'A Regrettable Withdrawal': An Se-young Finally Returns, Aiming for 'First World Championship Title in Three Years'

*This content was translated by AI.

'The world's strongest' An Se-young (24, Samsung Life), who withdrew mid-tournament last month due to foot pain and subsequently skipped the following event, is finally returning.

According to the Korea Badminton Association on the 12th, An Se-young has been entered in the women's singles event of the 2026 BWF World Individual Badminton Championships, scheduled from the 17th to the 23rd in New Delhi, India. She will compete alongside Kim Ga-eun (Samsung Life) and Shim Yu-jin (Incheon International Airport).

The World Championships, organized by the Badminton World Federation (BWF), are regarded as the sport's most prestigious tournament alongside the Olympics. The inaugural edition was held in Malmö, Sweden, in 1977. Initially staged every two to three years, the event has been held annually since 2005, except in Olympic years. This marks the 30th edition of the tournament.

This will also be An Se-young's comeback from injury. On the 15th last month, she declared her withdrawal ahead of the round of 16 at the 2026 BWF Japan Open held in Japan. The day before, she experienced persistent pain on the outer side of her left foot throughout the round of 32 match and continued to feel discomfort and pain whenever she put weight on it after the game ended, ultimately leading to her withdrawal. This specific pain had previously occurred repeatedly during An Se-young's past training sessions and matches.

Following this, An Se-young skipped the subsequent China Open entirely to focus on rest. Although the China Open is one of the BWF World Tour's 1000-series events featuring significant ranking points and prize money, she prioritized recovery over competing. Having taken a break after withdrawing from two consecutive tournaments, her foot condition has fortunately improved, allowing her to prepare for this World Championships appearance.

At the 2023 tournament held in Copenhagen, Denmark, An Se-young made history by becoming the first Korean player—male or female—to win the singles title at the World Championships. However, at the 2025 edition in Paris, France, she lost 0-2 to Chen Yufei in the semifinals, failing to defend her title. This year, she aims to reclaim the championship for the first time in three years and after two missed editions.

According to the Korea Badminton Association, An Se-young has been seeded first for this tournament. Akane Yamaguchi (Japan), Wang Zhiyi, and Chen Yufei are seeded second through fourth. The women's singles event begins with the round of 64 on the 17th and 18th, followed by the round of 32 on the 19th, leading up to the final on the 23rd. An Se-young will face Bulgaria's Kaloyana Nalbantova in her opening match. In the women's singles world rankings, An Se-young holds the top spot while Nalbantova is ranked 40th. Their head-to-head record stands at 2 wins for An Se-young out of 2 matches, with their most recent encounter during the Uber Cup in April ending in a comfortable 2-0 (21-7, 21-12) victory for An Se-young.

For this tournament, Jeon Hyeok-jin (Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Government Office) and Yoo Tae-bin (Gimcheon City Hall) will compete in men's singles. In men's doubles, the pairs of Seo Seung-jae-Kim Won-ho and Kang Min-hyuk-Gi Dong-ju (both Samsung Life)-Gi Dong-ju (Incheon International Airport) will participate. For women's doubles, the pair of Lee So-hee-Baek Ha-na (both Incheon International Airport) will compete, while in mixed doubles, Kim Jae-hyun (Yonex)-Jang Ha-jung (Incheon International Airport) will take part. The women's doubles pair of Gong Hee-yong-Kim Hye-jeong will not participate due to Gong Hee-yong's knee injury.

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*This content was translated by AI.