An Se-young storms into Korea Open quarterfinals, eyeing a run of Japanese rivals

South Korea's badminton star An Se-young is through to the last eight of the Korea Open, and she made it look easy.

The 24-year-old, who plays for Samsung Life, faced Malaysia's world No. 28 in the women's singles round of 16 at the Jinnam Gymnasium in Yeosu on 5 November. She won 21-10, 21-11 in straight games.

The tournament is a BWF World Tour Super 500 event, part of the sport's international circuit run by the Badminton World Federation.

Next comes the tougher part. According to Korean reports, An could now face Japanese players in three matches in a row, starting at the quarterfinals. Japan is one of the strongest nations in women's badminton, so the home crowd will be watching closely.

If you need a reminder of her pedigree: she won Olympic gold in Paris in 2024, ending Korea's 28-year wait in the event, and took the All England Open title in March 2025. Her message for the coming matches is simple: she can't afford to lose.