Ahn Se-young, who easily crossed the Great Wall, is expected to regain the Jeon Young Open trophy
Ahn Se-young, who easily crossed the Great Wall, is expected to regain the Jeon Young Open trophy
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"Shuttlecock Empress" Ahn Se-young (Samsung Life Insurance) has won her third trophy this season. Now, Ahn is aiming to regain the champion's title at the most prestigious competition, the Jeon Young Open.
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) ranked No. 1 in women's singles, Ahn beat rival Chen Yu-fei of China 2-0 (21-14, 21-15) in the final of the 2025 Orléan Masters held in Orléan Palais des Sports, France on the 9th (Korea time). An has won gold medals in three consecutive tournaments, following the Malaysian Open and Indian Open in January. She has won all 15 matches she played this year, and is on an unbeaten streak. She has faced Chen Yu-fei nine times through 2022 and lost eight games (one win). However, she has turned the tide with eight wins and four losses in 12 matches since 2023, when she entered her heyday by strengthening her offense.
Ahn defeated Chen at the final of the Orléans Masters in just 45 minutes. In the first game, he scored six straight points at 8-6, securing the victory. He displayed sophisticated hairpinning and his main weapon, a diagonal half smash, keeping Chen still. The two games saw him lose momentum by scoring five straight points at 1-1.
After winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics in August last year, Ahn treated her right knee and ankle injuries. In the BWF Final, the last competition held last year, she refrained from exercising too much pressure on her body. However, in the match against Chen Yufei on the day, she often showed off her gritty defense to block offensives against opponents by flying her body. In the first game, she performed jumps and smash two times in a row, which she rarely tries.
Ahn will play at the Jeon Young Open, dubbed "badminton's Wimbledon," from Friday. She won the title in 27 years as a Korean singles player in 2023. Last year, she suffered an injury and lost to Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in the semifinals.
While An Se-young's number of international competitions has decreased due to her injury, Chinese players Wang Zhi and Han Yu have emerged as strong women's singles players, ranking second and fourth respectively. If An Se-young is to become the first British Open champion in two years, she has to overcome Chinese players.
Ahn Se-young will face Chinese player Gao Fangjie (17th) from the first round of the All-English Open. Ahn lost one game to Gao Fangjie in the semifinals of the Orléan Masters on the 8th, putting the brakes on the "no-lose game" march that had continued for 13 consecutive games, but she won the 2nd and 3rd games in a row.
Chen Yu-fei, who is likely to be the opponent of the quarterfinals at the French Open, has already shown differences in skills at the Orléans Masters. The strongest contender in the English Open is expected to be Wang Zhi, the second seed. Ahn lost to Wang Zhi 0-2 in the Danish Open final in October last year and the BWF Finals semifinal in December. It was the first time since 2023 that Ahn lost consecutive games to a certain player. 먹튀검증
Ahn, however, avenged her defeat by beating Wang Zhi 2-0 in the final of the Malaysian Open in January. She is also leading the Malaysian Open by posting nine wins and four losses overall. Wang Zhi has been slowing down as she lost to Chen Yu-fei 0-2 in the semifinal match of the Orléan Masters on Saturday. Ahn overwhelmed Chen Yu-fei, who defeated Wang Zhi.
After returning home from winning the Indian Open in January, Ahn said, "The Olympics are a long time gone. This is the beginning of a new beginning. I want to be more perfect." Attention is focusing on whether Ahn will once again beat Chinese players to the top at the All-English Open.