Suwon: World No. 1 An Se-young concluded her campaign at the Korea Open with a second-place finish, narrowly missing her eighth victory on the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour this season in front of an enthusiastic home audience.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the top-seeded South Korean was defeated by Japan's No. 2 seed, Akane Yamaguchi, with a score of 2-0 (21-18, 21-13) in the women's singles final held at Suwon Gymnasium, approximately 30 kilometers south of Seoul. This result marked An's first loss to Yamaguchi in four encounters this year, bringing their all-time head-to-head record to 14-15 in favor of the Japanese player.
An, who claimed an Olympic gold medal in 2024 and secured seven BWF World Tour titles this season, including the prestigious All England Open, was unable to defend her title at the world championships in Paris last month, where she settled for bronze. However, she bounced back with a victory at the China Masters last week. Having previously won the Korea Open in 2022 and 2023, An was seeking a third consecutive win and had not lost a game leading up to the final.
During the final match, An struggled to counter Yamaguchi's skillful play, trailing 15-10 in the first game. Despite leveling the score at 17-17, Yamaguchi secured four of the next five points to take the game. In the second game, An never led and trailed by as much as seven points. Yamaguchi sealed her victory with a decisive winner, leaving the home crowd in Suwon disappointed.
Despite the loss, An received a warm ovation from the fans, who appreciated her efforts with a bow. "Yamaguchi played a perfect match, and I had to play from behind," An commented. "Her attacks were so quick that I had trouble keeping pace. With so many fans cheering for me, I really wanted to win, but I guess this was not my day."
An was considered the favorite in Suwon, especially in the absence of her Chinese competitors Wang Zhiyi, Han Yue, and Chen Yufei. However, An acknowledged the increasing difficulty of winning international events. "It's hard to determine just how much harder I have to try," she said. "My arrivals are coming out stronger and stronger at every competition. I have to keep getting better, too."
Reflecting on her season, An described it as a roller coaster ride. "As good as I was in the beginning, I faded away in the second half. So it has not been a good year at all. It's forced me to look at myself in the mirror," she admitted. "I'd love to win all the remaining tournaments of the year. My goal is to stay healthy and play the way I want to play."
South Korea celebrated victories in the men's and women's doubles events on Sunday. The top-seeded pair, Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae, defeated Indonesia's Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri 2-0 (21-16, 23-21) to claim the men's doubles gold medal, marking their eighth international title this season. Kim and Seo did not lose a game throughout their campaign.
In the women's doubles final, South Korea's No. 2 seeds, Kim Hye-jeong and Kong Hee-yong, triumphed over Japan's top-seeded duo, Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi, 2-0 (21-19, 21-12) to win their first Korea Open title together. Kong, who won the Korea Open in 2019 with a different partner, Kim So-yeong, teamed up with Kim Hye-jeong in 2024.