After a Record-Tying 11th Title in 2025, An Se-young's Chilling Message to Rivals: 'My Best Is Yet to Come'
South Korean badminton star An Se-young capped a historic 2025 by winning her 11th title at the BWF World Tour Finals. Explore the records she broke and why the 23-year-old phenom believes her peak is still ahead.
At just 23, South Korea's An Se-young has already cemented her status as the most dominant force in women's badminton. But after capping a historic 2025 season by winning the BWF World Tour Finals, the world No. 1 delivered a startling message: she believes she hasn't even reached her prime yet.
An made her triumphant return to Seoul on Monday, December 22, a day after a grueling victory in Hangzhou, China. In a scintillating 96-minute final, she defeated China's world No. 2, Wang Zhiyi, with a final score of 2-1 (21-13, 18-21, 21-10).
The victory was more than just another trophy. It was her **11th international title of the season**, a monumental feat that ties the record set by men's singles legend Kento Momota. Her 2025 campaign was a masterclass in consistency, winning nearly **95% of her matches** and becoming the first player in history, male or female, to earn over **US$1 million** in prize money in a single season.
Despite the mountain of accolades, An remains relentlessly focused on improvement. Speaking to reporters at Incheon International Airport, she laid out her philosophy on peak performance.
> "If I keep putting in the work, then I think I can put up even better results than what I've done this year," she stated. "The way I see it, I will only reach my prime when I play flawless matches. And I even think it may never come."
Of all the records she set, An said she was most proud of her sheer number of wins, calling them "the true reflection of my hard work." After a year of maintaining a strict diet to prevent injuries, she's looking forward to a short break. "Now that we're in the holiday season, I will let myself go a little bit," An said with a smile. "I will enjoy a short break and then get back to the grind."
**PRISM Insight:** An Se-young's 2025 season isn't just a story of athletic dominance; it's a new blueprint for mental fortitude in elite sports. Her public declaration that her 'prime' is a near-impossible standard of perfection—rather than a fixed age—challenges the conventional narrative of athlete life cycles. This mindset suggests her reign could be defined not just by victories, but by a sustained, multi-year pursuit of an ideal that may redefine the limits of the sport.
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