An Se Young stands on the cusp of making history as she goes for Kento Momota’s singles record of 11 titles in a season, and while the Korean is overwhelming favourite at the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2025, the record is by no means a foregone conclusion.

Prime among her challengers is Akane Yamaguchi, who was in six semifinals before winning her first title of the season – which she did at the biggest event of all, the TotalEnergies BWF World Championships 2025. Having found her winning touch, she went on to win two more titles. She is one of only two players – Chen Yu Fei being the other – who has a strong head-to-head record against An. Yamaguchi inflicted on An her only defeat in a final all season, at the Korea Open.

The third strong contender is Wang Zhi Yi, who was a model of consistency, making 10 finals, including five in a row. Wang, winner of three titles this year, does know what it takes to beat An, for she beat her in last year’s semifinal at the World Tour Finals.

While the top three are the prime contenders, the other challengers – Han Yue, Putri Kusuma Wardani, Pornpawee Chochuwong, Ratchanok Intanon and Tomoka Miyazaki – are capable of wresting the narrative.

An Se Young

Season Highlights:

Bronze: World Championships
Winner: Malaysia Open, India Open, Orleans Masters, All England, Indonesia Open, Japan Open, China Masters, Denmark Open, French Open, Australian Open
Runner-up: Korea Open

Wang Zhi Yi

Season Highlights:

Winner: Malaysia Masters, China Open, Hong Kong Open
Runner-up: Malaysia Open, All England, Singapore Open, Indonesia Open, Japan Open, Denmark Open, French Open

Han Yue

Season Highlights:

Runner-up: Badminton Asia Championships, Malaysia Masters, China Open, Hong Kong Open, China Masters
Semifinalist: All England, Singapore Open, Indonesia Open, Denmark Open, French Open

Akane Yamaguchi

Season Highlights:

Gold: World Championships
Winner: Korea Open, Arctic Open
Semifinalist: All England, Malaysia Masters, Singapore Open, Indonesia Open, Japan Open, China Open, China Masters, Denmark Open

Putri Kusuma Wardani

Season Highlights:

Bronze: World Championships
Runner-up: HYLO Open, Australian Open
Semifinalist: Thailand Masters, Swiss Open, Korea Open

Pornpawee Chochuwong

Season Highlights:

Winner: Thailand Masters
Runner-up: India Open, Thailand Open
Semifinalist: Korea Open

Ratchanok Intanon

Season Highlights:

Winner: Indonesia Masters, Kumamoto Masters
Semifinalist: Malaysia Open, Malaysia Masters, Arctic Open, Australian Open

Tomoka Miyazaki

Season Highlights:

Winner: Taipei Open
Semifinalist: India Open, Thailand Open