An Se-young captures 2nd career badminton world title

South Korean badminton player An Se-young clinched her second career world title in New Delhi on Sunday, defeating her longtime rival Akane Yamaguchi of Japan 21-17, 21-14 in the women's singles final at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Championships. The BWF had not held the world championships in 2024, the year of the Olympics, so An's victory marked her first world title.

She had previously missed out on the semifinals at the worlds, finishing with a bronze medal, and had been knocked out in the semifinals at the 2023 Olympics, where she won gold. This time, An dominated the match, winning six consecutive games without dropping a set. She improved her record to 20-15 against Yamaguchi. Yamaguchi, who had won the competition in 2021, 2022 and 2025, was seeking her fourth world title.

An came out on top in the first game, with neither player leading by more than three points. She built a 15-12 lead in the first game before Yamaguchi rallied to take a 16-15 lead. An then went on to win the next three points to clinch the championship. The victory marked An's first tournament since withdrawing from the Japan Open last month due to a left foot injury.

Earlier on Sunday, South Korea's women's doubles team of Baek Hana and Lee So-hee won their first world title in over three decades, defeating China's Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning 21-15, 21-15.