'Shock loss' Ahn Se-young collapsed on her own, and the new badminton Korea in the Jeon Young Open is also 'Musan'

*This content was translated by AI.

Ahn Se-young (24, Samsung Life Insurance), the "world's strongest," bowed her head. It is the first loss after 36 consecutive wins at an international competition. Of course, it collapsed in the final that could have marked a milestone in Korean badminton history. The opponent Wang Zhi (China) was in very good condition, but Ahn Se-young's self-collapsed game was even more regrettable.

The stage was the final of the 2026 World Badminton Federation (BWF) World Tour Super 1000 Young Open at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham, England, on the 8th (Korea time). The opponent was also a strong opponent, with the world's No. 2 Wang Zhi and Ahn Se-young winning 10 consecutive games for more than a year. Adding to the momentum that has been winning 36 consecutive international competitions since October last year, Ahn Se-young's chances of winning seemed that great.

But the game didn't go well. Except for a brief 3-1 lead at the beginning of the first game, Ahn Se-young was dragged around with the lead lost to his opponent all the time. Of course, it was also Ahn Se-young's strength to show a scary background after the middle of the game, but the flow was different on this day. In the first game, the gap widened to 8-15 at one point, and Ahn Se-young finally failed to reverse the game.

At least, Ahn Se-young fought back in two games. It seemed to be raising the prelude to a full-fledged reversal by trailing 4-5 in the middle of the game and succeeding in turning it around 9-6. He also set the tone by successfully making a series of shots that changed direction exquisitely. However, Wang Zui, the opponent, was in such good condition. He kept blocking Ahn Se-young's attacks with a defense that blew his body.

In the end, Wang Zui caught the flow after the middle of the second game, which continued to turn the tables. Ahn Se-young chased hard from 16-20 to 19-20 in the last minute, but failed to stop Wang Zhi's "Championship Point" in the end. 0-2 (15-21, 19-21) complete defeat. The ending of the confrontation between Ahn Se-young and Wang Zi, which mostly ended with Ahn's roar, ended with Wang Zi's ceremony for the first time in a year and three months since December 2024.

Although it was a showdown between No. 1 and No. 2 in the world, it was a "complete defeat" by An Se-young, who was particularly strong enough to record an overwhelming 18 wins and 4 losses, including 10 consecutive wins. Above all, it was even more regrettable that Ahn Se-young's shot failed to cross the line or cross the net, rather than the scene where Wang Zhi's sharp attack was successful throughout the game. Ahn Se-young's "Miss" came out repeatedly at the time when Wang Zui raised the atmosphere to the fullest.

He also missed the opportunity to write a new chapter in Korean badminton history at the "highest authority" badminton competition, where the first competition began in 1899. Ahn Se-young won the tournament for the first time in 2023, but she was eliminated from the semifinals in 2024 and swallowed the disappointment. Ahn Se-young, who beat Wang Zhi in last year's tournament to win the second Jeon Young Open in her career, tried to win the grand prize of winning the second consecutive Jeon Young Open for the first time in Korean badminton singles history, but missed the opportunity.

Ahn Se-young, who had postponed her third attempt to win this season following the Malaysian Open and Indian Open, also had to end her streak of winning international competitions in 37 games. With Wang Zi behind the "awkward" ceremony of holding the trophy, not Ahn Se-young, Ahn Se-young also started her journey from the ground up.

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*This content was translated by AI.