The unparalleled winning streak of badminton queen Ahn Se-young (24, Samsung Life Insurance) came to an end. Her bid for a second consecutive All England Open title was dashed after suffering a blow from her nemesis Wang Zhiyi.
Ahn Se-young finished a disappointing runner-up after losing 0-2 in sets (15-21, 19-21) to China's Wang Zhiyi in the women's singles final of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour 2026 All England Open (Super 1000) held at Utilita Arena Birmingham in England on the 6th (Korea time).
On the day, Ahn Se-young did not show the 'iron mental' we knew. She made frequent unforced errors from the start. She committed serve errors that normally would not occur, and her trademark sharp strokes and hairpins repeatedly missed the line by a hair. Even video review (challenge) did not favor Ahn Se-young, making it a day when luck was not on her side.
After conceding the first set 15-21, Ahn Se-young sought to fight back in the second. But fate favored Wang Zhiyi. Wang Zhiyi's attack struck the net, deflected and dropped into Ahn Se-young's court, and a streak of lucky points that barely brushed the line followed.
Pushed to the brink, Ahn Se-young was not easily defeated. At 15-20 in the second set, facing her opponent's championship point, Ahn Se-young's fierce finishing power emerged. She won four consecutive points with persistent defense and precise attacks, closing the gap to 19-20. Wang Zhiyi also appeared noticeably shaken as if the fear of a 10-match losing streak had resurfaced.
But she could not get over the final hurdle. Wang Zhiyi's decisive diagonal attack landed in the corner of the court, ending the match. Ahn Se-young stared at the court for a while in disappointment, then accepted the defeat and took the runner-up trophy.
With this loss, Ahn Se-young ended her 10-match winning streak against Wang Zhiyi. More painful was the interruption of her 36-match winning streak, which included victories at the Malaysia Open and the India Open earlier in the year. For Ahn Se-young, who wrote the legendary record of 11 titles last year, it became a bitter tonic.
[Photo] Badminton Korea Association/BADMINTON PHOTO, All England Open, BWF social media.
[OSEN]