An Se-young and Christo Popov have made history at the BWF World Tour Finals in Hangzhou.
Top seeded Se-young equaled Japanese men’s singles legend’s 11 Tour titles in a single season when she grabbed the women’s singles final. The Korean starlet defeated China’s Wang Zhi Yi 21-13, 18-21, 21-10.
As for Popov, he became the first ever French player to win a World Tour Finals with a composed 21-19, 21-9 win over China’s Shi Yu Qi in the men’s singles final.
Se-young also became the first badminton player to surpass USD1 million in prize money in a single season.
Her victory today earned her a cool USD240,000, bringing her total season earnings to $1,003,175 (approximately 1.485 billion Korean won). Her career earnings now total $2,570,000, already the highest in history.
Se-young reached 12 finals in 15 BWF World Tour events this season, and her only loss in a final came against Akane Yamaguchi of Japan at the Korea Open in September. She had defeated Yamaguchi twice, including in the semi-finals here.
Popov has had an impressive week in winning the men’s singles title. The 23-year-old qualified as fifth seed following this year’s French Open runner up finish and semifinals in Singapore, Japan, China and Hong Kong. He was the only men’s singles player without a 2025 tournament win, but he changed it at the season finale, dismantling Yuqi.
While he had won on the Tour previously, twice in 2024, this was his first title in Asia.
Yuqi was looking to defend the title he won last year and also in 2018 but had no answer to Popovs attacking play, especially in the second game.
In women’s doubles, South Korean duo Baek Ha-na-Lee So-hee- Baek Hana defeated Japan’s Fukushima Yuki-Matsumoto Mayu 21-17, 21-11 to claim victory.
Although the pair entered this tournament with only one win this season, they have achieved back-to-back titles at the World Tour Finals, following their 2023 victory.
Chinese mixed doubles pair Feng Yanzhe-Huang Dongping secured the gold medal by defeating teammates Jiang Zhenbang-Wei Yaxin in the final, winning 21-12, 21-17 to claim their first-ever Tour Finals crown.
It was their eighth tournament win of the year and their third in a row but only their first World Tour Finals title as a pair. Dongping won the title with Wang Yi Lyu in 2018.
Korea bagged their third title of the day when Kim Won-ho-Seo Seung-jae defeated China’s Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang 21-18, 21-14 for the men’s doubles title. Seung-jae had also won the title in 2023 partnering Kang Min-hyuk.
FINAL RESULTS
Men’s singles: Christo Popov (Fra) bt Shi Yuqi (Chn) 21-19, 21-9
Men’s doubles: Kim Won-ho-Seo Seung-jae (Kor) bt Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang (Chn) 21-18, 21-14
Women’s singles: An Se-young (Kor) bt Wang Zhiyi (Chn) 21-13, 18-21, 21-10
Women’s doubles: Baek Ha-na-Lee So-hee (Kor) bt Yuki Fukushima-Mayu Matsumoto (Jpn) 21-17, 21-11
Mixed doubles: Feng Yan-zhe-Huang Dongping (Chn) bt Jiang Zhenbang-Wei Yaxin (Chn) 21-12, 21-17
