YEOSU, South Korea — An Se Young extended her winning streak to 54 matches at the Korea Open 2026 on Saturday, setting up another women’s singles final against defending champion Akane Yamaguchi.
The world’s top two women’s singles players reached Sunday’s title match with identical semifinal victories on November 7. South Korea’s An defeated Japan’s Hina Akechi 21-16, 21-12, while Yamaguchi overcame Chinese Taipei’s Lin Hsiang Ti by the same score at Jinnam Stadium in Yeosu.
The November 8 final at the BWF World Tour Super 500 tournament will be their 40th career meeting. An leads the rivalry 24-15 and has won their past 10 encounters, but Yamaguchi was the winner when they contested last year’s Korea Open final.
Elsewhere, Kim Yu Jung and Lee Yu Lim secured a women’s doubles final appearance for the hosts, while China guaranteed itself the mixed doubles title after Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin joined Gao Jia Xuan and Wu Meng Ying in the championship match.
An Se Young Earns Another Chance Against Yamaguchi
Top seed An booked her fourth Korea Open final appearance with a straight-games victory over fifth seed Akechi, following her previous appearances in 2022, 2023 and 2025.
Akechi finished five points behind in the opening game, but An widened the margin in the second, conceding just 12 points to complete the win. The South Korean has advanced through this year’s tournament without dropping a game.
An’s latest victory leaves her one match away from a third Korea Open title, having won in 2022 and 2023. It also gives her an opportunity to reverse the outcome of the 2025 final, when Yamaguchi defeated her in straight games in Suwon.
Since that meeting, the balance of their rivalry has shifted firmly towards An. Her 10 successive victories over Yamaguchi have turned a 14-15 career deficit into a 24-15 advantage.
Sunday presents two distinct challenges: An will try to reclaim her home title, while Yamaguchi will attempt to end that losing sequence and retain the trophy.
Yamaguchi Pursues Third Korea Open Crown
Second seed Yamaguchi kept her title defence on course by defeating sixth seed Lin 21-16, 21-12.
After winning the opener by five points, the Japanese player allowed Lin fewer points in the second game to secure her third Korea Open final appearance.
Yamaguchi won the title on both previous occasions she reached the final, in 2016 and 2025. Another victory would bring her a third crown and prevent An from reaching the same milestone.
Kim Yu Jung and Lee Yu Lim Reach Women’s Doubles Final
South Korea’s Kim Yu Jung and Lee Yu Lim defeated China’s Chen Fan Shu Tian and Luo Xu Min 21-17, 21-11 in 42 minutes to advance to the women’s doubles final.
The Korean pair followed a four-point opening-game win with a more decisive second game, securing their place without needing a decider.
They will face Japan’s sixth seeds Rui Hirokami and Sayaka Hobara, who beat eighth seeds Lauren Lam and Allison Quynh Lee of the United States 21-14, 21-18 in 50 minutes.
Lam and Lee reduced the deficit in the second game after losing the first by seven points, but Hirokami and Hobara completed the straight-games victory to set up a Japan–South Korea title match.
Gao Jia Xuan and Wu Meng Ying Win Decider to Set Up All-China Final
Gao Jia Xuan and Wu Meng Ying emerged from the only three-game contest among the four doubles semifinals covered here, defeating Chinese compatriots and seventh seeds Zhu Yi Jun and Li Qian 21-18, 14-21, 21-6 in 41 minutes.
Gao and Wu took the opening game by three points before Zhu and Li levelled the match. The deciding game was far more one-sided, with Gao and Wu conceding just six points to claim their final berth.
They will meet top seeds Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin, who defeated Japan’s fifth seeds Akira Koga and Natsu Saito 21-15, 21-13 in 37 minutes.
Jiang and Wei won both games by clear margins, ensuring that Sunday’s Korea Open mixed doubles final will be contested entirely by Chinese pairs.
Complete Tournament Results
The following Korea Open 2026 semifinal results include every completed match visible in the supplied screenshot, plus both women’s singles semifinals described in the accompanying text. All six matches were played on November 7, 2026.
Women’s Singles — Semifinals
An Se Young (South Korea) defeated Hina Akechi (Japan), 21-16, 21-12.
Akane Yamaguchi (Japan) defeated Lin Hsiang Ti (Chinese Taipei), 21-16, 21-12.
Women’s Doubles — Semifinals
Kim Yu Jung / Lee Yu Lim (South Korea) defeated Chen Fan Shu Tian / Luo Xu Min (China), 21-17, 21-11.
Rui Hirokami / Sayaka Hobara (Japan) defeated Lauren Lam / Allison Quynh Lee (United States), 21-14, 21-18.
Mixed Doubles — Semifinals
Jiang Zhen Bang / Wei Ya Xin (China) defeated Akira Koga / Natsu Saito (Japan), 21-15, 21-13.
Gao Jia Xuan / Wu Meng Ying (China) defeated Zhu Yi Jun / Li Qian (China), 21-18, 14-21, 21-6.
