An Se-young Reaches Korea Open Quarter-Finals with Second Straight-Games Win

An Se-young has advanced to the women’s singles quarter-finals at the 2026 Korea Open, following her commanding opening victory with a 21–10, 21–12 defeat of Malaysia’s K. Letshanaa on 5 November.

The latest result, reported by Bernama in Malay Mail, keeps the South Korean world No. 1 in contention on home soil at Jinnam Stadium in Yeosu. The victory followed her first-round win over Bulgaria’s Kaloyana Nalbantova, giving her two straight-games successes before the last eight.

Strong opening performance

An began the tournament on 4 November by beating Nalbantova 21–6, 21–8. BadmintonPlanet’s report identified an eleventh title of the season as the wider target behind her campaign.

The scorelines show that she completed both of her first two matches without dropping a game. They establish a strong start, although the opening rounds alone cannot determine how the later stages will unfold.

Letshanaa’s challenge ends

Letshanaa’s second-round defeat ended Malaysia’s involvement in the women’s singles, according to Bernama’s account. The Malaysian had reached the meeting with An after winning her opening match.

For An, clearing the second round changes the immediate task from establishing her tournament rhythm to preparing for a last-eight contest. A quarter-final victory would put her one match away from the title decider.

Quarter-final opponent comes from Japan–Taiwan tie

Bernama’s second-round report identifies Japan’s Riko Gunji and Taiwan’s Tung Ciou-tong as the players contesting the other place in An’s quarter-final. The winner of that tie will stand between the home favourite and a place in the semi-finals.

Letshanaa had opened her own campaign with a 21–17, 21–18 victory over Thailand’s Tonrug Saeheng in 47 minutes, according to The Star. Meeting the top seed in round two brought a substantially different test and ended that run before the quarter-finals.

Home campaign moves into decisive stages

Competing in South Korea gives An a prominent place in the tournament’s story, but the championship still has to be earned through the remaining rounds. Her first two results provide momentum without guaranteeing another trophy.

The next confirmed milestone is the quarter-final stage. After two straight-games victories, An enters that phase with a clear record of progress and her season-long title ambitions intact.

Featured image: illustrative HPW NEWS archive image; it does not depict this specific event.