*This content was translated by AI.
'Badminton Empress' An Se-young returns to the world championship stage after overcoming injury. China, aiming to reclaim the women's singles title for the first time in 15 years, is closely monitoring her comeback.
Chinese badminton specialist media ZhongweionLINE reported on the 14th (Korea time) that "At this stage, An Se-young and Akane Yamaguchi, ranked world No. 1 and No. 2 respectively, remain China's top concerns in women's singles."
Regarding An Se-young, it added, "She has maintained the world No. 1 ranking for an extended period" and "As of this year, she has suffered only one loss (38 wins)," offering high praise.
The 2026 BWF World Badminton Championships will be held from the 17th to the 23rd in New Delhi, India. In women's singles for South Korea, An Se-young, along with Kim Ga-eun (Samsung Life) and Shim Yu-jin (Incheon International Airport), will compete.
The World Championships, organized by the Badminton World Federation (BWF), is considered one of the most prestigious tournaments in badminton alongside the Olympics. The first edition was held in Malmö, Sweden, in 1977. Since then, it has been held every two to three years, and annually since 2005, excluding Olympic years. This year marks the 30th edition in history.
For An Se-young, this is also her comeback stage after injury. She withdrew from the round of 16 at the 2026 BWF Japan Open held in Japan on the 15th last month due to an injury on the outer side of her left foot. Afterward, she did not participate in the China Open and focused solely on rehabilitation.
Skipping both the Japan Open and China Open consecutively, An Se-young will now challenge for the top spot again at this world championship.
From China's perspective, An Se-young's return as the strongest player in women's singles is inevitably a concern.
Notably, Chinese players last won the world championship title in women's singles in 2011. This tournament marks their attempt to reclaim the gold medal for the first time in 15 years. ZhongweionLINE also explained that "China has set winning the gold medal at this world championship as a key goal for its women's singles team."
China fields powerful players such as Wang Zhiyi, Chen Yufei, and Han Wei. However, they may face An Se-young on their path to the title.
In particular, Han Wei is placed in the same bracket as An Se-young and could meet her in the quarterfinals. Wang Zhiyi also has a potential matchup with An Se-young in the semifinals.
It is not just An Se-young. Japan's Akane Yamaguchi is also considered a massive hurdle for China to overcome.
ZhongweionLINE evaluated Yamaguchi, stating, "She has extensive experience in major tournaments, having already reached the world championship title three times." Yamaguchi will compete in this tournament as the defending champion.
The women's singles event at this tournament begins with the round of 64 on the 17th and 18th, followed by the round of 32 on the 19th, then proceeds through the knockout stages to the final on the 23rd.
Seeded first, An Se-young will face Bulgaria's Kaloyana Nalbantova in her opening match. The world rankings are No. 1 for An Se-young and No. 40 for Nalbantova.
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*This content was translated by AI.
