Badminton world No. 1 An Se-young beats Wang Zhiyi to win third straight Malaysia Open title
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South Korea’s world No. 1 An Se-young (pictured) has extended her dominance over world No. 2 Wang Zhiyi of China, having won all eight of their encounters in 2025.
PHOTO: AFP
KUALA LUMPUR – South Korea’s badminton queen An Se-young picked up from where she left off as she opened her 2026 season by clinching the Malaysia Open title on Jan 11.
At the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil, the world No. 1 defeated second-ranked Wang Zhiyi of China 21-15, 24-22 to win a third consecutive women’s singles crown at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour’s Super 1000 tournament.
In the process, the 23-year-old also extended her dominance over 25-year-old Wang, having won all eight of their encounters in 2025, the most recent of which came in the title-decider of the BWF World Tour Finals in Hangzhou in December.
That sealed a record 11th title for An in a stellar 2025 season, when she also registered a 94.8 per cent winning rate to surpassing legends Lin Dan (92.75 per cent in 2011) of China and Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei (92.75 per cent in 2010).
An, who did not have to play in the semi-finals on Jan 10 as her opponent Chen Yufei pulled out with an injury, had to call on her trademark mental resilience in the final.
Wang threatened a comeback as she led 17-9 and 19-13 in the second game, before An calmly clawed here way back to earn the US$101,500 (S$130,641) top prize.
“I don’t give up. I always trust myself and just do it,” said An. “I always match her (Zhi Yi). I focus on my style, I’m confident and I just play my style.”
In the men’s singles final, which was also a battle of the two top-ranked players, Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn won his first Super 1000 title when his opponent, world No. 1 Shi Yuqi of China retired with a back injury while trailing 23-21, 6-1.
“I felt a lot of pressure in the match, but it was also very exciting. This is my first time at a Super 1000 (final), and I really hoped to win the gold. It is just amazing, I’m so happy.
“The match went well even though I was running low on energy. I knew if we had long rallies, it would have been very tough for me to win,” said Kunlavut.
