Oh, my! Ahn Se-young lost to two consecutive World Championships...Chun Yu-fei's fighting spirit with an ankle injury completely defeated 02

Aug 30, 2025

Oh, my! Ahn Se-young lost to two consecutive World Championships...Chun Yu-fei's fighting spirit with an ankle injury completely defeated 02



Oh, my! Ahn Se-young lost to two consecutive World Championships...Chun Yu-fei's fighting spirit with an ankle injury completely defeated 02
Chen Yu Fei, of China, returns a shot to Pornpawee Chochuwong, of Thailand, during their Women's Singles quarterfinal match at the Badminton World Championships, Friday, Aug. 29, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
'Shuttlecock Empress' Ahn Se-young (23, Samsung Life Insurance) failed to challenge for the second consecutive World Championship.

World No. 1 Ahn Se-young lost to Chen Yu-fei (15-21, 17-21) in the women's singles semifinal match against the '2025 World Badminton Championship' held in Paris, France on the 30th (Korea time).

As a result, Ahn, who dominated the 2023 event for the first time in Korean singles history, had to end her first attempt at a second consecutive singles competition. Following the previous Chinese Open (quasi-final withdrawal), he failed to reach the top of the international competition for the first time this year.




In the early days of the first game, there was a tight race between the two. But it didn't last long. Chen Yu-pei first ran 7-2 and pressured Ahn Se-young.

It is Cheon Wi-pei, who has been held back at every important road in his showdown with Ahn Se-young. Before the match, the two had 13 wins and 13 losses, but in five face-to-face meetings this year, except for the quarterfinals in the Singapore Open (May) and the quarterfinals (Ahn Se-young 0-2 loss), Ahn Se-young sacrificed Chen Yu-fei in the final and quarterfinals.

Oh, my! Ahn Se-young lost to two consecutive World Championships...Chun Yu-fei's fighting spirit with an ankle injury completely defeated 02
An Se Young, of South Korea, falls to the ground during her Women's Singles semifinal match against Chen Yu Fei, of China, at the Badminton World Championships, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Perhaps that's why Chen Yu-pei, who had recently been losing two consecutive games against Ahn Se-young, seemed to come out firmly. The offensive power was stronger, and he aimed to exhaust Ahn Se-young's physical strength by properly attacking both sides.




In defense, Ahn's concentration was as strong as Ahn's.

Ahn Se-young, who lost the lead early in the first game, continued to be dragged and struggled, and Chen Yu-pei ran away without fail if he tried to catch up. Chased 15-19, Ahn Se-young sought to chase, but was driven to the brink by Chen Yu-fei's elaborate diagonal attack, and after the last diagonal attack, he failed to apply for the challenge and gave up one game.

Two games in crisis. As has been the case in the face-to-face, Ahn Se-young had to put her hopes on relentless pressure by lowering her opponent's physical strength.




The start of the second game was smooth. Ahn Se-young succeeded in taking the lead with a 5-3 run first.

Oh, my! Ahn Se-young lost to two consecutive World Championships...Chun Yu-fei's fighting spirit with an ankle injury completely defeated 02
An Se Young, of South Korea, returns a shot to Chen Yu Fei, of China, during their Women's Singles semifinal match of the Badminton World Championships, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
An unexpected situation occurred here. Chun Yu-pei, who was doing a side backstep to get Ahn Se-young's shot deep in the baseline, fell to the court with a sprained right ankle and became Ahn Se-young's 6-3 lead.

Chen Yufei, who was urgently treated by the medical team, limped off and resumed the game.

I thought Chen Yufei's injury would be a boon, but it wasn't at all. Chen Yu-pei chased 7-7 with a lucky net play. Even if Ahn Se-young ran 10-7 again, he caught up with 9-10 again, and he also made a 10-10 relocation with a quick potential attack.

Ahn Se-young, who barely entered the interval 11-10 and took a breather, tried to tighten the reins again, but the interval rest was also 'Oasis' for Chen Yufei, who is injured.

Chen Yufei turned the tables by scoring three consecutive points with a sharp attack on the corner of the court. In response, Ahn Se-young put a brake on the opponent's momentum by attacking the side, but Chen Yu-pei responded by attacking the baseline again.

Since then, Chen Yufei, a breathless race, has rarely given a break. Amid the chase, Chen Yufei's lead continued to 18-15 and ran away by four points thanks to Ahn Se-young's base line-out misjudgment.

It was too far a gap to catch Chen Yu-pei, who gained momentum. After the game, Chen Yufei lay on the court with a painful expression and enjoyed the victory.



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.