Paris, France — The long-standing rivalry between An Se Young of Korea and Chen Yufei of China produced yet another classic on Saturday night, as the world No. 1 battled through an intense 87-minute marathon to secure a place in the 2025 French Open women’s singles final.
An showed exceptional grit and court coverage to edge past Chen 23–21, 18–21, 21–16, avenging her defeat at the 2024 World Championships in Copenhagen. The victory marks An Se Young’s 10th final appearance of the 2025 season, underlining her dominance on the BWF World Tour.
Watch highlights of An Se Young vs. Chen Yufei in the 2025 French Open semi-finals:
Classic Rivalry Rekindled
This was the 28th meeting between the two powerhouses. While Chen Yufei held a slight 14–13 edge overall before this encounter, An Se Young has been the stronger performer this season, winning four of their previous six matches.
In the opening game, Chen led 17–14 before An clawed back with a brilliant 6–1 run to take it 23–21. The second game saw Chen respond with superb control, overturning an 8–11 deficit to level the match 21–18.
The decider showcased the Korean’s resilience once again — trailing 14–15, An reeled off five straight points and sealed victory with a breathtaking cross-court net flick that left Chen sprawling on the floor.
Chasing Another Historic Title
An Se Young has already captured eight major titles in 2025 — including the Malaysia Open, India Open, Orléans Masters, All England Open, Indonesia Open, Japan Open, China Masters, and Denmark Open. She will now face Wang Zhi Yi of China in Sunday’s final, where she aims to defend her French Open crown and claim her third title in Paris after victories in 2019 and 2024.
If successful, she will become the first women’s singles player since Pi Hongyan in 2005 to win three French Open titles in the 21st century.
Other Semi-Final Highlights:
Women’s Doubles
Japan’s Yuki Fukushima/Mayu Matsumoto advanced to the final after a commanding 21–13, 21–13 win over compatriots Arisa Igarashi/Chiharu Shida in 48 minutes. The seventh-seeded duo were dominant at the net and never looked threatened.
Men’s Singles
Home favorite Christo Popov delighted the Paris crowd by beating Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn 21–11, 22–20, reaching his second final of the season after the Swiss Open.
Popov will face Anders Antonsen of Denmark, who overcame China’s Li Shi Feng 15–21, 21–19, 21–13 in the other semi-final.
Men’s Doubles
The final will feature Korea’s Kim Won Ho/Seo Seung Jae taking on Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri after both pairs produced strong semi-final performances.
Mixed Doubles
Thailand’s Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Supissara Paewsampran will meet China’s Feng Yan Zhe/Huang Dong Ping in Sunday’s final showdown.
With her latest win, An Se Young is now just one match away from securing her ninth BWF title of 2025, reinforcing her reputation as the most dominant force in women’s badminton today.
