[Official] An Se-young's 'shocking withdrawal' decision: Ultimately abandons Japan Open due to recurring foot pain, decides on early return home

*This content was translated by AI.

'World's strongest' An Se-young (Samsung Life) withdrew from the quarterfinals of the BWF World Tour Japan Open badminton championship.

According to the Korea Badminton Association on the 15th, An Se-young decided to withdraw ahead of her Round of 16 match against Okuhara Nozomi (Japan) due to an injury on the outer side of her left foot at the 2026 BWF World Tour Japan Open.

Previously, An Se-young felt pain in the outer side of her left foot during her Round of 32 match and continued to monitor whether her condition improved after the game ended. However, she experienced discomfort and pain whenever she put weight on her left foot, ultimately deciding to withdraw from the tournament and return home early for a detailed examination.

Association officials explained, "The pain in that area was confirmed as a symptom that An Se-young has repeatedly experienced during past training and match processes."

After winning consecutive titles at the Singapore Open and Indonesia Open last June, An Se-young took a month to rest before returning to the court for this Japan Open. She was also scheduled to compete in the China Open next week.

However, given that she is experiencing pain severe enough to abandon the tournament midway, it appears she will take some time to rest and focus solely on rehabilitation. Especially since the pain has been recurring in the same area, there is no choice but to pay close attention to the results of her detailed examination.

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*This content was translated by AI.