Badminton has a new financial benchmark, and An Se-young set it in style. The South Korean star defeated Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi in the final of the BWF World Tour Super 1000 Indonesia Open, claiming yet another marquee title while crossing a threshold no player in the sport has ever reached before.
With roughly $100,000 added to her total from this tournament, An Se-young’s career prize money now stands at $3.06 million, making her the first badminton player in history to surpass the $3 million mark.
After the win, she reflected on staying mentally locked in throughout a demanding tournament, describing her approach as focusing purely on each point rather than the scoreline. The result spoke for itself.
The Indonesia Open victory adds to an already staggering trophy cabinet. Across BWF World Tour competitions alone, she has accumulated 2 World Tour Finals titles, 9 Super 1000 crowns, 15 Super 750 titles, 6 Super 500 wins, 4 Super 300 victories and 2 Super 100 trophies. The prize money has simply followed the silverware.
At 22 years old, An Se-young is not just dominating the present. She looks increasingly like the defining figure of her generation, and the records may only keep falling from here.
