An Se-Young wins BWF World Tour Finals, clinches record-extending 11th title of the season
World No. 1 An Se-Young became the first badminton player to earn over USD 1 million in prize money in a season when she beat Wang Zhi Yi 21-13, 18-21, 21-10 to clinch the BWF World Tour Finals 2025 on Sunday.
Se-Young had already won US$763,175 before the BWF World Tour Finals 2025, and the winner’s cheque of USD 240,000 saw her surpass USD 1 million.
In an extremely close summit clash, Se Young sealed the first game 21-13, but Zhi Yi made a comeback in the next game. Se-young had previously lost to Zhi Yi in the semifinals of the same tournament last year.
And the South Korean made sure that history did not repeat itself as she cruised to a 21-10 win, sealing her second World Tour title. Her only other title had come in 2021.
It was her 11th singles title of the year, making her the joint-most successful player in a season, tied with Japanese legend Kento Momota.
The World Tour Finals sees the top eight players in each category — based on the total points earned at this year’s BWF World Tour Championship —- compete.
Se-young, who won all three games in the group stage, reached the final with a dominant 2-0 win over Japanese powerhouse Akane Yamaguchi.
Published on Dec 21, 2025