Korea Open 2026 Preview: An Se-young Headlines Yeosu Super 500
Yeosu Korea Open 2026 badminton preview: An Se-young's home bid, key withdrawals, doubles contenders and our picks for Nov. 3-8.
The BWF World Tour stays busy this month. The Yeosu Korea Open, a Super 500 event worth $500,000, runs Nov. 3-8 at Jinnam Gymnasium in Yeosu, South Korea. The first round is spread over Tuesday and Wednesday, the round of 16 is Thursday, and the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals fill Friday through Sunday.
The headline is simple: An Se-young is playing at home. The Korean federation confirmed her entry only on Oct. 31, after she said she needed rest before deciding, and that turns this week into a must-watch event.
An Se-young's historic season
Few players in any sport are having a year like this. An won the French Open in late October, beating P.V. Sindhu 16-21, 21-11, 21-12 in the final. That was her 10th title of 2026 and her fourth French Open crown. Heading into Paris she was unbeaten since March, with a 66-1 record on the year, and she now has more career singles titles than Indonesian great Susi Susanti.
The big wins are piling up. In August she beat Akane Yamaguchi 21-17, 21-14 in the World Championships final in New Delhi without dropping a game all week. A month later she beat Yamaguchi again in the Asian Games final, 21-17, 21-9, and became the first woman to win two Asian Games singles titles.
The only real question is her body. She played the Denmark and French Opens in back-to-back weeks and was hurt in the Denmark Open final. Korean reports describe that injury as an ankle sprain. Others mention right foot and Achilles discomfort, and she played the Paris final heavily taped. Korean media say a title here would add to an already record-level season. She plans to skip the Kumamoto Masters and the Hong Kong Open afterward and save herself for the World Tour Finals in December.
Women's singles: who can stop her?
The main threats are familiar names. Yamaguchi is entered, and she beat An in last year's Korea Open final. Japan's Tomoka Miyazaki and Korea's own Sim Yu-jin, the No. 4 seed, are also in the draw. Sim faces India's Malvika Bansod in her opener.
Sindhu, the runner-up in Paris and the Hylo Open champion on Sunday, has withdrawn. That removes one of the few players who has taken a game off An lately. India still sends Tanvi Sharma, Bansod and Anmol Kharb.
Men's singles: an open field
The men's draw is harder to read. Lakshya Sen also pulled out after winning the Hylo Open in Saarbrücken, where he beat Jonatan Christie 21-17, 21-10 in Sunday's final. Malaysia's Lee Zii Jia withdrew with illness after losing to Kodai Naraoka in Germany. China's Shi Yuqi has been sidelined for much of the fall with injuries.
That leaves room for someone to grab a Super 500 title. Christie is the defending Korea Open champion from 2025. India's H.S. Prannoy opens against Korea's Yoo Tae-bin. Because the full seed list wasn't confirmed at publication, we're keeping men's singles picks light.
The bigger story on the men's side is the ranking race. France's Christo Popov beat Indonesia's Moh. Zaki Ubaidillah in the French Open final and climbed to world No. 1. His countryman Alex Lanier won the World Championships and the Denmark Open earlier this fall.
Doubles notes
- Men's doubles: Malaysia's Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun come in hot after winning the French Open final over countrymen Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin. Korea's Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae won this title in 2025.
- Women's doubles: China's Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning, one of the top pairs on tour, have withdrawn. Japan's Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto just won in Paris.
- Mixed doubles: China's Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping are the defending Korea Open champions and won the French Open as well. Zhu Yijun and Li Qian are the No. 7 seeds.
Entries can change after withdrawals, so confirm each draw before betting. Our badminton and handball hub tracks the week as results come in.
Our picks
- Women's singles winner: An Se-young. She's playing at home, she's lost once all year, and she has already beaten Yamaguchi in the two biggest finals of 2026. Her price will be short, so the outright is better used in parlays or skipped in favor of game-handicap markets. The one risk is injury. If she looks limited early in the week, back off.
- An Se-young to win in straight games in the early rounds. She swept every match at the World Championships. Against lower-ranked opponents, -1.5 games is the cleaner way to back her than chasing a short moneyline.
- Yamaguchi to reach the semifinals. She's the most proven No. 2 in the field, and Sindhu's absence opens her half. She's a reasonable lean at plus money.
- Men's doubles: Man Wei Chong/Tee Kai Wun as a value contender. They just won a Super 750 and should be priced behind the home favorites. This is a small-stake outright.
- Mixed doubles: Feng Yanzhe/Huang Dongping. They are the defending champions and just won in Paris, so they're our pick to win the title if they're seeded at the top.
- Men's singles: no outright. With Sen and Lee out and the seeds unconfirmed, we'll wait for the round of 16 and play matchups from there.
Looking for player trends? Check our player pages and the daily board for match-by-match angles.
Picks are for information and entertainment only and are not guaranteed. 21+ (18+ where permitted). If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Sources: JKN - An Se-young to compete in Yeosu Korea Open · Ilgan Sports - KBA confirms An Se-young Korea Open entry · NewsX - Korea Open 2026 prize money, India squad and draws · Badminton Planet - An Se Young 10th title, Popov reaches No. 1 · Badminton Planet - Lee Zii Jia withdraws from Korea Open · Sportscape - Hylo Open 2026 singles titles
Predictions are ChalkEdge's opinion from the data available when this was written, not a guarantee. Lines and lineups change: check the current line before you play.