Tokyo, July 21, 2025 — World No. 1 An Se Young delivered a stunning performance in Sunday’s final of the Japan Open 2025, cruising past China’s Wang Zhi Yi 21-12, 21-10 to capture her sixth title of the season and 29th career title on the BWF World Tour.
Highlights of An Se Young vs. Wang Zhi Yi in 2025 Japan Open final:
The South Korean sensation, who remains undefeated in finals this season, showed no mercy, dominating her long-time rival in just 38 minutes at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. It marked her fifth straight win over Wang and avenged her last final loss — which ironically came at the hands of Wang during the 2023 Denmark Open.
After a tight opening stretch tied at 10-10, An pulled away with seven consecutive points to dismantle Wang’s rhythm in the first game. She continued her dominance in the second, unleashing a 10-1 run from 10-7 to seal the victory emphatically.
With this win, An becomes a two-time Japan Open champion (after her 2023 triumph) and inches closer to Taiwan’s Tai Tzu Ying, who holds the women’s singles record with 32 BWF titles. An now stands at 29.
“I spent a lot of time preparing mentally and physically for this match,” An told BWF. “I focused on areas I needed to improve after the Indonesia Open, and I’m proud of how far I’ve come.”
🏸 Women’s Doubles Final: Pearly Tan – M. Thinaah Fall Short Against Chinese Top Seeds
Despite a strong campaign, Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah fell just short in their bid to make history, losing 15-21, 14-21 to Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning in the women’s doubles final.
It was the fifth consecutive loss for Pearly-Thinaah against the world No. 1 pair and their ninth defeat in 12 encounters, highlighting the Chinese duo’s tactical edge and consistency.
“We couldn’t execute our strategy effectively today. They read our plays really well,” Pearly said post-match. “But we’ll take this as a learning experience and work harder.”
Thinaah added: “We need to believe in ourselves more, especially in tough moments. Today, that confidence was lacking a bit.”
Still, the Malaysian duo took pride in breaking their losing streak against Japan’s Nami Matsuyama-Chiharu Shida in the semifinals, defeating the World No. 2 pair for the first time in seven consecutive meetings.
Malaysia’s national women’s doubles coach Rosman Razak praised the duo’s progress:
“Sheng Shu and Tan Ning were the better pair today, no doubt. But Pearly and Thinaah showed positive growth throughout the week.”
With this runner-up finish, Pearly-Thinaah matched the achievement of Chin Eei Hui and Wong Pei Tty who also finished second at the Japan Open back in 2008.
They walk away with $33,250 (RM141,182) in prize money, while the champions pocketed $70,300 (RM298,500).
This marks Pearly-Thinaah’s third runner-up finish of the season, following the Indonesia Masters and Indonesia Open, along with their Thailand Open championship in May.
🏸 Mixed Doubles Final: Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin Seal Title for China
In the mixed doubles showdown, China’s Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin outlasted Thailand’s Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran in a thrilling three-game battle: 21-19, 16-21, 21-15.
The Chinese duo showed incredible composure in the deciding game, closing out the match with sharp net control and flawless rotation to add another title to their growing resume.
🏆 Japan Open 2025 – A Tournament of Dominance and Redemption
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An Se Young: 6th title of the season, undefeated in finals, closing in on Tai Tzu Ying’s legacy
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Pearly-Thinaah: Breakthrough vs. Japan’s top pair, determined to break China’s dominance next
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Jiang Zhen Bang/Wei Ya Xin: Continue China’s rich tradition in mixed doubles excellence
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