Seoul: World No. 1 An Se-young advanced to the women's singles final at the Korea Open, positioning herself for her eighth title on the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour this season. The South Korean star was declared the winner in the semifinals against Thailand's Pornpawee Chochuwong at Suwon Gymnasium when Chochuwong was forced to retire due to a leg injury during the second game. An had won the first game 21-19 and was leading 8-0 in the second when the match was concluded.
According to Yonhap News Agency, An will face Japan's No. 2 seed, Akane Yamaguchi, in Sunday's final. The two players have split their 28 head-to-head matches so far, but An has triumphed in all three encounters in 2025. An, who secured the 2024 Olympic championship, has captured seven tournaments on the BWF World Tour this year, including the All England Open. Although she missed out on the world championship final last month in Paris, she claimed a bronze medal and then promptly won her second consecutive China Masters title last week.
An also claimed victory at the Korea Open in both 2022 and 2023. She had a strong record against Chochuwong, having won all 11 prior matches. The first game of their semifinal clash was a tense affair, with the score tied at 18-18 before An secured two of the final three points to take the lead. In the second game, after An took a seven-point lead, Chochuwong sustained an injury that forced her to retire from the match.
In men's doubles, the world No. 1 team of Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae secured their place in the final with a 2-0 win over Japan's Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi. Kim and Seo, who claimed their first world title together in August, will compete against Indonesia's Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri for the gold medal on Sunday.
Meanwhile, in the women's doubles semifinals, South Korea's No. 2 seed Kim Hye-jeong and Kong Hee-yong triumphed over their compatriots Baek Hana and Lee So-hee with a 2-1 victory. Kim and Kong are set to face Japan's top-seeded team, Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi, in the final. Kim and Kong previously defeated Iwanaga and Nakanishi at the Singapore Open final in June this year.