It's unbelievable: '39-minute early departure' An Se-young, untouchable No. 1 class... Cooks for Han Chenxi at China Masters and advances to quarterfinals, "On track for three-peat"

*This content was translated by AI.

World No. 1 women's badminton player An Se-young (24, Samsung Life) advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2026 China Masters, continuing her push for a third consecutive title.

On the 3rd, An defeated Han Chenxi (China, ranked 33rd) 2-0 (21-14, 21-7) in the women's singles round of 16 at the '2026 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour China Masters (Super 750)' held in Shenzhen, China. It was a smooth victory achieved just 39 minutes after the match began.

Earlier, on the 1st, An had easily defeated Lin Xiang-ti (Taiwan, ranked 17th) 2-0 (21-11, 21-3) in the first round, showcasing dominant performances in both matches.

Her quarterfinal opponent will be the winner of the round of 16 match between Kim Ga-eun (Samsung Life, ranked 12th) and Lene Christiansen (Denmark, ranked 13th).

Earlier this year, An swept major tournaments including the Malaysia Open and Indonesia Open, and later won the Asian Championships to achieve a Grand Slam covering the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, 2023 World Championships, and 2024 Paris Olympics. Although she briefly faltered in July due to an injury to her left foot, she proved her resilience by reclaiming the world title at the World Championships last month on the 23rd.

At this tournament, which serves as a precursor to the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games opening on the 19th, An aims for a third consecutive title. She is determined to win back-to-back gold medals at the Asian Games through this event.

Meanwhile, Sim Yu-jin (Incheon International Airport, ranked 16th) was defeated 0-2 (15-21, 16-21) by Yamaguchi Akane (Japan, ranked 3rd), ending her campaign in the round of 16.

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*This content was translated by AI.