Olympic champion An Se-young crushed Wang Zhiyi in straight games while Lin Chun-yi capped a stunning injury comeback to claim his first Super 750 title at the YONEX-SUNRISE India Open 2026
New Delhi, January 18 – An Se-young made it look easy. The world No. 1 from South Korea destroyed China’s Wang Zhiyi 21-13, 21-11 in just 43 minutes on Sunday to defend her India Open title at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.
Lin Chun-yi pulled off something special. Chinese Taipei’s lefty beat Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie 21-10, 21-18 to win his first BWF Super 750 crown. Two weeks ago, he couldn’t walk. Sunday, he’s a champion.
The finals wrapped up the HSBC BWF World Tour Super 750 event in New Delhi with Asian nations sweeping all five titles on offer.
An Se-young’s Ninth Straight Final Win Over Wang
An Se-young didn’t drop a game all week. Not one. She tore through the draw, beat former world champion Ratchanok Intanon in the semifinals, then dismantled Wang in the final. The Korean’s sharp retrieving and tight net control gave Wang no breathing room. Every rally ended with an attack and a defence.
“I was focused on playing more aggressively as she is a difficult player to beat,” An said after the match. “I’m happy I could execute the plans and win another title.”
The scoreline tells only part of the story. This was An’s ninth consecutive final victory against Wang in 2025-26. Wang hasn’t won a title match against the Olympic champion since their head-to-head record started tilting heavily in An’s favor, she now leads 18-4 overall.
That’s a mental wall most players can’t climb. Wang came in ranked world No. 2, playing excellent badminton all tournament. But when she walked on court Sunday and saw An across the net, the doubt was already there. Nine finals, nine losses. The Korean has built a psychological fortress that Wang can’t breach.
The crowd didn’t help Wang’s cause either. School children packed the stands, chanting “An Se-young! An Se-young!” throughout the match. Home-court advantage doesn’t exist in badminton, except when thousands of voices back one player over the other.
An Se-young didn’t drop a game across the entire tournament and added this to her Malaysia Open Super 1000 title from two weeks ago. She’s 23 years old, world No. 1, Olympic champion, and showing zero signs of slowing down.
Lin’s Comeback From Injury to Super 750 Glory
Lin Chun-yi’s journey to Sunday’s final started with a leg injury at the Malaysia Open that left him struggling to walk. Two weeks later, he’s holding a Super 750 trophy after demolishing Jonatan Christie in 38 minutes.
The first game wasn’t close. Lin raced out 4-0, then blitzed from 10-5 to 18-5. Christie, the world No. 4 and third seed, looked lost against Lin’s angles. The Lakshya Sen match earlier in the week showed Lin was hitting form, but nobody expected this.
Game two looked different. Christie fought back, led 18-15, three points from forcing a decider. Then Lin flipped the switch. He won six straight points, 18-15 became 21-18 in less than two minutes. Christie’s confidence cracked under the pressure. One tight net shot, one crosscourt smash that painted the line, one backhand deception that left Christie frozen. Game over.
“I didn’t feel the pressure in the final,” Lin said. “I wanted to enjoy the match. My injury healed well and I did well here.”
Lin’s left-handedness gave him an edge most players don’t have. Only 10% of professional shuttlers are lefties, meaning Christie spent most of his career training against right-handed opponents. The angles from Lin’s left side, particularly his crosscourt smashes and backhand deception, force split-second adjustments opponents haven’t drilled thousands of times.
The hall conditions at Indira Gandhi Stadium also favored Lin’s game. The drift pushed shots toward his forehand side, letting him attack relentlessly without exposing his weaker backhand corner.
This was Lin’s first Super 750 title. He’s ranked world No. 12, but after this performance, that number’s headed down.
His goal? Crack the world top 10 by year’s end.
China Sweeps Both Doubles Titles
Chinese pairs won both doubles finals, beating Japanese opponents in straight matches.
Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning, the Paris 2024 Olympic silver medalists, beat Japan’s Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto 21-11, 21-19 in the women’s doubles final. The Chinese pair controlled the net and forced errors with aggressive smashes.
The men’s doubles final went longer but ended the same way. Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang, also Paris 2024 silver medalists, came back from losing the first game to beat Japan’s Hiroki Midorikawa and Kyohei Yamashita 17-21, 25-23, 21-16. That second game at 25-23 was brutal. The Chinese pair saved multiple game points before finally closing it out, then dominated the decider. Japan’s doubles curse at this year’s India Open continued; they made both finals and lost both.
Thailand Saves Four Match Points in Mixed Doubles Thriller
Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran pulled off the most dramatic win of the tournament. The Thai third seeds saved four match points in the second game before beating Denmark’s Mathias Christiansen and Alexandra Boje 19-21, 25-23, 21-18.
Down 19-20 in game two, the Thais faced elimination. Boje served for the match. Four times, Denmark got a match point. Four times, Thailand found a way to survive. At 23-23, the momentum shifted completely. The Danes tightened up, the Thais played freely, and suddenly it was 25-23 Thailand.
The third game wasn’t close. Denmark’s confidence was shattered after blowing those match points. Thailand won 21-18 to claim their first India Open mixed doubles title.
The victory came days after Denmark’s Mia Blichfeldt sparked controversy by criticizing the tournament’s playing conditions, calling them “unacceptable” and “unprofessional.” Denmark’s only finals appearance ended in a heartbreaking loss.
Asian Dominance Complete
Asian nations won all five titles Sunday. South Korea, Chinese Taipei, China, and Thailand took home trophies. Europe’s only finals appearance, Denmark in mixed doubles, ended in defeat.
The results show where badminton’s power centers remain. Asian federations invest heavily in training, infrastructure, and development programs that Western nations can’t match. China’s doubles dominance is systematic; they pair players young, keep them together through Olympic cycles, and drill synchronized patterns for years.
An Se-young’s coaching team includes Hyunil Lee, who focuses on power training, weight management, and mental conditioning. She works with a mental performance consultant. That level of support structure separates Olympic champions from everyone else.
The YONEX-SUNRISE India Open 2026 carried a USD 950,000 prize purse, making it one of the richest stops on the BWF World Tour Super 750 circuit. For Lin Chun-yi, the winner’s share represents career validation, proof that he belongs competing at this level.
Complete Finals Results
- Men’s Singles: Lin Chun-yi (Chinese Taipei) def. Jonatan Christie (Indonesia) 21-10, 21-18
- Women’s Singles: An Se-young (South Korea) def. Wang Zhiyi (China) 21-13, 21-11
- Men’s Doubles: Liang Weikeng/Wang Chang (China) def. Hiroki Midorikawa/Kyohei Yamashita (Japan) 17-21, 25-23, 21-16
- Women’s Doubles: Liu Shengshu/Tan Ning (China) def. Yuki Fukushima/Mayu Matsumoto (Japan) 21-11, 21-19
- Mixed Doubles: Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Supissara Paewsampran (Thailand) def. Mathias Christiansen/Alexandra Boje (Denmark) 19-21, 25-23, 21-18
Tournament Details:
- Venue: Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, New Delhi, India
- Dates: January 13-18, 2026
- Prize Money: USD 950,000
- Classification: HSBC BWF World Tour Super 750
- Organizer: Badminton Association of India
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