An Se-young conquers herself — and the world

Badminton star An Se-young overcame her toughest opponent — herself. The reward was her first world championship title in three years.

World No. 1 An defeated second-ranked Akane Yamaguchi of Japan 2-0 (21-17, 21-14) in the women's singles final of the 2026 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Championships at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi, India, on Sunday.

The Korean player completed a perfect run to the title, dropping no games from the round of 64 through the final. She has won six of the eight tournaments she has entered this season and has lost just once in 45 matches, compiling a 44-1 record.

As soon as she sealed the victory, An tossed her racket aside, clenched both fists and roared in celebration. She then encouraged the packed arena to cheer even louder before breaking into a broad smile. She was as cheerful and confident as ever, but this time her expression carried a particularly strong sense of relief and determination.

It was An's second world title and her first since the 2023 championships in Copenhagen, where she became the first Korean to win the women's singles title.

The latest victory also erased the disappointment of last year's championships in Paris, where she settled for bronze after losing to longtime rival and world No. 4 Chen Yufei of China in the semifinals. An improved her career record against Yamaguchi to 20-15, including six consecutive victories.

Yamaguchi may have been the opponent across the net in the final, but An's real battle was with herself.

An was still recovering fitness after withdrawing during the round of 32 at last month's Japan Open, a Super 750 tournament, because of pain on the outside of her left foot. She subsequently skipped two consecutive tournaments to focus on rehabilitation.

She traveled to New Delhi for one reason: to regain her match sharpness ahead of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, which begin next month. If An wins gold there, she will become the first Korean singles player, male or female, to win back-to-back Asian Games titles.

An has held the women's singles world No. 1 ranking for 97 consecutive weeks since October 2024, but injuries have remained a constant shadow over her career. Amid a demanding tour schedule that takes her around the world throughout the season, pain in her knees, ankles and feet has become a recurring problem.

The frequent injuries are partly a consequence of An's trademark playing style, built around relentless defense and the ability to grind out victories. In chasing down opponents' finishing shots, she repeatedly makes sudden stops and changes of direction, slides and lunges, which place tremendous strain on her knees, ankles and feet.

She wears custom-made competition shoes designed to fit the shape of her feet, but no pair of shoes can fully absorb the dynamic load generated by extreme friction and constant shifts in body weight.

"There is virtually no tournament during the season where I compete completely pain-free," An said. "I just step onto the court believing I can endure it and handle it."

"Rather than blaming my equipment or external factors, I try to find answers by managing my physical condition and adjusting my movement," she said.

A change in how An approaches pain has also led to an evolution in her game.

"In the past, An Se-young would wear down her opponents through endless physical battles, but recently she has been trying to shorten matches by varying the pace and switching quickly to attack," a national team representative said. "Her game is evolving toward maximizing scoring efficiency while reducing the impact on her body."

Korea won two gold medals at this year's championships.

In the women's doubles final held the same day, world No. 3 Lee So-hee and Baek Ha-na of Incheon International Airport Skymons defeated top-ranked Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning of China 2-0 (21-15, 21-15) to claim the title.

It was Korea's first women's doubles gold at the world championships in 31 years, since Gil Young-ah and Jang Hye-ock won the title at the 1995 championships in Lausanne, Switzerland.

World No. 1 men's doubles pair Seo Seung-jae and Kim Won-ho of Samsung Life Insurance added a bronze medal after losing 0-2 to fourth-ranked Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia in Saturday's semifinals.

BY SONG JI-HOON [[email protected]]