1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 and 10 fingers. And one last tournament remains.
World No. 1 Ahn Se-young beat Indonesia's Putri Kusuma Wardani (world No. 7) 2-0 (21-16, 21-14) in the women's singles final at the 2025 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Australian Open (Super 500) held in Sydney, Australia, on the 23rd (Korea time).
With the victory that day, Ahn Se-young extended her head-to-head record against Wardani to 6-0 and claimed her 10th title of the season. She proved her dominance by defeating Wardani in 45 minutes.
She added $35,626 (about 52 million won) as the winner's prize. This season Ahn Se-young's prize money has already well exceeded 100 million won. Her career prize earnings are reported at $2.26 million (about 3.3 billion won).
Ahn Se-young did not drop a single game from the round of 32 to the final, winning every match 2-0. In her first match she comfortably beat Sherna Lee (New Zealand·No. 145) 2-0 (21-6, 21-6) in 29 minutes, and in the round of 16 she defeated Dong Chu-tung (Taiwan·No. 59) 2-0 (21-7, 21-5) in 33 minutes.
The quarterfinal and semifinal were no different. Ahn Se-young defeated Suizu Manami (Japan·world No. 58) 2-0 (21-10, 21-8) in the quarterfinal, and in the semifinal she also comfortably beat Thailand's Ratchanok Intanon (world No. 8) 2-0 (21-8, 21-6). She finished with a 2-0 victory in the final as well, completing a title without dropping a game.
The final was the same. That day Ahn Se-young secured the win without major trouble. In the first game she had a tight battle that saw the score tied several times with Wardani. Leading 10-8, she then conceded four consecutive points and fell behind. But Ahn Se-young quickly regained her composure. At 15-16 she launched sharp attacks and scored six straight points to take the first game in an instant.
As befits a final, the second game was also fairly close. Ahn Se-young allowed the early momentum to slip but overturned the match by scoring four consecutive points from 6-9. Then at 9-10 she racked up another five points in succession to widen the gap. With Wardani's attacking errors adding to it, Ahn Se-young seized control. Riding the momentum, she earned match point with a jump smash and reached the top. Having achieved a record 10 titles in a single season for women's singles, she let out a loud roar.
The official Australian Open account praised, "Ahn Se-young did it again! Another day, another title. Pure domination from the world's best." it added, "Ahn Se-young claimed the women's singles title with extraordinary defense and world-class control. A champion from one to ten."
Ahn Se-young has indeed written a new chapter in history. In 2025 alone she has already won the Malaysia Open, India Open, Orléans Masters, All England Open, Indonesia Open, Japan Open, China Masters, Denmark Open and France Open in succession. By adding the Australian Open title, Ahn Se-young reached 10 wins in a single season, an achievement no one had managed in women's singles. Her 2025 record stands at a remarkable 68 wins and 4 losses, a 94.4% winning percentage.
Ahn Se-young surpassed her own 2023 season record of nine wins in two years. She folded her fingers as if counting to 10, then spread both hands wide as if to say it was too easy and smiled lightly in celebration.
The significance of the finger celebration was especially large because Ahn Se-young is on the verge of an unprecedented record. The HSBC BWF World Tour Finals next month still remain. If Ahn Se-young wins gold there as well, she would match the single-season 11-title record set by Kento Momota (Japan·retired) in men's singles in 2019.
When she won the Australian Open and spread her 10 fingers, many badminton fans turned their attention to what her next victory celebration would be. On social media many badminton fans praised Ahn Se-young's gesture of 10 wins and 10 fingers, calling it the prince's celebration.
If Ahn Se-young also wins the season's final tournament, she would add $240,000 (about 350 million won) and finish the year as the best of her career. All eyes are on what result she will achieve.
[photo] Australian Open, Badminton Korea Association social media.
[OSEN]