*This content was translated by AI.
The wall of world No. 1 Ahn Se-young (24, Samsung Life Insurance) was high. The opponent, who was completely defeated by Ahn Se-young, was also tongue-in-cheek.
Ahn Se-young defeated Putri Kusuma Wardani of Indonesia 2-0 (21-16, 21-8) in the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Badminton Federation (BWF) World Tour Super 750 Indian Open at Indira Gandhi Sports Complex in New Delhi, India on the 16th (Korea time).
Shortly after the match, the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) released Wardani's interview on its official channel. The world's sixth-largest powerhouse honestly admitted that he was helpless in front of Ahn Se-young.
"My performance today was not at its best," Wardani told PBSI. "I committed too many mistakes on my own," he said, "At first, I played with the mindset that I had nothing to lose."
Regarding Ahn's performance, Wardani explained, "An Se-young played a really great game," adding, "The play itself was very efficient even though he didn't press me very hard." In particular, regarding the two games in which the game was decided, he said, "Ahn Se-young suddenly raised the tempo, and the change in speed made it very difficult for me."
Wardani, who was blocked by Ahn Se-young and failed to advance to the semifinals, said, "I hope we get better results at next week's Daihatsu Indonesia Masters," and vowed to "put all my abilities in front of the home crowd."
Like the opponent's confession, Ahn Se-young's performance was a wonder itself. Indonesian media also praised Ahn Se-young's performance, lamenting his player's defeat.
Local media 'CNN Indonesia' reported, "Wardani was eventually eliminated after losing to champion Ahn Se-young." Another media outlet, Tribune Wow, said, "Putri completely collapsed mentally to Ahn Se-young. "It was a tragic loss," he said. "Especially in the second game, we faced a tragic fate with a complete defeat of 8-21.
In fact, Ahn Se-young won 28 consecutive games since last year's Danish Open with her victory. In his career with Wardani, he also maintained an absolute advantage in winning all eight games.
The beginning of the game was a bit unsettling. Ahn Se-young was dragged 0-5 at the start of the first game, allowing five consecutive runs as if she was less warmed up. But he didn't panic. After piercing the blood of the first score with a sharp straight attack, he started a counterattack with a scary speed and quickly tied the score 7-7.
The match was tied at 11-11. Ahn Se-young took the lead by winning three points down with a sharp attack that caught her opponent off guard. Later, he neutralized Wardani's offensive with his unique tight defense, widening the gap and bringing one game with a witty attack in 20-15 set points.
As mentioned by the opponent, the two games in which Ahn Se-young raised the tempo were simply overwhelming. With a 5-4 lead, he fired a fierce attack and scored four points in a row to win the game. Wardani was unable to adapt to Ahn Se-young's pressure and speed changes and repeatedly knelt down due to mistakes.
Ahn Se-young, who was in the mood, pulled the reins even more. At 14-8, he showed his strength to score as many as seven points, ending the game with a difference of 21-8, double score. The total duration of the game was only 37 minutes.
Ahn Se-young's pace in this tournament is even scary. Earlier in the round of 32, he defeated Nozomi Okuhara (21-17, 21-9) in 41 minutes, and in the round of 16, he beat Taiwanese rookie Hwang Yu-sun 2-0 (21-14, 21-9) in just 31 minutes. All three games up to the quarterfinals are showing their strength to not lose a single set to the opponent.
Ahn already conquered world badminton last year. Starting with the Malaysian Open in the 2025 season, he swept three of the most prestigious Super 1000-rated competitions, including the Jeon Young Open and the Indonesian Open, and also lifted five trophies, including the Indian Open and the Japanese Open, at the Super 750 tournament, which is the same grade as this tournament. On top of that, he won the World Tour Finals, a king of kings, and built a golden tower of 11 wins in the season. This is tied with the record for the most wins in a single BWF season set by Kento Momota (Japan) in 2019.
Ahn Se-young, who started 2026 refreshingly by winning the Malaysian Open, her first tournament of the year, aims to win the title for two consecutive weeks and defend the title until this tournament.
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*This content was translated by AI.
