*This content was translated by AI.
'Badminton Empress' An Se-young (Samsung Life) continued her steady march toward reclaiming the world championship title for the first time in three years.
World No. 1 An Se-young thoroughly defeated China's Han Wei (world No. 5) with a 2-0 scoreline (21-19, 21-12) in the women's singles quarterfinals of the 2026 Badminton World Championships held in New Delhi, India, on the 21st (Korean time).
This world championship marks An Se-young's return to competition. Earlier this month, she withdrew from the round of 16 at the 2026 BWF Japan Open due to an injury to the outer side of her left foot. She then skipped the China Open as well, focusing entirely on rehabilitation and recovery.
Despite a competitive gap of about one month, there have been few signs of weakness in her performance since returning. An Se-young advanced through the round of 64 and round of 32, and easily overcame Denmark's Mia Blichfeldt in the round of 16 as well.
This sets the stage for her challenge to reclaim the world championship title for the first time in three years. An Se-young won a bronze medal at the 2022 World Championships, then claimed the top spot in 2023 to establish herself 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 another bronze medal.
For China, the last time a female singles player reached the world championship title was in 2011. Through this tournament, China is attempting to reclaim the gold medal for the first time in 15 years.
However, Han Wei, one of China's top-ranked players, suffered a decisive defeat against An Se-young and was eliminated.
Sighs poured out even from within China. Special attention was drawn to An Se-young's explosive consecutive scoring in the second game.
China's Sohu.com reported, "When Han Wei tied the score at 10-10 in the second set, An Se-young immediately increased her pace and began applying pressure."
It continued, "The next scene silenced the entire stadium," adding, "An Se-young scored nine consecutive points, turning a 10-10 tie into a 19-10 lead. Han Wei didn't even have time to catch her breath."
The outlet also evaluated that the gap was not created by Han Wei's consecutive errors but rather by An Se-young's overwhelming performance.
The media explained, "These nine points were not simply won by luck," noting, "Long rallies, net play, and powerful attacks from the backcourt continuously pressured Han Wei."
Having advanced past Han Wei to reach the semifinals, An Se-young will face another Chinese player, Wang Zhiyi, in a battle for a spot in the final.
For China, this is yet another devastating piece of news. Content published on China's Sina Sports described An Se-young as "Wang Zhiyi's natural enemy."
It further stated, "The head-to-head record between the two players heavily favors An Se-young at 20 wins and 5 losses," emphasizing, "In particular, they have faced each other 13 times in finals, with An Se-young recording 12 wins and 1 loss. The gap is enormous."
<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>
*This content was translated by AI.
