"It is not shameful to lose to An Se-young" — China acknowledges her dominance... Kim Ga-eun defeated, Yamaguchi and Wang Zhiyi remain

*This content was translated by AI.

Even in China, the overwhelming stature of 'Badminton Empress' An Se-young (Samsung Life) is recognized. An Se-young has left only two wins to achieve a three-peat at the China Masters.

World No. 1 An Se-young decisively defeated World No. 12 Kim Ga-eun (Samsung Life) 2-0 (21-11, 21-10) in the women's singles quarterfinals of the 2026 BWF World Tour China Masters (Super 750), held on the 4th in Shenzhen, China.

The match lasted only 37 minutes.

Although it was a showdown between teammates from Samsung Life, the court was cold and decisive. An Se-young allowed just 11 points in the first game and reduced her conceded points to 10 in the second, easily securing her ticket to the semifinals.

An Se-young's dominance in this tournament has been unstoppable. In the round of 32, she crushed World No. 17 Lin Xiangti (Taiwan) 2-0 (21-11, 21-3). Notably, she allowed only three points to her opponent in the second game.

In the round of 16, she turned back Chinese rising star Han Chenxi (World No. 33), backed by home crowd support, with a 2-0 (21-14, 21-7) victory. Although Han Chenxi is hailed as the future of Chinese women's badminton, the wall of World No. 1 proved too high.

At that time, Qingdao Broadcasting Station in China encouraged its young talent after Han Chenxi's complete defeat to An Se-young, stating, "It is not shameful to lose to the World No. 1," and adding, "Boldly challenging a strong opponent is itself growth."

Another Chinese media outlet, Shenzhen Special Zone Daily, praised An Se-young even more directly. The outlet reported that "in women's singles, An Se-young demonstrated 'absolute dominance' and advanced strongly to the quarterfinals."

It continued, "Korea's World No. 1 in women's singles, An Se-young, with stable performance, defeated China's representative rookie Han Chenxi in two consecutive games," and evaluated that she is "smoothly advancing toward a three-peat."

And the following day, An Se-young continued her upward momentum by defeating Kim Ga-eun 21-11, 21-10.

Now, World No. 3 Akane Yamaguchi (Japan) awaits An Se-young ahead.

Yamaguchi, the star player of Japanese women's badminton, advanced to the semifinals by defeating Thailand's Supanida Katethong (World No. 30) in the quarterfinals. An Se-young and Yamaguchi are among the biggest rivals representing women's badminton, and this time they will face each other again for a ticket to the final.

However, recent momentum clearly leans toward An Se-young.

An Se-young has faced Yamaguchi 35 times in their head-to-head record, leading with 20 wins and 15 losses. Notably, she is on a six-game winning streak against Yamaguchi from last October's Denmark Open through last month's World Championships.

In the World Championships final held in New Delhi last month, An Se-young also defeated Yamaguchi 2-0. At that time, An Se-young reached the summit with a flawless performance, conceding not a single game throughout the tournament. This time, they will meet again in Shenzhen, China.

If she surpasses Yamaguchi as well, there is a possibility of facing World No. 2 Wang Zhiyi of China in the final.

Even before the tournament began, Chinese media focused on the possibility of a final showdown between An Se-young and Wang Zhiyi. Sohu.com predicted the women's singles championship landscape under the headline, "Who will challenge An Se-young to compete for the title?"

At that time, it was expected that Wang Zhiyi, Chen Yufei, and Han Wei would all participate, but Chen Yufei and Han Wei both withdrew from the tournament ahead of the event.

With even Han Chenxi having fallen to An Se-young, only Wang Zhiyi remains as China's strongest card for the championship.

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*This content was translated by AI.