South Korea’s An Se-young reclaimed the women’s singles world title at the 2026 BWF World Championships in New Delhi, defeating defending champion Akane Yamaguchi 21-17, 21-14. The world No. 1 completed her six-match campaign without dropping a single game, sealing her second world crown with controlled authority.
A composed display at relentless speed
The final unfolded inside the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium as a contest of narrow margins played at fierce tempo. Yamaguchi moved ahead at 16-15 in the first game, but the Olympic champion responded immediately with four straight points to take the opener. In the second, a run of four points stretched her lead to 16-11, and at 17-13 she won a long exchange with a delicate drop shot that sent Yamaguchi sprawling.
Six matches, zero games conceded
The 49-minute victory extended An’s winning streak against Yamaguchi to six matches and improved her overall record in their rivalry to 20-15 across 35 career meetings. She had entered the tournament after missing a month with a foot injury, yet never required more than an hour except in her semifinal against China’s Wang Zhi Yi.
The triumph completes a steady climb back to the summit. An won her first world title in Copenhagen in 2023, becoming the first Korean women’s singles player to do so, then claimed Olympic gold in Paris the following year before settling for bronze at the 2025 World Championships.
Sunday’s result also ended Yamaguchi’s perfect record in world finals, denying the Japanese star a fourth title. An’s season now counts seven titles from nine tournaments before New Delhi.
She posed for cameras, walked toward the stands and hit a shuttle into the crowd — a rare expressive gesture from a player who usually lets her racket speak. A week that began with questions about fitness ended with a familiar sight.
