Archive · 21 Dec 2025
An Seyoung Makes History with $1M Prize
An Seyoung, a badminton player from South Korea, made history by becoming the first player to earn over $1 million in prize money in a single year.
She won the BWF World Tour Finals, which was her 11th title of the season.
She played 77 matches and won 74 of them, which is a really high win percentage of 94.80%.
In the final, she beat Wang Zhi Yi in a tough match that lasted 96 minutes.
She also had to deal with leg cramps but still managed to win.
Another big moment was when Kim Wonho and Seo Seungjae, a men's doubles team from South Korea, won 11 titles in a year, which is also a record.
In the men's singles, Christo Popov from France won, making him the first French player to win the year-ending championships.
It was a great day for South Korean badminton!
An Seyoung became the first badminton player to earn over $1 million in prize money in a single year.
She won the BWF World Tour Finals, her 11th title of the season, with a total prize money of $1,003,175.
An Seyoung has a win percentage of 94.80% this season, the highest for any player with at least 60 matches in the Superseries/World Tour era.
She equaled Kento Momota's record of most titles in a calendar year in singles competition.
Christo Popov from France won the men's title, becoming the first French player to win the year-ending championships.
- Who
- An Seyoung, a South Korean badminton player
- What
- Became the first badminton player to earn over $1 million in prize money in a single year and won the BWF World Tour Finals
- When
- Sunday (specific date not mentioned)
- Where
- Hangzhou, China
- Why
- Due to her exceptional performance throughout the year, winning 11 titles and maintaining a high win percentage
- Prize Money
- $1,003,175
- Titles Won
- 11
- Matches Played
- 77
- Win Percentage
- 94.80%
- Opponent in Final
- Wang Zhi Yi
- Event
- BWF World Tour Finals
- Location
- Hangzhou
- Date
- Sunday