World number one shuttler An Seyoung captured her sixth title of the season with a straight-game 21-12, 21-10 rout of Wang Zhiyi at the BWF Japan Open 2025 in Tokyo on Sunday (20 July).
The badminton star from the Republic of Korea needed just 42 minutes to overpower the world’s second-ranked player Wang to capture her first Japan Open crown since 2022. Highlighting her global dominance this season, An has won six of the seven BWF World Tour singles events she has entered this season.
The 23-year-old added to her 2025 victories at the Malaysia Open, India Open, Orleans Masters, All England Open, and Indonesia Open.
An had to overcome a sluggish start, trailing Wang of the People’s Republic of China by two points (5-7) early in the opening game. But the Korean ace found her groove to level the scores before going on an eight-point rampage to take the first game. An made some early inroads in the second game, before taking a near-unassailable lead of 16-8.
In the men’s final, China’s world number three Shi Yu Qi denied Alex Lanier a second consecutive Japan Open title.
The Frenchman was a constant threat in the opening game, staying within striking distance before Shi landed the deciding blows with four points on the trot after the two were level at 17-17. The second game was evenly poised at 7-7 before Shi pulled ahead and closed out the game.
Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae overcame the spirited duo of Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin to win the men’s doubles 21-16, 21-17.
In the women’s doubles final, world number ones Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning of China swept past Malaysia’s Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan 21-15, 21-14.
Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin won the mixed doubles with a 21-19, 16-21, 21-15 win over Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran.