YEOSU (South Korea), Nov 8: South Korean badminton superstar An Se-young continued her extraordinary march through the sport on Sunday, capturing the Korea Open title on home soil to equal the record for the most international tournament victories in a single year.

The world No. 1 thrilled a packed crowd at Jinnam Stadium in Yeosu by overcoming Japan’s world No. 2 Akane Yamaguchi 21-12, 15-21, 21-16 in a gripping women’s singles final.

The triumph marked An’s 11th international title of 2026, drawing her level with a record first established by Japanese men’s singles great Kento Momota in 2019 and previously matched by An herself in 2025.

Competing before her home fans, An once again showcased the resilience and consistency that have defined one of the most dominant seasons in badminton history.

The Korea Open, South Korea’s only stop on the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour, became the latest addition to a glittering trophy collection that already includes eight BWF World Tour titles, the Badminton Asia Championships crown, the BWF World Championship title, and an Asian Games gold medal in Aichi-Nagoya.

An’s remarkable campaign has bordered on perfection. In 72 matches this season, she has suffered just one defeat, falling to China’s Wang Zhiyi in the final of the prestigious All England Open in March.

Her latest victory also extended her dominance over Yamaguchi, improving her head-to-head winning streak against the Japanese star to 11 consecutive matches.

The achievement was all the more impressive given that An had considered skipping the Korea Open because of fatigue after a demanding season. Instead, she chose to compete in front of her home crowd and was rewarded with yet another milestone in an already historic year.

For South Korean badminton fans, Sunday’s victory provided a fitting celebration of a player who continues to redefine excellence and strengthen her claim as the sport’s pre-eminent women’s singles star.

— BERNAMA-YONHAP