*This content was translated by AI.
Japanese experts expressed awe at the overwhelming performance of 'Badminton Empress' An Se-young (Samsung Life). Akane Yamaguchi of Japan, who has claimed the world championship title three times, found herself helpless despite being in good condition, acknowledging the realistic gap between her and An Se-young.
On the 26th (Korea time), Sports Nippon reviewed the women's singles final of the 2026 BWF World Championships, describing Yamaguchi's defeat as a "complete loss that highlighted the wall of tactics."
It further explained, "What was regrettable for Yamaguchi was not missing back-to-back world titles. Even though she entered the match in a condition where she could fully exert her strength, she suffered a complete defeat."
Earlier, world No. 1 An Se-young defeated world No. 2 Akane Yamaguchi with game scores of 2-0 (21-17, 21-14) in the women's singles final of the 2026 BWF World Championships held on the 23rd in New Delhi, India, to claim the title.
With this victory, An Se-young reclaimed the world championship title after three years. After winning a bronze medal at the 2022 World Championships, An Se-young first reached the top in 2023, establishing 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 bronze, but this year she returned to the highest position once again.
She also set a new milestone in Korean badminton history. An Se-young became the first Korean player to win the women's singles title at the World Championships twice.
After conceding the championship to An Se-young, Yamaguchi said wistfully, "There were parts where I wondered if it would have been better if I had done this differently, but it felt like a complete defeat. I realized that continuing as is won't work."
Akane Yamaguchi, the star representative of Japanese badminton, is a world-class player who has recorded three wins and four runner-up finishes in 10 individual tournaments this season, including this World Championships. Her consistent performance is evident, having failed to reach the semifinals only once.
At this World Championships as well, Yamaguchi did not lose a single game in her five matches before reaching the final, winning all of them 2-0.
An Se-young was no different. She did not drop a single game before the final. Notably, she defeated world No. 5 Han Wei of China 2-0 in the quarterfinals and even overpowered world No. 3 Wang Zhiyi of China 2-0 in the semifinals.
Therefore, neither side had to expend an unusually large amount of physical energy. Both An Se-young and Yamaguchi faced each other with peak performance and optimal conditions. Yet the result was a complete victory for An Se-young.
Sports Nippon evaluated that "since Yamaguchi, who was in good condition, challenged An Se-young, it was a match that Japanese fans could enjoy with high expectations. However, An Se-young was simply stronger."
It further noted, "In the first game, Yamaguchi launched bold attacks but lost after a close battle. In the second game, she failed to seize the initiative and suffered a complete defeat."
Yamaguchi's condition or physical strength were not issues. Sports Nippon also stated, "Yamaguchi was not restricted in her movement due to poor condition, nor did she exhaust herself too much during the path to the final to the point of being unable to move. Rather, it can be said that she was able to enter the match in a reasonably good state."
The media also analyzed that Yamaguchi did not fail to perform her best due to pressure from a major tournament.
Yamaguchi won three times at the 2021 Huelva, 2022 Tokyo, and 2025 Paris World Championships. At this tournament, she aimed for the first-ever fourth individual title in women's singles history and her second back-to-back world championship titles.
Sports Nippon described it as "a match where the achievement of a second back-to-back title and the historic first four-time win was at stake, yet Yamaguchi showed no signs of feeling pressure."
It continued, "Yamaguchi did not shrink due to pressure and was able to fully exert her strength in good condition. Therefore, the fact that she suffered a complete defeat against An Se-young is even more frustrating."
Yamaguchi herself admitted, "I didn't focus too much on back-to-back titles, so honestly, I'm not that regretful about missing them. However, regarding being thoroughly defeated, I am indeed frustrated."
Yamaguchi, born in 1997, and An Se-young, born in 2002, have a five-year age gap. The media explained, "An Se-young began to stand out around the time leading up to the Tokyo Olympics. At that time, she was an expected rookie, but she made a major leap in the 2023 season, surpassing Yamaguchi to reach world No. 1. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, she defeated Yamaguchi and others to win the gold medal."
It further added, "An Se-young has continued to add victories since then. Now, there are almost no players who can beat An Se-young."
Sports Nippon also highly praised that "world No. 1 An Se-young won seven out of eight individual tournaments this season and won every match she played in team events. She has shown overwhelming strength, having lost only once in eight months."
Yamaguchi also coldly acknowledged the gap with An Se-young. After returning to Japan, he said, "I think it's better to consider that the gap is widening. An Se-young is younger than me and continues to grow. On the other hand, I don't think I am in a situation where I can significantly grow or accumulate experience points."
He further stated, "What matters now is how I should proceed. I felt that it would be difficult to find an advantage if I continue as is."
However, Yamaguchi did not back down. He announced that he would make changes to his existing methods to overcome An Se-young.
Yamaguchi emphasized, "I won't do something completely new, but unless I try various methods by gradually changing the approaches I've used so far, it seems like things will become increasingly difficult in the future."
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*This content was translated by AI.
