AN Se Young Aims for a Historic Three-Peat

AN Se Young continues her winning streak at the Yonex French Open! After defeating Nozomi OKUHARA in a closely contested match, the world rank No. 1 has secured another spot in the final. She will face PUSARLA V. Sindhu, who will be looking to pull off an upset and claim her first title here in France.

A chance for redemption awaited Nozomi OKUHARA at the Arena Grand Paris. A week ago, AN Se Young (No. 1) and Nozomi OKUHARA (No. 9) had faced off in the semifinals of the Denmark Open, where the Korean player had prevailed before going on to win the tournament the following day. This Saturday, in Tremblay-en-France, it was once again the World Champion who advanced to the finals.

After comfortably dominating the first set 21–12, AN Se Young—just like she had in the quarterfinals—faced more difficulties in the second set. More mobile and making fewer mistakes, Nozomi OKUHARA took the lead. But the South Korean’s slump was short-lived. Relying on the accuracy of her shots, she gradually regained control of the rallies and retook the lead at the interval before pulling further ahead. But just as it seemed she was cruising toward victory, AN Se Young struggled to close out the match. Having arrived at the Yonex French Open without a coach, OKUHARA hung in there and saved three match points to bring the score back to 20–19. She eventually succumbed after 45 minutes of play, losing 12–21, 19–21.

AN Se Young: “She is pushing my limit, but it is a pleasure. When I made a mistake, I told myself it’s ok. Winning the next point made me more confident, so I focused on myself throughout the end. The record? I don’t think about the title, I just think of tomorrow’s match as a new challenge, and I will try my best.”

Having already won titles in 2019, 2024, and 2025, AN Se Young now is in position to claim her fourth title in this competition, which would mark her third consecutive title. She is therefore just one victory away from matching that feat—and, in the process, securing her 50th consecutive win!

PUSARLA V. Sindhu at the End of Her Strides

The world No. 1 will face PUSARLA V. Sindhu, who is playing in her very first Yonex French Open final.

Facing Japan’s Hina AKECHI (No. 22) today—a player she had never faced before on the BWF Tour—the world No. 11 prevailed in three sets after an intense 73 minutes battle.

After taking a narrow lead (11–9), India’s last remaining player across all categories took control of the match, winning the first set 21–10. AKECHI, however, fought back in the second set, relying on a delicate net game and solid defense. Trailing by four points, PUSARLA V. Sindhu managed to tie the score (16–16). But the Japanese player kept her composure in the decisive moments to take the second set.

Sindhu, the two-time Olympic medalist started the third set with determination, but the Japanese player once again refused to give an inch. With the outcome of the match still a mystery, the Indian player raised her level of play, notably with a grueling 38-shot rally that allowed her to take a two-point lead (18–16). Sindhu earned herself four match points. However, she needed only one, closing out the match with a cross-court smash.

“I could have taken the second set, but they were good rallies, long rallies, not easy points, because if they were to be easy points or unforced errors, maybe I would have been more frustrated. (…) I am happy that I am playing the finals here, but it’s not done yet, there is still one match left. I need to go back and recover, to try my best tomorrow.”

For PUSARLA V. Sindhu, a two-fold challenge now lies ahead: winning the title and defeating AN Se Young for the very first time, after ten head-to-head matches. This year, the Indian player lost to the South Korean at the Indonesia Open and the Singapore Open. If she wins, Sindhu would add a second Super 750 title to her record this year, following the one she won in Japan this summer.