World No. 1 An Se Young continued her remarkable 2026 campaign by defeating Tomoka Miyazaki 21-17, 21-6 to win the China Masters for a third consecutive year and claim her seventh individual title of the season.
An became the first player to complete a hat-trick of China Masters titles, while also extending her unbeaten record against Miyazaki to 8-0. The Olympic and world champion went through the tournament without dropping a game, with none of her opponents managing more than 28 points in a match. “I’m so proud of myself. I’m really pleased with the result and I feel so happy,” An said after adding another trophy to her collection, as quoted by BWF.
The South Korean, who won 11 titles last year to tie the record for most in a season, is now on course to surpass that mark. However, An remained wary of the growing challenge from the emerging generation.
“There are many players coming up and challenging. I don’t think any match can be taken lightly,” she said, stressing the importance of continuing to improve.
Miyazaki, ranked ninth in the world, offered greater resistance at the start of the final, using aggressive play to push An around the court and disrupt her rhythm. An, however, gradually regained control before pulling away decisively in the second game.
“Tomoka put me under a lot of pressure, which left me a bit flustered,” An admitted. “But I tried to calmly maintain my pace and tried not to rush.”
The China Masters triumph adds to a season in which An has continued to establish herself as the dominant force in women’s badminton. She also defeated Akane Yamaguchi 21-13, 21-15 in the semifinals in Shenzhen.
An had regained the world No. 1 ranking after successfully defending her world title in New Delhi last month, beating Yamaguchi 21-17, 21-14 in the final. She had previously won her maiden world title in Copenhagen in 2023 before becoming Olympic champion in Paris in 2024. She also claimed bronze at the 2025 World Championships in Paris. An will now return home to prepare for the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, where she will seek to defend her gold medal later this month.
