Chinese women's singles player Wang Zhi Yi needed 10 finals to end the dominance of South Korean athlete An Se-young by winning the 2026 All England Open at the Utilita Arena Birmingham, Birmingham.
Wang defeated An Se-young 21-15, 21-19 in the final match between the world number one and two.
This was Wang's first win over An in a final after nine consecutive defeats against the South Korean.
The result also improved Wang's head-to-head record to five wins and 18 losses against An.
Wang's previous four wins came in the semifinals of the 2022 Asian Championships, the second round of the 2023 China Masters, the final of the 2024 Denmark Open, and the final of the 2024 BWF World Tour Finals.
After that, Wang lost every time, including in nine individual tournament finals and one final of the 2025 Sudirman Cup.
This victory also avenged last year's All England final when Wang lost 21-13, 18-21, 18-21.
