An Se-young dispatches Intanon in 32 minutes to enter BWF India Open final

New Delhi, Jan 17 (IANS) World No. 1 An Se-young advanced to the second final of the 2026 season after defeating World No. 8 Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand in just 32 minutes in the semifinal of the BWF Super 750 India Open on Saturday.

Se-young registered a straight-game win 21-11, 21-7 over Intanon, here at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex.

An Se-young dominated the proceedings from the start as she raced to an early advantage by scoring six consecutive points, setting the tone for the opening game. With sharp control she never allowed her opponent to settle, comfortably closing out the first game 21–11.

The second game began on a more even footing, with both players trading points in the early stages to reach 4–4. However, that brief resistance was broken as An Se-young raised her intensity. She went on a devastating run of points, surging ahead to a commanding 16–5 lead. Maintaining her consistency, An finished the match with error-free play and sealed victory by taking the second game 21–7 to complete a dominant straight-game win.

By defeating Intanon, Se Young extended her winning streak to a personal-best 29 consecutive match victories. She began the season in impressive fashion at the Malaysia Open, where she claimed her third straight title. Now, with a place in the India Open final, she is on the verge of lifting back-to-back titles in consecutive weeks.

Last year, the Korean star captured 11 titles in a single season and made history by becoming the first badminton player to earn more than USD 1 million in prize money in a calendar year. Her triumph at the BWF World Tour Finals, which carried a prize of USD 240,000, pushed her total earnings for the year to USD 1,003,175.

In the India Open final, she set up a summit clash with world no. 2 Chinese Wang Zhi Yi, which will be a rematch of the last week Malaysia Open. The Korean holds a 17-4 lead in their head-to-head record and has won all nine of their most recent matches.

I think every match is a new feeling. She a very good player, and she a very good attacking player. So I dont know how hard she will play tomorrow match, Se Young said of her final match-up with Wang, who defeated world no.4 Chen Yu Fei 15-21, 23-21 to seal a place in the final.

--IANS

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