World No. 1 An Se-young of South Korea needed just 39 minutes to dispatch Bulgaria’s Kaloyana Nalbantova 2-0 (21-6, 21-8) in the women’s singles round of 32 at the BWF World Tour Korea Open, booking her place in the round of 16 at Jinnam Gymnasium in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, AsportsNEWS reported.

The 24-year-old Samsung Life shuttler never let the match become a contest. She opened the first game on a 6-0 run and closed it 21-6; in the second she raced to 12-1 before finishing 21-8. Nalbantova, 20, managed only 14 points across both games.

How the 39 minutes unfolded in Yeosu

The match was effectively decided in its opening minutes. An took the first six points of game one without reply, and the pattern repeated in game two, where she built a 12-1 advantage before Nalbantova could score more than a handful of points. The final scoreline — 21-6, 21-8 — came in 39 minutes, a duration that underscored how little resistance the Bulgarian offered at the home event for the world’s top-ranked player.

Bulgarian outlet Focus reacted to the draw itself, describing it as brutal for Nalbantova, who as the lower-seeded player ran into the top seed and strongest title favorite in her very first match, according to AsportsNEWS. The outlet singled out An as a two-time world champion of overwhelming strength.

Four straight wins over Nalbantova since Paris

The round-of-32 result extended An’s head-to-head dominance over Nalbantova to 4-0 since the 2024 Paris Olympics, with not a single game dropped in any of those meetings, AsportsNEWS reported. That streak includes this match, in which the Bulgarian again failed to take a game.

A 98.5% season built on 67 wins

An has gone 67-1 in 68 matches in 2026, a 98.5% win rate, and is on a 51-match winning streak, according to AsportsNEWS. Her most recent title came at last month’s French Open, her 10th trophy of the season.

Those numbers frame what is at stake in Yeosu. A Korea Open crown would move An level with Kento Momota of Japan, who won 11 singles titles in a single season in 2019 — the benchmark for most BWF World Tour titles in one year. It would also give An a third Korea Open women’s singles title, adding to her wins in 2022 and 2023.

What the round of 16 decides next

An’s next match is the round of 16 at the Korea Open in Yeosu. A win there keeps both pursuits alive: the single-season 11-title tie with Momota and the chance at a third home-tournament crown. The tournament continues at Jinnam Gymnasium, with An back on court as the top seed and the player every remaining opponent must now measure themselves against.

Questions readers are asking

How dominant was An Se-young against Kaloyana Nalbantova? She won 2-0 (21-6, 21-8) in 39 minutes, leading 6-0 in the first game and 12-1 in the second. Nalbantova scored 14 points in total across both games.

What is An Se-young’s record this season? AsportsNEWS reported she has 67 wins and 1 loss in 68 matches in 2026 — a 98.5% win rate — and is on a 51-match winning streak at the Korea Open.

What happens if she wins the Korea Open? She would equal Kento Momota’s 2019 single-season record of 11 BWF World Tour titles and claim a third Korea Open title, following 2022 and 2023.

What is her head-to-head record with Nalbantova? An leads 4-0 since the 2024 Paris Olympics and has not dropped a game in those four meetings.