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An Se-young secures fifth title of season in dramatic Indonesia Open final

Published: 08 Jun. 2025, 18:11

An Se-young competes in the women's singles final at the Indonesia Open against Wang Zhiyi at Istora Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia, on June 8. [AP/YONHAP]

Korean badminton star An Se-young claimed her fifth title of the season on Sunday after beating China’s Wang Zhiyi in a dramatic comeback in the women's singles final at the Kapal Api Indonesia Open 2025 in Jakarta, Indonesia.

An rallied from one game down for a 2-1 victory, losing the first game 21-13 and bouncing back to claim the second 21-19 and third 21-15.

She last won the Indonesia Open title in 2021 and lost the final to China's Chen Yufei last year.

An's road to this year's final saw her cruise past some strong competitors. She beat Busanan Ongbamrungphan of Thailand 2-0 in the round of 32, then took down compatriot Kim Ga-eun, Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand, Akane Yamaguchi of Japan and Wang in order.

A victory over Wang also marks An's third time beating the Chinese contender in the final this year after doing so at the Malaysia Open and All England Open Badminton Championships.

She clinched a title at the 2025 Orléans Masters after a win over another long-time rival Chen in March, but she lost to Chen in the quarterfinal last month at the Singapore Open.

An shook hands with Wang and the umpire before acknowledging the crowd, basking in applause and cheers.

“Many people helped me grow,” An said in a postmatch interview. “The key was that I believed in myself.”

An has already captured every major title at 23, including two medals — one gold and one bronze — at the World Championships and one gold medal apiece at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023 and Paris Olympics last year.

She is not only the first Korean badminton player to win a gold in the women’s singles at the Asiad in 29 years, but also the first Korean to secure gold in the discipline at the Olympics since Bang Soo-hyun did so in 1996.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY SONG JI-HOON [[email protected]]