"Wang Zhiyi and Chen Weifei must defeat An Se-young at AG..." Chinese media acknowledges reality: "Must play much better than usual"

*This content was translated by AI.

China's vigilance toward 'Badminton Empress' An Se-young (Samsung Life) is growing even stronger.

On the 27th (Korean time), Chinese media outlet China Sports Daily concluded the 2026 World Badminton Championships and looked ahead to next month's Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

Among its analyses, a section examining the women's singles landscape proved particularly interesting. It identified Korea's top badminton star An Se-young as the strongest gold medal contender.

China Sports Daily stated, "An Se-young, who has won the world championship twice, is currently in her prime and maintains stable performance," adding that she is "the most formidable candidate for the women's singles gold medal at the Asian Games."

Previously, world No. 1 An Se-young defeated Japan's world No. 2 Akane Yamaguchi with a score 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, claiming the title.

This marked her return to the world championship summit after three years. An Se-young first reached the top at the 2023 World Championships after earning a bronze medal at the 2022 event. Last year's tournament saw her lose to China's Chen Weifei in the semifinals, settling for bronze, but she reclaimed the world title this year.

Her path to victory was even more overwhelming than the result suggested. From the round of 64 to the final, An Se-young played six matches without dropping a single game.

The level of her opponents was no low either. In the quarterfinals, she defeated world No. 5 Han Wei (China) 2-0, and in the semifinals, she overpowered Wang Zhiyi, China's top women's singles player and world No. 3, also 2-0. Even against Yamaguchi, representing Japan in the final, she allowed no games.

She reached the summit by defeating world-class players consecutively, winning all six matches with a perfect 2-0 scoreline.

Especially painful for China was that Wang Zhiyi personally experienced An Se-young's wall during the World Championships semifinals.

Consequently, China Sports Daily offered a sober analysis of its own women's singles representatives, Wang Zhiyi and Chen Weifei.

The media stated, "Both Chen Weifei and Wang Zhiyi of the Chinese national team have a certain gap compared to An Se-young," predicting that "to defeat An Se-young at the Asian Games, they must perform beyond their usual level."

In fact, after losing in the World Championships semifinals, Wang Zhiyi jokingly asked An Se-young, "How exactly can I ever beat you?" demonstrating her keen awareness of An's current dominance.

BWF's assessment was not significantly different. Reflecting on the World Championships, BWF stated, "Wang Zhiyi remains China's best card against An Se-young."

However, it also noted, "Currently, An Se-young has created a certain gap compared to other players," outlining the women's singles landscape. Even Wang Zhiyi, regarded as China's strongest rival, failed to win a single game against An Se-young at the World Championships.

China Sports Daily also warned about Japan's Yamaguchi, the host nation's player. The media stated, "Yamaguchi, who won the silver medal in women's singles at this World Championships, will compete on home soil in Japan. Yamaguchi is also one of China's key competitors in women's singles."

It further added, "At the World Championships, players from Thailand and India posed significant threats to China's women's singles," concluding that "therefore, China's path in women's singles at the Nagoya Asian Games will not be smooth."

What China fears is not limited to An Se-young's dominance in women's singles. It also identified Korea as the strongest competitor in women's doubles.

China Sports Daily stated, "The situation facing China's women's doubles team at the Asian Games is similar to that at the World Championships," explaining that "China's women's doubles still maintains a 'collective advantage' with multiple pairs ranked high globally and balanced overall strength."

However, it emphasized, "But the strongest rival is Korea."

Previously, at the World Championships women's doubles final, the Korean pair of Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee (both from Incheon International Airport) defeated China's Liu Sheng-shu and Tan Ning 2-0 (21-15, 21-15), securing the gold medal. This marked Korea's first women's doubles world championship title in 31 years.

At the World Championships, Korea swept both women's events: An Se-young won women's singles, while Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee claimed women's doubles. Consequently, surpassing Korea has become one of China's biggest challenges in women's badminton.

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*This content was translated by AI.