An Se-young of South Korea continued her dominant season with another commanding performance, defeating Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi in straight games to advance to the final of the 2025 BWF World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, China.
BWF World Tour Finals 2025: An Se-young A Step Away From 11th Title of 2025
The 23-year-old Olympic champion, won the women’s singles semifinal 21-15, 21-12 on Friday morning at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center. The victory marked her fourth consecutive win at the tournament and further highlighted the growing gap between An and her longtime rival.
The semifinal opened with a tightly contested first game. Yamaguchi, ranked world No. 3, relied on her trademark speed and defensive skills to challenge An early, taking an 11-9 lead into the mid-game interval. After the break, however, An raised her intensity, leveling the score at 12-12 before pulling away with precise shot placement and relentless pressure. She closed out the opening game 21-15.
An seized full control in the second game. Pushing the tempo from the outset, she rattled off eight consecutive points to overwhelm Yamaguchi and quickly built an 11-1 advantage. Though the Japanese star attempted a brief resurgence, An remained composed, dominating long rallies and extending the lead to as many as 11 points. She sealed the match with a 21-12 victory to book her place in the final.
Earlier in the tournament, An had already demonstrated her superiority over Yamaguchi with a dramatic comeback win in the group stage, rallying from a first-game loss to claim a 14-21, 21-5, 21-14 victory and finish atop Group A.
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An, who has carefully managed injuries over the past two seasons, credited her physical condition for her consistency. “My current physical condition is good,” she said. “My coach checks on me every day to make sure I stay fit.”
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The final now represents the last remaining challenge for An at this event. Despite her dominance elsewhere, she has never won the BWF World Tour Finals title- exiting in the group stage in 2022 and falling in the semifinals the past two years. Victory this time would not only earn her the elusive Finals crown but also mark a historic 11th international title in a single season, an unprecedented achievement.
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With her current form, An Se-young stands just one win away from adding another landmark chapter to an already extraordinary year. She will face China’s Wang Zhiyi in summit clash.
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