(C) Sarawak Trubune
HANGZHOU – An Se-young, the undisputed queen of world badminton, has etched her name into the pantheon of sporting legends. On December 21, 2025, at the BWF World Tour Finals held at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre, the South Korean world number one secured a hard-fought victory against China’s Wang Zhiyi, clinching her 11th title of the season and shattering multiple long-standing world records.
A Dominant Finale Despite Physical Toll
In a grueling 96-minute encounter, An defeated world number two Wang Zhiyi with a set score of 2-1 (21-13, 18-21, 21-10). While the first set was a display of An’s tactical superiority, the match became a battle of willpower in the second and third sets as An grappled with a visible injury to her left thigh.
Despite the physical distress that left her limping during the closing stages, An’s defensive resilience and sharp counter-attacking remained unmatched. The victory marked her eighth consecutive win against Wang this season, avenging her loss in the same tournament the previous year.
Shattering the "Glass Ceiling" of Records
With this triumph, An Se-young has achieved what was once deemed impossible in the modern era of badminton:
Equalizing the All-Time Title Record: By securing her 11th international trophy of 2025, An tied the record for the most titles in a single season, previously held exclusively by Japanese men’s singles legend Kento Momota (2019).
Highest Win Percentage in History: An concluded her 2025 campaign with a staggering 73 wins out of 77 matches. Her win rate of 94.8% surpasses the legendary benchmarks set by icons Lee Chong Wei (2010) and Lin Dan (2011), who both peaked at 92.8%.
The Million-Dollar Milestone: For the first time in the history of the sport, a player has exceeded $1 million in prize money in a single season. Adding the $240,000 winner's purse from Hangzhou to her existing earnings, An’s total season prize money reached $1,003,175 (approx. 1.48 billion KRW).
A Century-Defining Talent
Expert commentators, including 2004 Olympic gold medalist Ha Tae-kwon, have hailed An as a "once-in-a-century athlete." Ha noted that An’s evolution throughout the year has been "near-perfect," evolving from a defensive specialist into a complete player with clinical finishing abilities.
In addition to An’s historic feat, the South Korean pair of Lee So-hee and Baek Ha-na successfully defended their title in the women’s doubles final, defeating Japan’s Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto 2-0 (21-17, 21-11), further cementing South Korea’s dominance in the sport as the 2025 season draws to a close.
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