Badminton world beater An Se-young says best is yet to come

Korean badminton player An Se-young poses with her gold medal from the women's singles event at the Badminton World Federation World Tour Finals after a media scrum at Incheon International Airport, Monday. Yonhap

Already the most dominant force in women's badminton today at age 23, Korean star An Se-young says her best is yet to come.

An made a triumphant return home Monday, a day after capturing the women's singles title at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, China. The top-ranked An defeated world No. 2 from China, Wang Zhiyi, by 2-1 (21-13, 18-21, 21-10) in the scintillating final that lasted 96 minutes.

With the victory, An equaled former men's singles player Kento Momota's record of 11 international titles in a single season. An won nearly 95 percent of her matches in 2025, also a record, while becoming the first player, male or female, to earn over $1 million in a season.

"I was really, really happy to finish the final tournament of the year with such a great result," An told reporters at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul. "I am very grateful for the year I've had."

And to think: An is convinced she can be even better. Considering elite athletes don't often reach their peak years until their mid or late 20s, it's difficult to argue with An.

"If I keep putting in the work, then I think I can put up even better results than what I've done this year," she said. "The way I see it, I will only reach my prime when I play flawless matches. And I even think it may never come."

Park Joo-bong, left, director of the national badminton team, poses at Incheon International Airport, Monday, with players, after winning three titles at the Badminton World Tour Finals. From second left are Seo Seung-jae, Kim Won-ho, An Se-young, Lee So-hee and Baek Ha-na. Yonhap

An said she was particularly pleased with the way she went on attacks in Hangzhou and added that she felt her offensive game finally rounded into form during the World Tour Finals after she'd had some reservations about it earlier in the year.

Of the numerous records she has set or matched this year, An said she was most proud of the wins mark.

"I think they are the true reflection of my hard work," she said. "And I always believe that if I continue to work hard each and every day, then I will enjoy the fruits of my work at the end."

With her season finale just in the books, hard days on the court or at the gym can wait a bit, An said.

"To try to avoid injuries, I've been on a pretty strict diet all year. Now that we're in the holiday season, I will let myself go a little bit," An said with a smile. "I will enjoy a short break and then get back to the grind."