An Se-young

Born on February 5, 2002, in Gwangju, South Korea, An Se-young has become one of the most dominant figures in world badminton. Standing 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) tall and playing right-handed, she trains under the guidance of coaches Rony Agustinus and Sung Ji-hyun. With an impressive career record of 375 wins and 71 losses, An has reached — and maintained — the No. 1 spot in the BWF world rankings since first achieving it on August 1, 2023.

An’s journey began early. At just 13, she played her first international tournament at the 2015 Asian Junior Championships, making the quarter-finals in both U15 girls’ singles and doubles. That same year, she clinched her first international junior title at the U15 Korea Junior Open. In 2016, she completely dominated the U15 circuit, winning the girls’ singles crowns at the Jakarta Open Junior International, Jaya Raya Junior Grand Prix, Asian Junior Championships, and Korea Junior Open, alongside doubles titles at the Jaya Raya Junior Grand Prix and Korea Junior Open. By 2017, she had stepped up to U17 and U19 levels, winning the U17 Korea Junior Open and helping South Korea secure the mixed team title at the Asian Junior Championships as well as a team bronze at the World Junior Championships. At just 15, An became the first junior high school student ever selected for South Korea’s senior national team.

Her senior career took off in 2018. She represented South Korea at both the Uber Cup and the Asian Games, earning a bronze medal at the Uber Cup. That same season, she reached the final of the Indonesia International Challenge and lifted her first senior international trophy at the Irish Open.

An’s breakthrough arrived in 2019. She captured her maiden BWF World Tour title at the New Zealand Open, defeating 2012 Olympic champion Li Xuerui. She followed that up with victories at the Canada Open, Akita Masters, French Open, and Korea Masters, quickly rising into the world’s top 10. Her exceptional season earned her the BWF’s “Most Promising Player of the Year” award.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic limited tournaments in 2020, An still managed a runner-up finish at the Thailand Masters and helped the national team win silver at the Asian Women’s Team Championship. In her Olympic debut at Tokyo 2021, she reached the quarter-finals. Later that year, she played her first Super 1000 final at the Denmark Open (retiring due to injury) before rebounding with three straight titles at the Indonesia Badminton Festival — the Indonesia Masters, Indonesia Open, and the BWF World Tour Finals.

In 2022, An maintained her momentum, reaching five BWF World Tour finals and winning the Korea Open, Malaysia Masters, and Australian Open. She finished runner-up at the All England and Japan Opens, while also taking bronze medals in women’s singles at both the Asian and World Championships. She capped the season by leading South Korea to victory in the Uber Cup.

The following year proved historic. In 2023, An became the first Korean women’s singles player ever to win a World Championships title and the first in 29 years to claim women’s singles gold at the Asian Games. She also contributed to South Korea’s women’s team gold at the Games. On the BWF World Tour, she captured eight titles from ten finals and officially became the world No. 1 in August. Her performances earned her the 2023 BWF Female Player of the Year honor.

An carried her form into 2024. She won the Malaysia, French, and Singapore Opens before achieving her biggest milestone yet: the gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where she defeated China’s He Bingjiao in the women’s singles final — South Korea’s first gold in the event since 1996.

Her winning run continued into 2025. She opened the year with titles at the Malaysia and India Opens, added the Orléans Masters and the All England Open in March, then captured the Indonesia Open in June and the Japan Open (a Super 750 event) in July. By mid-season, An had already claimed three of the four Super 1000 titles on offer — the Malaysia Open, All England Open, and Indonesia Open — while also adding victories at other major events.

An Se-young’s résumé now includes an Olympic gold (2024), a World Championships gold (2023), and dual gold medals at the 2022 Asian Games in women’s singles and team events, alongside the 2022 Uber Cup title. She has also built dominant head-to-head records, holding an 8-0 advantage over P. V. Sindhu, an 11-0 record over Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, and a winning edge against Chen Yufei, while standing level with Akane Yamaguchi.

At just 23, An Se-young has already cemented herself as one of badminton’s modern greats — and her career trajectory suggests there is still much more to come.

BWF World Tour Achievements

The BWF World Tour, introduced in 2018, is a series of elite badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). It is divided into several levels: World Tour Finals, Super 1000, Super 750, Super 500, Super 300, and Super 100. An Se-young has a total of 30 titles and 9 runner-up finishes on the BWF World Tour. The following table summarizes her achievements in women’s singles.