The $500,000 Korea Open may only be a Super 500 tournament, but it kept the badminton world’s gaze glued to the action in Yeosu’s Jinnam Stadium on Sunday.
For local superstar and reigning world and Olympic champion An Se Young, the women’s singles final was more than just another championship match — it is a rendezvous with history. Standing across the net was a familiar rival, second seed and defending champion Akane Yamaguchi of Japan. For An, having clinched an astonishing 10 titles over the course of the season, victory in the summit clash on Sunday would match her own remarkable benchmark of 11 titles in a single calendar year. And badminton ‘s current phenomenon achieve that with a hard fought 21-12, 15-21, 21-16 win over Yamaguchi. Only three players or pairs in the rich history of the sport have ever achieved 11 titles in a season. An herself joined that exclusive club in 2025. Compatriots Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae achieved the feat last year in men’s doubles, matching the benchmark set by Japan’s Kento Momota in men’s singles in 2019.
Yamaguchi, the cerebral Japanese maestro and a three-time world champion, brings immense class to the court. An treats a rally as a chess match of attrition While other players rely on explosive power or high-risk winners. She covers the court with poise, retrieving seemingly impossible shots until her opponents crumble under the weight of their own errors. Under intense pressure, when games hang in the balance, An’s composure never flinches. She simply tightens her grip on the rhythm of the match and accelerates.
Yet, standing in her way on Sunday was a player who knew her game better than almost anyone else on the circuit.
