World No. 1 women's singles badminton player An Se-young, 23, has once again confirmed her status as the world's strongest player.

The Korean badminton superstar won the women's singles final of the Badminton World Federation (BWF)’s World Tour Super 1000 Indonesia Open 2-1 (13-21, 21-19, 21-15) over world No. 2 Wang Zhiyi of China, which was held in Jakarta, Indonesia, on June 8.

An, who finished runner-up to Chen Yufei of China (currently ranked No. 5) last year, returned as the winner of the event for the first time since 2021, capturing her fifth international title of the season.

The victory was especially significant as An once again overcame Wang, who has recently emerged as China’s rising star after Chen Yufei.

Wang had climbed to world No. 2 November of last year and has frequently met An in tournament finals since then, only to fall short each time.

In March, despite struggling with an injury, An defeated Wang 2-1 in the All England Open final. The following month, she beat Wang again in straight sets (21-17, 21-16) during the women’s singles final at the Sudirman Cup, an international badminton mixed team competition.

This final followed a similar pattern to the All England Open. An dropped the first game without much resistance but mounted a dramatic comeback in the second.

Trailing 9-17, she surged to a 19-18 lead and took the game 21-19, stunning Wang and seizing the momentum.

In the third game, An showcased her superior stamina and flawless defense, dominating Wang more thoroughly than at any earlier point in the match.

With this victory, An regains the winning momentum she briefly lost.

Earlier this year, she won titles at the Malaysia Open, India Open, Orléans Masters, and All England Open. She also swept all five of her individual matches 2-0 at the Sudirman Cup. However, on May 30, she suffered her first international loss of the season, falling 0-2 to long-time rival Chen Yufei in the quarterfinals of the Singapore Open.

Chen withdrew in the quarterfinals of this tournament due to injury. Meanwhile, An stormed through the draw, defeating Busanan Ongbamrungphan of Thailand (No. 12) in the round of 32, fellow Korean player Kim Ga-eun (No. 25) in the round of 16, and Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand (No. 8) in the quarterfinals all in straight sets. In the semifinals, she overpowered Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi, the former world No. 1 and current No. 3, also in straight sets.

Remarkably, the first game she dropped to Wang in the final was the only game An lost in the entire tournament, which shows a clear sign that she has returned to peak form.