'How strong must An Se-young be?' Even at a Chinese home venue, worries abound... Chinese media asks: "Can Chen Yufei and Wang Zhiyi aim for the title?"

*This content was translated by AI.

China's wariness toward 'Badminton Empress' An Se-young is significant. Even at a tournament held on home soil, questions were raised about the prospects of Chinese players winning. This underscores how overwhelmingly dominant An Se-young has been recently.

On the 27th (Korean time), Shenzhen News Network introduced key viewing points for the 2026 China Badminton Masters Open, scheduled to be held from September 1 to 6 at the Sports Center Gymnasium in Shenzhen, China.

Top-tier players from around the world have confirmed their participation in this tournament. Along with world No. 1 An Se-young, Japan's star player and world No. 2 Akane Yamaguchi, as well as China's Wang Zhiyi and Chen Yufei, will gather in Shenzhen.

Shenzhen News Network expressed anticipation, stating, "From clashes between world championship champions to the new and old forces within the Chinese national team, there are notable storylines for every match, from the first round through potential big matches, semi-finals, and title contention. This year's Masters Open promises something of interest in every game."

Particularly, the media focused on An Se-young's participation starting from the tournament's opening day, September 1. The outlet noted, "Defending men's singles champion Wong Hong Yang will compete, as will the mixed doubles pair Feng Yanze and Huang Dongping. Star players including world women's singles champion An Se-young and runner-up Akane Yamaguchi are also scheduled to play on this day."

On the following day, the 2nd, attention shifted to Wang Zhiyi and Chen Yufei, who represent Chinese women's badminton. Notably, Wang Zhiyi is set to face South Korea's Kim Ga-eun. Shenzhen News Network pointed out, "Wang Zhiyi will face Kim Ga-eun, who defeated her at last year's China Masters. Whether Wang Zhiyi can achieve 'revenge' is one of the key viewing points of this tournament."

However, even though the tournament is held on home soil, Chinese media could not be optimistic about their own players winning.

It is because the 'giant wall,' An Se-young, stands in their way.

Shenzhen News Network asked, "Can Chen Yufei and Wang Zhiyi both reach the semi-finals and compete with An Se-young for the title?" and identified this as a core viewing point of the tournament.

Worries are understandable from China's perspective. On the 23rd in New Delhi, India, at the 2026 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Championships women's singles final, An Se-young defeated Yamaguchi with a score of 2-0 (21-17, 21-14) to claim the top spot.

This marked her return to the world championship throne for the first time in three years. After winning a bronze medal in 2022, An Se-young claimed her first world championship title in 2023, ascending to the position of the world's strongest player. Last year's tournament saw her lose to China's Chen Yufei in the semi-finals, settling for a bronze medal, but she has returned to the top this year.

Her path to victory was even more overwhelming. From the round of 64 to the final, An Se-young played six matches without dropping a single game. In the quarterfinals, she defeated world No. 5 Han Wei (China) 2-0, and in the semifinals, she overcame world No. 3 Wang Zhiyi 2-0 as well. She did not allow even one game against Yamaguchi in the final.

She demonstrated perfect performance despite facing top-ranked players consecutively. Even at a tournament held in China, considering An Se-young's recent dominance, it is difficult for home players to be confident about winning.

BWF's assessment was similar. Reflecting on the World Championships, BWF coldly evaluated that "Wang Zhiyi remains China's best card against An Se-young, but currently, An Se-young has created a certain gap with other players."

Particularly, it emphasized that An Se-young completed all six matches of the World Championships 2-0 despite lingering pain in her left foot injured at the Japan Open. She secured an overwhelming victory against world-class players even without being in peak condition.

Ultimately, China's biggest challenge in women's singles once again becomes overcoming An Se-young.

Shenzhen News Network explained, "For badminton fans, there will be no so-called 'ordinary matches' at this year's China Badminton Masters Open. If you want to see the first appearances of star players, choose the first round. If you wish to watch seeded players competing intensively, focus on the second round."

It further added, "If you desire clashes between strong players and thrilling matches, select the quarterfinals. If you want to witness the moment a champion is born, do not miss the weekend games at all." It stressed that "every single match could lead to a new classic badminton moment."

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.