'21-3 Overwhelming Score' An Se-young Crushes Taiwan's Lin Xiang-ti 2-0 to Reach 'China Masters Round of 16'

*This content was translated by AI.

• Round of 32 Victory in Just 33 MinutesKim Ga-eun and Shim Yu-jin Also Advance to Round of 16

'World's Strongest' An Se-young (Samsung Life) took the first step toward a third consecutive China Masters title.

World No. 1 in women's singles, An Se-young, defeated Taiwan's Lin Xiang-ti (ranked 17th) 2-0 (21-11, 21-3) in the first round (Round of 32) of the 2026 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour China Masters (Super 750), held on the 1st (Korean time) at Shenzhen Arena in China.

After achieving a 'perfect victory' at last month's World Championships in New Delhi, India, without dropping a single game until the final, An Se-young continued her excellent form in this tournament immediately after, boosting her chances of consecutive titles.

If An Se-young wins this tournament, it will mark back-to-back victories following the World Championships and a third consecutive China Masters title. Her next competition is the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya (Japan) Asian Games, where she will be able to challenge for the gold medal in top condition.

The Round of 32 match against Lin Xiang-ti was an overwhelming victory, decided in just 33 minutes.

After trailing 9-8 early in the first game, An Se-young seized control with four consecutive points and then scored seven straight points when the score reached 14-11, establishing early dominance.

Momentum on her side, An Se-young aggressively pushed Lin Xiang-ti from the start of the second game, leading 11-1. Whenever Lin attempted to shift the momentum, An responded with four consecutive points followed by six straight points, ending the match well before its conclusion.

Not only An Se-young but also Kim Ga-eun (Samsung Life), who competed in women's singles alongside her, defeated India's Unnati Hooda 2-0 (21-10, 21-18), while Shim Yu-jin (Incheon International Airport) overcame Taiwan's Song Suo-yuan 2-0 (21-9, 21-13), both advancing to the Round of 16.

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*This content was translated by AI.