{"id":7341,"date":"2025-12-21T19:36:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-21T12:36:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/?p=7341"},"modified":"2025-12-21T19:36:12","modified_gmt":"2025-12-21T12:36:12","slug":"se-young-and-popov-make-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/se-young-and-popov-make-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Se-young and Popov make history"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

An Se-young and Christo Popov have made history at the BWF World Tour Finals in Hangzhou.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Top seeded Se-young equaled Japanese men\u2019s singles legend\u2019s 11 Tour titles in  a single season when she grabbed the women\u2019s singles final. The Korean starlet defeated China\u2019s Wang Zhi Yi 21-13, 18-21, 21-10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s Shi Yu Qi in the men\u2019s singles final.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Se-young also became the first badminton player to surpass USD1 million in prize money in a single season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Popov has had an impressive week in winning the men\u2019s singles title. The 23-year-old qualified as fifth seed following this year\u2019s French Open runner up finish and semifinals in Singapore, Japan, China and Hong Kong. He was the only men\u2019s singles player without a 2025 tournament win, but he changed it at the season finale, dismantling Yuqi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While he had won on the Tour previously, twice in 2024, this was his first title in Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In women\u2019s doubles, South Korean duo Baek Ha-na-Lee So-hee- Baek Hana defeated Japan\u2019s Fukushima Yuki-Matsumoto Mayu 21-17, 21-11 to claim victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Korea bagged their third title of the day when Kim Won-ho-Seo Seung-jae defeated China\u2019s Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang 21-18,  21-14 for the men\u2019s doubles title. Seung-jae had also won the title in 2023 partnering Kang Min-hyuk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FINAL RESULTS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Men\u2019s singles: <\/strong>Christo Popov (Fra) bt Shi Yuqi (Chn) 21-19, 21-9<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Men\u2019s doubles: <\/strong>Kim Won-ho-Seo Seung-jae (Kor) bt Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang (Chn) 21-18, 21-14<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women\u2019s singles: <\/strong>An Se-young (Kor) bt Wang Zhiyi (Chn) 21-13, 18-21, 21-10<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women\u2019s doubles: <\/strong>Baek Ha-na-Lee So-hee (Kor) bt Yuki Fukushima-Mayu Matsumoto (Jpn) 21-17, 21-11<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mixed doubles: <\/strong>Feng Yan-zhe-Huang Dongping (Chn) bt Jiang Zhenbang-Wei Yaxin (Chn) 21-12, 21-17<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An Se-young and Christo Popov have made history at the BWF World Tour Finals in Hangzhou. Top seeded<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7342,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[75],"class_list":["post-7341","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsbeat","tag-badminton"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t