With just two weeks left before the world’s elite shuttlers gather for the BWF World Championships here, a towering figure headlines the women’s singles draw.
South Korea’s An Se Young, the reigning Olympic champion, may currently be on a break to recover from an injury, but that has done nothing to diminish her status as the ultimate benchmark.
Across coaches, analysts and rivals, the consensus is striking — while the rest of the world’s top players routinely exchange victories, the 24-year-old world No.1 remains virtually unplayable when on song.
“I do still believe that apart from An Se Young, everybody in the field is beatable,” says India’s chief national coach Pullela Gopichand. “They’re just finding ground, and I don’t think there are any clear favourites apart from An Se Young.”
Understanding why An occupies such a rarefied space requires looking beyond basic shot-making to her physical and mental endurance. Her playing style is defined by effortless footwork, economical movement, and an ironclad defence that turns opponents’ best attacking weapons into costly liabilities.
Former India national coach U Vimal Kumar points out that her ability to manage matches with minimal exertion is what separates her from the rest.
“Her game is quite effortless,” explains Vimal, who is also a national selector. “She has good footwork, she manages things very well. The only girls who really push her are Wang Zhi Yi and Akane Yamaguchi. Others An Se Young somehow manages.”
It’s quite true. None of the top 10 players have a better head-to-head record against An, who was world champion in 2023. While reigning world champion Akane (15-19) and Tokyo Olympics champion Chen Yufei (14-17) have decent records against An, world No.6 Putri Kusuma Wardani (0-10), No.8 Tomoka Miyazaki (0-7), No.9 PV Sindhu (0-10) and No.10 Pornpawee Chochuwang (0-13) have never managed to beat the South Korean.
Technically, two-time All England winner An excels at pinning power-hitters into uncomfortable positions. She locks her rivals to the rear, neutralises downward angles, and maintains relentless length. This has helped her maintain an incredible 38-1 win-loss record this season with the only loss coming at the All England Open final where she lost to Wang.
“An keeps Sindhu right to the back of the court, doesn’t allow her to execute her sharp strokes and keeps the shuttle in play,” adds Vimal. “That has been a little frustrating for Sindhu. An is quite tricky. She keeps a good length, a bit like Tai Tzu Ying, not as deceptive as Tai Tzu, but very consistent. She also has a deceptive cross half-smash.”
Breaking An’s defence
Overcoming a champion who thrives on long rallies and error-inducing pressure demands a sharp tactical pivot. Matching her in a physical grinding match rarely works. Opponents must disrupt her timing, take away her comfortable depth, and dictate shorter points.
Vimal emphasises that for Sindhu and others, cracking the code requires targeted preparation and specialised sparring setups.
“Sindhu still needs to deal with this. The basic is for Sindhu to tactically improve. (Coach) Irwansyah and her team are also looking into that, then the sparring partners… they specifically tell them exactly the way she plays. Because she needs sessions on that front with deceptive players. Sindhu needs to play a little sharper, faster, flat, short exchanges to unsettle An and execute her plan.”
For Sindhu, who has displayed greater consistency over recent tournaments, the gap between defeat and victory against An feels increasingly narrow. Reflecting on her recent encounters against the South Korean, the two-time Olympic medallist remains convinced that the breakthrough is near.
“In the last two tournaments, it was quite close. I could have taken one game is what I felt. And the first game, it was quite close. It was 16-all. I feel it’s not quite far and I can do it. It’s just that on that day who plays well and gives their best is the winner,” says Sindhu.
Sindhu’s strong showing at the Japan Open — she negotiated top contenders like Han Yue and Akane — shows that her firepower remains a threat.
“Sindhu is definitely a prospect. She is definitely a threat,” Gopichand reiterates. “Whether it is Chen or Wang or any other player, she can beat them. Many of them still can’t read her game. It’ll be interesting to see how she handles An.”
As the clock ticks down to the World Championships, every contender recognises that while medals can be contested against the field, gold will likely require solving badminton’s most formidable puzzle in An.
