AN Se Young in Command

Dominant since the start of 2026, South Korea’s AN Se Young, the world rank No. 1 continues her masterclass at the Yonex French Open. Facing No. 7 seed HAN Yue, she remained consistent, winning 21–13, 21–16. She is one step closer to a fourth title in this tournament.

But who could possibly stop AN Se Young? Since the start of 2026, the world rank No. 1 has only experienced one defeat! That came in March, in the final of the All England (Super 1000), against China’s WANG Zhi Yi. After the elimination of Wang Zhi Yi (WR#3) and Akane Yamaguchi (WR#2), the path seems wide open for the Korean player to claim a fourth title at the Yonex French Open.

AN Se Young has been keeping matches short this week. She defeated Denmark’s Amalie SCHULZ 21–6, 21–4 in just 25 minutes, then overcoming India’s Tanvi SHARMA 21–11, 21–14 in 37 minutes, The reigning world champion and Denmark Open winner continued her impressive run against China’s No. 7 seed HAN Yue, leaving little room for suspense.

In this very first set of the match, the South Korean immediately took control with the variety of her play and her unstoppable smashes down the line (12–5). In complete control, she forced her opponent into mistakes and wore her down over the course of several well-constructed rallies. In just 16 minutes, AN Se Young took the first set with a score of 21–13.

Showing signs of fatigue, AN then faced a determined HAN Yue, who pushed her into long rallies. Trailing 6–10, the world No. 1 gave the Chinese player a glimmer of hope. Was this enough to suggest a more closely contested second set? Not quite! Picking up the pace with renewed energy, AN Se Young quickly leveled the score at 10–10 before pulling ahead again. Her exceptional touch at the net once again put her opponent under pressure, allowing her to extend her lead to 18–13.

After just 36 minutes of play, the Korean player prevailed 21–13, 21–16. It was her eleventh victory in thirteen head-to-head matches. Another masterclass from the world No. 1, who now has 64 wins in 65 matches! Remarkable.

“We faced each other many times. I just have to play my game, because Han Yue is great. I tried not to rush and stay patient. In the second set, I felt so tired, because it has been too many tournaments, and I played lots of matches, so I feel so tired. I I always tell myself, ‘I can do it, I will try my best.’”

Now into the semifinals, AN Se Young will face Nozomi OKUHARA (WR#9), who defeated India’s Ashmita CHALIHA in the quarterfinals in three sets over the course of an hour. In their head-to-head history, the two players have faced each other six times with the Korean winning all six matches. The Japanese player therefore faces a huge challenge.