Badminton queen An Se-young surpasses Susi Susanti’s record with 47th career singles title
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South Korea’s An Se-young has racked up nine individual titles in 2026.
PHOTO: AFP
South Korean badminton queen An Se-young smashed her way into the record books yet again as she won the Denmark Open on Oct 18 to claim a record 47th career singles title.
After a comeback 21-23, 21-14, 21-18 win over the third-ranked Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in the final in Odense, the world No. 1 said rewriting records spurs her on as she eclipsed the all-time mark of titles held by Indonesian legend Susi Susanti.
“I want to make a lot of history and break records, but I focus on one match at a time,” An said in an interview with the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
“That is my motivation. The crowds turn out for me, and I’m so happy that people enjoy every match I play.”
Achieving the feat at 24 makes it all the more remarkable.
Her dominance in recent years – which has seen her bag Olympic and world titles – looks likely to continue, with more records set to fall.
She also retained the Asian Games women’s singles crown in September. While regional titles do not count towards BWF records, the Asiad win has contributed to her tally of nine individual crowns this season.
With more competitions to come, including this week’s French Open, she is on course to surpass the single-season record of 11 titles that she shares with former men’s singles world No. 1 Kento Momota of Japan.
An, whose sole defeat this season came in the All England Open final in March, when she lost to world No. 2 Wang Zhiyi of China, said her opponents bring out the best in her.
Yamaguchi had looked set to beat An for the first time since September 2025, when she led 11-5 in the third game. But, showing resilience and stamina, An fought back to clinch the victory.
Hailing Yamaguchi as she paid tribute to her opponents, she said: “Rivalry makes you better.”
More history was made at the SJF Bank Arena in Odense as world No. 8 Alex Lanier became the first Frenchman to win the Denmark Open men’s singles title.
The 21-year-old defeated world No. 2 and home favourite Anders Antonsen 21-15, 13-21, 21-13.
Lanier said: “I came to Denmark without any certitude. I’m proud I played very smart, which gave me the opportunity not to use my physicality that much. It’s one aspect I want to explore more.”
World No. 5 Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan also ended Malaysia’s 18-year wait for a women’s doubles title at the Denmark Open with a 21-18, 21-11 win over Japan’s 21st-ranked Hinata Suzuki and Nao Yamakita.
The last Malaysian pair to win the event in the history of the 75-edition tournament were Chin Eei Hui and Wong Pei Tty, who triumphed in 2008.
Tan and Thinaah’s feat prompted Malaysian great Lee Chong Wei to pen a congratulatory post on social media, commending them for their “impressive performance”.
“Your fighting spirit, understanding and confidence continue to inspire the younger generation,” he wrote.
Lee, who is now the Badminton Association of Malaysia’s performance committee chairman, also had encouraging words for those who lost.
That included world No. 4 Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, who fell 21-8, 21-11 to third-ranked Fajar Alfian and Shohibul Fikri of Indonesia in the men’s doubles final.
The mixed doubles final was an all-China affair, with world No. 2 Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin clinching a 21-18, 8-21, 21-16 win over top-ranked Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping.