From the very first swing of the shuttle in January to the last title ceremony in December, 2025 will go down as a year driven by the genius of three remarkable Koreans.
At the centre of this story is An Se Young, whose dominance redefined expectations for what a singles season could look like. Flanking her are dynamic men’s doubles duo Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae, whose synergy, resilience and consistency made them a force few could withstand.
Unrivalled Court Queen
If there was a storyline that defined badminton over the past 12 months, it was An’s astonishing campaign, one that saw her rewrite the record books and capture the imagination of fans worldwide.
At the season-ending HSBC BWF World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, An sealed her 11th title, matching the all-time calendar singles record by Japanese great Kento Momota. Her win over defending champion Wang Zhiyi – a hard-fought three-game battle – proved a fitting capstone to a year of near-constant brilliance.
But the numbers only tell part of the story.
Across the 15 events she entered, An reached an incredible 12 finals, lifting trophies in all but one. With just four defeats in over 70 matches, she recorded the fewest losses in a 70-plus match season, posting a staggering 94.8 per cent win rate – a figure that surpasses legends such as Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei over comparable stretches.
An remained unbeaten until May, her first loss coming in the Singapore Open quarterfinals against Chen Yu Fei. The Tokyo Olympic gold medallist was the only rival to defeat her twice all season, the other a painful semifinal setback at the World Championships.
Ultimately, An’s sensational form brought another milestone; she became the first shuttler to surpass US$1 million in prize money in a calendar year, underlining the lucrativeness of elite level consistency.
An’s season for the ages.
Powerhouse Pairing
While An captured the singles headlines, Kim and Seo were writing their own chapter of greatness.
Reunited early in 2025, Kim and Seo quickly established themselves among the elite, demonstrating an uncanny understanding of each other’s strengths – mixing blistering offence with rock-solid defence and smart shot selection to dismantle even the most seasoned opponents.
Their persistence paid off spectacularly – by the time they reached the World Tour Finals, the duo had amassed 10 titles. In the Hangzhou final, they delivered a commanding victory over Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang to hit the magical No.11 and register the best season by a men’s pair, going past Chinese icons Li Yongbo and Tian Bingyi’s 1988 haul of 10.
Seo, in fact, finished with 12 triumphs when counting the Thailand Masters won with Jin Yong, marking a personal milestone few have matched. It is the highest number of crowns bagged by any player in an HSBC BWF World Tour season.
As 2025 draws to a close, fans and commentators will be dissecting these achievements for years to come. For such a campaign of sustained excellence is unlikely to be repeated any time soon.
Mission accomplished.
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