9 ahead. Yamaguchi fought back but, according to the report, was unable to cut the deficit to fewer than three points. The official result reported by the sources is clear; these few sequences offer a glimpse of the turning point, without replacing a full technical analysis of the final.
The rivalry between the two players also matters when interpreting the score. An has won her last eleven encounters with Yamaguchi, according to Yonhap and RTL. The streak does not make the final predictable, however: Yamaguchi won the second game and the 2025 Korea Open final, as RTL notes. The Yeosu match therefore confirms An’s victory, but also her rival’s ability to challenge her.
Eleven titles: a benchmark, not a single category
The figure of eleven needs clarifying. Yonhap presents it as the record for eleven international titles in a calendar year, set by Kento Momota in 2019 and then equalled by An herself in 2025. It does not mean that she has won eleven World Tour tournaments.
According to the agency, An’s successes this year comprise eight BWF World Tour tournaments and three titles in major competitions: the Asian Championships, the World Championships and the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Distinguishing these categories avoids confusing the number of international titles with the number of World Tour events alone.
The total comes in a particularly demanding season. Yonhap reports that An has lost only one of the 72 matches she has played this season: the All England final against China’s Wang Zhiyi in March. RTL also mentions this defeat and notes that An retired injured from the Japan Open. These details give an indication of her consistency, but do not justify reducing an entire season to a winning streak: the schedule, competitions and conditions of participation differ.
Winning at home, after having hesitated
The Korea Open had particular significance: the competition was held in An’s home country, South Korea. Yonhap reports that the player considered not taking part because of fatigue, before deciding to play in front of the home crowd. After the final, she expressed her satisfaction at winning on home soil and thanked the supporters. RTL also reports that she said she felt especially proud because it was her home tournament.
According to Yonhap, the Korea Open is the only South Korean tournament on the BWF World Tour. This explains why the event had a unique place in the national calendar, without needing to present it as a guarantee of victory or a career turning point. An had already won the tournament in 2022 and 2023, according to the South Korean agency.
Her season also includes a second world title, won in August in New Delhi, and a second consecutive singles title at the Asian Games, in September in Nagoya, according to RTL. These competitions do not have the same status or format as World Tour events; adding them together in an annual tally means counting international titles of different kinds, not victories in a single series of tournaments.
Next up: the World Tour Finals in December
After the Korea Open, An plans to rest before the BWF World Tour Finals, which are due to begin on 9 December in Hangzhou, China, according to Yonhap. This is the next confirmed event in the information published about the Yeosu final. It will give her the chance to target a twelfth international title in 2026.
In Yeosu, An therefore added an eleventh international title to her year and equalled a rare benchmark in women’s badminton. The final itself serves as a reminder of what the tally does not show: against Yamaguchi, the number one had to drop a game, then win the third to turn her status into victory.
References
- “Very proud”: An wins Korea Open for 11th badminton title of year — RTL
- (LEAD) Badminton star An Se-young wins Korea Open for record-tying 11th int'l title — Yonhap News Agency
An Se-young and Sung Ji-hyun during their semi-final at the Chinese Taipei Open in 2019. Archive photograph, separate from the Yeosu final in November 2026.
Photograph: De-Shao Liu (Terry850324) — Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 4.0.
