23rd August 2026 – (New Delhi) World number one An Se-young of South Korea has advanced to the women’s singles final of the BWF World Championships after overcoming China’s third seed Wang Zhiyi in straight games. An survived a fiercely contested opening game, edging Wang 24-22, and went on to maintain her momentum with a composed 21-16 win in the second. Despite the defeat, Wang reflected after the contest on the intensity of the encounter, noting the extended rallies and her resolve to perform at her best even when not in her ideal form.
In the other women’s singles semifinal, Akane Yamaguchi, the defending champion and second seed from Japan, delivered a commanding performance to dispatch Thailand’s Pornpawee Chochuwong 21-12, 21-17, earning herself a place in the final for a remarkable fourth time.
On the men’s side, France’s Alex Lanier secured passage to his first World Championships final by rallying from a game down to defeat Canada’s Victor Lai in three games, 16-21, 21-13, 21-14, after a demanding 85-minute duel. Lanier will next face Japan’s Kodai Naraoka, who overcame Chou Tien-chen of Chinese Taipei 17-21, 21-11, 21-10 to book his own spot in the final.
In men’s doubles action, China’s Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang, seeded third, cruised past Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan of Chinese Taipei 21-18, 21-14 and will now meet Malaysia’s Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik for the championship. Wang commented on the demanding nature of the week’s matches, expressing relief at progressing and stressing the need to stay focused for the unpredictable final.
The women’s doubles saw defending champions Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning of China recover from an early setback to defeat the Indian team of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand Pullela, 18-21, 21-13, 21-8. In the other semifinal, Li Yijing and Luo Xumin, also of China, were ousted in straight games by South Korea’s Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee.
China’s mixed doubles pair Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping, the tournament’s top seeds, battled for 97 minutes to see off Indonesia’s Amri Syahnawi and Nita Violina Marwah in a dramatic 20-22, 21-14, 22-20 semi-final win. They are set to face France’s Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue in the final, promising an exciting contest for the trophy.