Meet the Women’s Singles Contenders
An Se Young stands on the cusp of making history as she goes for Kento Momota’s singles record of 11 titles in a season, and while the Korean is overwhelming favourite at the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2025, the…
· BWF STAFF
An Se Young stands on the cusp of making history as she goes for Kento Momota’s singles record of 11 titles in a season, and while the Korean is overwhelming favourite at the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2025, the record is by no means a foregone conclusion.
Prime among her challengers is Akane Yamaguchi, who was in six semifinals before winning her first title of the season – which she did at the biggest event of all, the TotalEnergies BWF World Championships 2025. Having found her winning touch, she went on to win two more titles. She is one of only two players – Chen Yu Fei being the other – who has a strong head-to-head record against An. Yamaguchi inflicted on An her only defeat in a final all season, at the Korea Open.
The third strong contender is Wang Zhi Yi, who was a model of consistency, making 10 finals, including five in a row. Wang, winner of three titles this year, does know what it takes to beat An, for she beat her in last year’s semifinal at the World Tour Finals.