It's nine wins in nine meetings. Ahn Se-young (24) again defeated 'Southeast Asia's strongest' Putri Kusuma Wardani (Indonesia·world No. 6).
World No. 1 Ahn Se-young advanced to the semifinals by beating Wardani 2-0 (21-11 21-14) in the women's singles quarterfinals of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour 2026 All England Open (Super 1000) at Utilita Arena Birmingham in England on the 6th (Korea time).
With this, Ahn Se-young extended her winning streak to nine against Wardani, who was born in 2002, proving an overwhelming rival relationship. Earlier, she beat world No. 34 Neslihan Arin (Türkiye) 2-0 in 27 minutes in the round of 32, world No. 19 Lin Shang-ti (Chinese Taipei) 2-0 in 37 minutes in the round of 16, and then defeated Wardani in 39 minutes.
As a result, Ahn Se-young succeeded in reaching the All England Open semifinals for the fifth consecutive year. She was runner-up in 2022 and won in 2023. She was eliminated in the semifinals in 2024, but last year she won again and reclaimed the title. If Ahn Se-young wins this tournament again, she will make new history as the first Korean player to win the singles title three times while also defending the All England title for two consecutive years.
Ahn Se-young made consecutive mistakes early in the first game and started 1-3, but she turned the score around with perfect diagonal side attacks. The commentators could not help but exclaim, "Wow. Perfect."
After that, Ahn Se-young scored 10 consecutive points from 6-6 to pull away to 16-6 and seize the momentum. Her sharp smashes and attacks that pierced every corner of the court shook Wardani.
Ahn Se-young's characteristic watertight defense remained. Foreign commentators said, "This is exactly the image we want to see. Great defending skill," repeatedly expressing admiration. Ultimately, the first game ended with Ahn Se-young's 21-11 victory as Wardani's final attack went wide.
There was no danger in the second game either. Ahn Se-young broke away early by scoring five consecutive points from 3-2 and reached the interval at 11-5. Showing superior skill, she accurately placed shots into empty spaces to earn match point and clenched her fist as she roared.
This victory extended Ahn Se-young's official winning streak to 35 matches. Having won as many as 11 times last year, she continues to dominate this season as well, taking titles at the Malaysia Open, India Open and the Asia team championships. Wardani, who advanced by defeating Kim Ga-eun (Samsung Life Insurance) in the quarterfinals of this tournament, was no match for Ahn Se-young.
Ahn Se-young is only two wins away from defending the All England title. Her semifinal opponent is archrival Chen Yufei (China·world No. 3). Chen advanced the same day by defeating Thailand's Phonpawit Chotuwong (No. 8) 2-0 (23-21 21-11).
Chen Yufei is considered one of the few challengers to Ahn Se-young. In fact, their overall head-to-head record stands tied at 14 wins apiece, and she was the only player to record two wins over Ahn Se-young last year.
Of course, Ahn Se-young has won more often recently. However, Ahn Se-young and Chen Yufei have not faced each other yet this year. The semifinal match will be the first meeting between the two players in 2026.<
[Photo] Badminton Korea Association/BADMINTON PHOTO.
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