Korea Open: Yamaguchi Eclipses Home Icon
World champion Akane Yamaguchi dealt world No.1 An Se Young her first final defeat of the season on the Korean’s home turf and in the process, won her first HSBC BWF World Tour title of the year.
· DEV SUKUMAR
Yamaguchi has fallen in seven World Tour semifinals this year, but having regained confidence by winning the TotalEnergies BWF World Championships 2025, the Japanese proved too strong for the Korean today. In a rather one-sided contest, the three-time world champion beat the Olympic champion 21-18 21-13 for her first win over An in five contests this year.
“On the World Tour, I haven't been able to make it to a final this year, so first of all, I was very happy that I was able to fight in the final here, and I was so glad at being able to challenge the current world No.1,” said Yamaguchi.
The Japanese had lost to the Korean last week in China, and Yamaguchi said she’d decided to play a more attacking game.