'Just 28 minutes': World's strongest An Se-young dominates again, defeating 'Korean national team senior' Shim Yu-jin... advances comfortably to the round of 16

*This content was translated by AI.

On a smooth run toward a fourth victory of the season, shuttlecock queen An Se-young (24, Samsung Life) and her teammate and senior Shim Yu-jin (27, Incheon International Airport) concluded the Korean derby with a perfect win.

World No. 1 in women's singles, An Se-young, defeated Shim Yu-jin 2-0 (21-12, 21-3) in the women's singles round of 32 on the first day of the 2026 BWF World Tour Singapore Open (Super 750) held at the Singapore Sports Hub in Kallang, Singapore, on the 26th (Korea time). It was an overwhelming victory, securing her spot in the round of 16 in just 28 minutes.

The two players were senior and junior teammates on the podium at last month's Asian Championships. Earlier this month, they also secured their third consecutive title together by defeating China in the Uber Cup, the most prestigious team event. In this tournament, which features individual matches, they faced a narrow-path showdown where they had to eliminate each other from the very first round.

Knowing each other extremely well, the two players engaged in an intense preliminary battle. Until the middle of the first game, Shim Yu-jin's sharp attacks were effective, pushing An Se-young back to 5-9.

However, An Se-young's inherent strength, built on her characteristic tenacious defense, soon emerged. An Se-young held Shim Yu-jin at 9 points and then unleashed a remarkable nine consecutive points to turn the tide. Eventually, with Shim Yu-jin committing consecutive errors at 19-12, An Se-young won the first game 21-12.

Having seized the initiative with a fierce comeback, An Se-young displayed even more dominant performance in the second game. Starting with five consecutive points, she took an early lead. At 6-2, she allowed not a single point and scored 14 consecutive points alone, demonstrating extraordinary power to build a 20-2 lead. Ultimately, An Se-young easily concluded the match in just 28 minutes, confirming her advancement to the round of 16.

An Se-young started the season brightly by consecutively conquering the Malaysia Open and India Open at the end of January. Although she left some regret with a runner-up finish at the All England Open in March, she claimed the title at the Asian Championships held in China in April, recording her third victory of the season. With this tournament, she is determined to aim for her fourth trophy of the season and shed the painful regret left from last year.

Meanwhile, in the women's doubles round of 32 held at the same venue, the Lee So-hee and Baek Ha-na pair also easily defeated the American duo of Francesca Corbett and Jennie Zhai 2-0 (21-8, 21-16), joining the round of 16. Lee So-hee and Baek Ha-na, who won a silver medal at this tournament in 2023, had been stuck in the quarterfinals for the past two years, but they are now aiming for their first gold medal at this tournament, washing away that regret.

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*This content was translated by AI.