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World No. 1 An Se-young advances at Malaysia Open

Published: 07 Jan. 2026, 12:43 Updated: 07 Jan. 2026, 17:49

Badminton player An Se-young competes during the round of 32 against Michelle Li of Canada at the Malaysia Open in Malaysia on Jan. 6. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

World No. 1 An Se-young clinched a 2-1 victory over Michelle Li of Canada Tuesday in the round of 32 at the Malaysia Open in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, declaring a strong start to 2026.

An ceded the first game 21-19, but bounced back to claim the second set 21-16 and third set 21-18, advancing to the final 16 after a 75-minute match. The Korean star will face Nozomi Okuhara of Japan next.

An last year dominated the women’s singles contest. She captured 11 Badminton World Federation (BWF) titles, the most in a single season, and achieved a 94.8 percent win rate with 73 wins and four losses. She also topped the tour’s prize money chart with $1,003,175.

The 23-year-old has won a gold medal at every major tournament, such as the 2023 World Championships, the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023 and the Paris Olympics. A gold medal at the Asian Championships remains the last honor she needs to complete her gold medal journey.

She will have to compete under new rules set to take effect this season. The BWF plans to shorten games from 21 to 15 points and introduce a 25-second shot clock, which requires players to be ready to resume play within 25 seconds of the umpire updating the score. If they fail to do so, they cede a point.

The rule changes aim to shorten match time and increase the pace of the matches.

An will continue her Malaysia Open journey, during which she could face strong Chinese contenders such as No. 5 Han Yue, No. 4 Chen Yufei and No. 2 Wang Zhiyi.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SONG JI-HOON [[email protected]]