Ahn Se-young cried Ahn Se-young, world No. 1 in men's and women's gold medals at the Korea Open, is struggling with Japan's archrival

Sep 28, 2025

Ahn Se-young cried Ahn Se-young, world No. 1 in men's and women's gold medals at the Korea Open, is struggling with Japan's archrival
Seo Seung-jae (right) - Kim Won-ho, who won the men's doubles title at the 2025 World Championship. Photo courtesy of the Badminton Korea Association



Ahn Se-young cried Ahn Se-young, world No. 1 in men's and women's gold medals at the Korea Open, is struggling with Japan's archrival
서승재-김원호. Photo courtesy of the Badminton Korea Association
Korean badminton won a gold medal for both men's and women's doubles at the Korea Open on its home turf. However, Ahn Se-young (23, Samsung Life Insurance), the world's strongest player, was blocked by Japan's "old enemy" and swallowed the anger.

Seo Seung-jae (28) and Kim Won-ho (26, Samsung Life Insurance), who are ranked first in the men's doubles world, beat Pazar Alfian-Muhammad Shaohibul Peakri of Indonesia 2-0 (21-16, 23-21) in the men's doubles final at Suwon Indoor Gymnasium on the 28th.

It is the first time in three years that Korean men's doubles have reached the top of the Korea Open since Seo Seung-jae and Kang Min-hyuk in 2022. Seo Seung-jae and Kim Won-ho, who won their second consecutive international championship after the Chinese Masters last week, won their eighth gold medal this season. Seo is the ninth to play at the Thailand Open (January), including the one he played with Jin Yong (Yonex).




Ahn Se-young cried Ahn Se-young, world No. 1 in men's and women's gold medals at the Korea Open, is struggling with Japan's archrival
(Suwon = Yonhap News) Reporter Hong Ki-won = Kim Hye-jung and Gong Hee-yong, who beat Japan's Iwana and Nakanishi in the women's doubles final of the World Badminton Federation (BWF) World Tour Super 500 Korea Open at Suwon Gymnasium in Gyeonggi Province on the 28th, pose at the awards ceremony.
For Seo Seung-jae and Kim Won-ho, who won the World Individual Championships last month, the world's 36th-ranked opponent has actually not been 'enemy'. Seo Seung-jae and Kim Won-ho, who took the first game lightly, drove to deuce blood after a tight seesaw game in the second game, but completed the grand finale with a higher concentration.

In the women's doubles held earlier, Gong Hee-yong (29, Jeonbuk Bank) and Kim Hye-jeong (27, Samsung Life Insurance), ranked fourth in the world, beat Iwanaga Lin-Nakanish Kie (ranked sixth in the world) by a 2-0 game score (21-19, 21-12).

Gong Hee-yong and Kim Hye-jeong tasted the joy of the top four months after the Singapore Open in May, and won their fourth international competition this year. In particular, Kim Hye-jung won last year's competition in combination with Jung Na-eun, and this time she was the only Korean player to achieve her second consecutive victory.




Ahn Se-young cried Ahn Se-young, world No. 1 in men's and women's gold medals at the Korea Open, is struggling with Japan's archrival
(Suwon = Yonhap News) Reporter Hong Ki-won = Ahn Se-young is regretful after losing a point to Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in the women's singles final of the World Badminton Federation (BWF) World Tour Super 500 Korea Open at Suwon Gymnasium in Gyeonggi Province on the 28th.
Korea, however, did not smile broadly. This is because Ahn Se-young, the world's No. 1 favorite, was completely defeated by Akane Yamaguchi (18-21, 13-21), the world's No. 4 player. Ahn Se-young sought to win back-to-back games with Seo Seung-jae and Kim Won-ho on the day, but struggled as he lost the steam first in both games.

Ahn Se-young also had her fourth bitter taste in the 11 international competitions she participated in this year. Among the 11 competitions participated this year, Ahn failed at the Korea Open following the Singapore Open, the World Championship, and the Chinese Open (injury withdrawal), and has conquered the Malaysian Open, the Jeon Young Open, the Indonesian Open (Super 1000), the Indian Open, the Japanese Open, the Chinese Masters (Super 750), and the Orléan Masters (Super 300).

This is the first time that Ahn Se-young, who also had 14 wins and 15 losses against Yamaguchi, lost to Yamaguchi this year after three consecutive wins.






This article was translated by Naver AI translator.