"It was clearly 14-14, but the final score was 21-16." An Se-young's power acknowledged even by her opponent... "The second set was even more dominant," advancing to the World Championships quarterfinals.

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'Badminton Empress' An Se-young (Samsung Life) continued her charge toward the World Championship title. Opponents could not help but acknowledge the power of the world No. 1.

World No. 1 An Se-young defeated Mia Blichfeldt (Denmark, world No. 16) 2-0 (21-16, 21-10) in the women's singles round of 16 at the 2026 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Championships held on the 20th (Korean time) in New Delhi, India.

Until midway through the first game, the match was closely contested. Blichfeldt did not easily yield even during long rallies. She seized points in several intense exchanges to pressure An Se-young, and the score reached 14-14.

But that was as far as it went. As the match entered its decisive phase, An Se-young's concentration shone. She minimized errors from then on and quickly took control of the flow, ultimately winning the first game 21-16.

The tightly contested match suddenly opened up by a five-point margin.

Danish media also focused on An Se-young's ability in decisive moments. The overseas sports outlet Flashscore commented after the match: "Blichfeldt held her own against world No. 1 An Se-young in the first game, but it was not enough to create a major upset at the World Championships."

It continued, "Blichfeldt engaged in several long and intense rallies and pushed the world's top female badminton player for a while," acknowledging Blichfeldt's strong performance.

However, the decisive difference lay in errors and concentration. The outlet analyzed: "Blichfeldt certainly had the will and belief to win. But An Se-young made almost no mistakes." It added, "Once An Se-young began pulling away in the score, Blichfeldt appeared to lose her composure."

It further emphasized, "Such wavering is not allowed against An Se-young."

Having taken control of the flow, An Se-young delivered an even more overwhelming performance in the second game. She seized the initiative from the start and, leading 16-10, scored five consecutive points to close out the match.

Flashscore also highly praised her: "An Se-young showed a much more overwhelming performance in the second game."

This World Championships marks An Se-young's return stage. On the 15th of last month, she withdrew from the round of 16 at the 2026 BWF Japan Open in Japan due to an injury to the outer side of her left foot. She did not compete in the China Open afterward and devoted herself to rehabilitation and recovery.

Although there was a gap of about one month without competitive play, she has shown few weaknesses in her performance since returning. An Se-young advanced through the round of 64 and round of 32 at this World Championships, then defeated Blichfeldt in the round of 16 to secure a spot in the quarterfinals.

An Se-young also aims to reclaim the World Championship title for the first time in three years. She won a bronze medal at the 2022 World Championships, rose to the top in 2023, and stood as the world's strongest player. At last year's tournament, she lost to China's Chen Yufei in the semifinals and had to settle for bronze.

Flashscore also noted: "The current Olympic champion is aiming for her second career World Championship title," highlighting An Se-young's challenge for the top spot.

It further reported, "For now, An Se-young has successfully advanced to the quarterfinals."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original