The world of badminton is currently dominated by one burning question: how does anyone beat An Se-young? For the Chinese badminton system, built on a legacy of dominance, the South Korean sensation is the ultimate contemporary challenge. The most compelling answer to this puzzle, so far, comes in the form of her storied rivalry with China's Chen Yufei, a battle that stands at a perfect, tantalising deadlock.
A Rivalry Forged in Fire: 28 Matches and Counting
The duel between An Se-young and Chen Yufei, which began in 2018, has now reached an epic 28 matches. Incredibly, the head-to-head record is poised at a knife-edge 14-14. This statistic is a testament to their relentless clashes across big and small venues worldwide. While an injury to Chen Yufei prevented another chapter at the recent Malaysia Open, their saga is the defining narrative in women's singles.
This is not a rivalry where quantity has dulled quality. Despite varied scorelines—ranging from straight-set routs to three-set epics—every encounter remains high-stakes. It represents a loopy, repetitive battle between the last two Olympic champions, their contests shining as brightly as a construction supervisor's neon vest in a foggy night.
The Yin and Yang of Dominance
The stunning aspect of their parity is not just the numbers. It's the oscillating periods of dominance that have bookended their competition. Chen Yufei won the first seven matches they ever played. However, in the era of An Se-young's supremacy, where the Korean won an astonishing 73 of 77 matches in 2025, Yufei's ability to withstand the onslaught is profoundly underrated. An Se-young has won 10 of their last 14 meetings.
An Se-young's rise coincided with the twilight of the sport's golden generation—Carolina Marin, Nozomi Okuhara, Akane Yamaguchi, Tai Tzu-ying, He Bingjiao, and P.V. Sindhu. Her prime cut through their down-curves, leaving fans to wonder if a peak Marin's speed or a prime Tai Tzu-ying's deception could have contained her. This context makes China's resistance, primarily through Yufei, even more significant.
China's Systematic Pursuit of a Solution
The Chinese badminton machinery is singularly focused on maintaining its throne, and An Se-young is the current thorn in its flesh. It is no surprise that entire coaching cohorts in China are dedicated to decoding the Korean. While others have fallen consistently—Wang Zhiyi has lost 7 of her 8 finals to Se-young—the Chinese, particularly Chen Yufei, have found a semblance of an answer.
The strategy is inward-focused, not on exploiting non-existent weaknesses in Se-young's game. Speaking to the BWF, Yufei laid out the challenge: "On a scale of 10 for maximum performance, if I can play at level eight or nine I’d stand a chance. Anything less than I’d lose." She added a line of unperturbed clarity, noting that consistency, not perfection, is the key to defeating Se-young.
The Korean's strengths are formidable: she reads the game faster, possesses sublime footwork for defence, and attacks with clean, finishing lines. Deception alone doesn't disarm her. The Chinese approach, embodied by Yufei and encouraged in Wang Zhiyi, is to play a relentlessly technical style, constantly switching game plans and thinking on their feet.
This was evident in Yufei's analysis. She suggested that a sustained 9/10 level over three sets is a better bet than a spectacular 10/10 in the first two sets followed by a drained 5/10 in the third—a trap others like Sindhu have fallen into. As the 2026 season shapes up, it is clear the narrative will be China versus An Se-young, with Chen Yufei holding the cryptic, if not complete, clues to the puzzle.
