1 An Se-young can now hold her head high after placing herself alongside some of the sport’s greatest names by successfully defending the Malaysian Open title for a third consecutive time. Se-young overcame China’s Wang Zhiyi 21-15, 24-22, once again denying Zhiyi the chance to avenge her defeat to the Korean in last year’s Malaysian Open final. Cool lady: South Korea An Se-young begins the year with another title to show she's still the best.— MUHAMAD SHAHRIL ROSLI/The StarAs the Malaysian Open champion, Se-young pocketed US$101,500 (RM415,490) in prize money, while runner up Zhiyi received US$49,300 (RM201,809). Previously, Taiwanese legend Tai Tzu-ying achieved a hattrick at the Malaysian Open from 2017-2019. However, no one has managed to surpass the record set by Malaysia's Cecilia Samuel, who won the Malaysian Open an unprecedented six consecutive times from 1950 to 1955.

Source: The Star January 11, 2026 07:21 UTC