*This content was translated by AI.
'Badminton Queen' An Se-young (Samsung Life) marked her comeback match after about a month with a decisive victory.
World No. 1 An Se-young defeated Bulgaria's Kaloyana Nalbantova, ranked world No. 40, 2-0 (21-14, 21-13) in the women's singles round of 64 at the 2026 BWF World Championships held in New Delhi, India on the 17th (Korean time).
This tournament marks An Se-young's return stage. She withdrew from the round of 16 at the 2026 BWF Japan Open held in Japan last month due to an injury to the outer side of her left foot. Since then, she has focused on rehabilitation and recovery.
Skipping both the Japan Open and China Open consecutively, An Se-young now aims to challenge for the top spot again at this World Championships.
This was her first match since the injury, and her physical condition was not perfect. Before departing for the World Championships, An Se-young had stated that she still experienced some pain and it had not completely disappeared.
But the result was clean. The match lasted only 41 minutes.
Taiwanese media outlet Liberty Times also highlighted An Se-young's comeback victory. The outlet reported, "An Se-young competed despite an injury," adding that she won 2-0 in just 41 minutes even though she had not fully recovered yet.
The match content also revealed the strength of the world No. 1 at every critical moment.
In the first game, An Se-young took an early lead 7-2 and controlled the pace. Although she allowed a comeback to tie the score at 9-9, she immediately scored six consecutive points to pull ahead to 15-9. She ultimately won the first game 21-14.
In the second game, the score was tied 11-11 at one point, but An Se-young then raised her concentration. She widened the gap with consecutive points and maintained control of the flow to close out the match.
An Se-young aims to reclaim the World Championships title for the first time in three years at this tournament. After winning a bronze medal at the 2022 World Championships, she claimed the top spot in 2023. Last year's tournament saw her lose to China's Chen Yufei in the semifinals, settling for another bronze medal.
Her performance leading up to the injury was also overwhelming. Including this comeback match, An Se-young has recorded 39 wins and one loss in 40 matches this year. She continues to demonstrate world-class competitive form, having lost only once.
China is also viewing An Se-young as the strongest favorite for the World Championships title this year.
Earlier, Chinese media outlet Tencent, when predicting the possibility of a Chinese player winning the women's singles at the World Championships, evaluated that "to reach the top at this World Championships, one must overcome An Se-young, currently the world's strongest player."
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*This content was translated by AI.
