Even China was shocked by An Se-young's runaway performance: "The score went from 10-10 to 19-10 in an instant, and the crowd fell silent"... "Han Wei couldn't even catch her breath"

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

'Badminton Empress' An Se-young (Samsung Life) continued her journey 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 victory (21-19, 21-12) in the women's singles quarterfinals of the 2026 BWF 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.

Although there was a real-match gap of about one month, no significant flaws have been found in her performance since her return. 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 continues 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 complete defeat against An Se-young and was eliminated.

Sighs poured out even in 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 get a chance to catch her breath."

The media also evaluated that this was not a result of Han Wei's consecutive errors, but rather the outcome of An Se-young's overwhelming performance.

The outlet 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 match for a spot in the final.

For China, this is yet another devastating piece of news. China's Sina Sports described An Se-young as "Wang Zhiyi's nemesis."

It further stated, "The head-to-head record between the two players heavily favors An Se-young at 20 wins and 5 losses," emphasizing, "Especially in finals, they have met 13 times, 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.View Original