"An Se-young is strong but not invincible," Yamaguchi Akane boasted, yet she was blocked again... A third consecutive title seems within reach

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

'Badminton Empress' An Se-young (Samsung Life) is just one step away from achieving a third consecutive title at the 2026 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour China Masters (Super 750).

World No. 1 An Se-young secured a decisive 2-0 (21-13, 21-15) victory over world No. 3 Yamaguchi Akane of Japan in the women's singles semi-finals held on the 5th in Shenzhen, China.

She once again silenced Yamaguchi's challenge.

Before the match, Yamaguchi expressed confidence toward An Se-young.

According to Singaporean media outlet Lianhe Zaobao, when asked "How will you break through An Se-young's defense?", Yamaguchi said, "An Se-young is certainly very strong. But she is by no means an opponent who cannot be beaten."

She continued, "I have not made any specific plans specifically for this semi-final," adding, "First, I want to do my best and try various challenges."

An Se-young also did not let her guard down. She stated, "It would not be strange if either she or Yamaguchi wins," and warned, "What matters is how well we perform in good condition. The result of the final victory can vary depending on that."

However, once the match began, An Se-young smiled again.

An Se-young took the first game 21-13 to seize the initiative. In the second game, she calmly repelled Yamaguchi's comeback attempts and won 21-15 to secure her spot in the final.

For Yamaguchi, it was another failure to overcome the high wall that is An Se-young.

The two players also faced each other in the women's singles final of the World Championships held last month in New Delhi, India. At that time, An Se-young also defeated Yamaguchi 2-0 to claim the title.

The recent head-to-head trend is even more overwhelming. Since the Denmark Open last October, An Se-young has won seven consecutive matches against Yamaguchi.

An Se-young's performance at this China Masters shows few flaws.

In the round of 32, she defeated world No. 17 Lin Xiang-ti (Taiwan) 2-0 (21-11, 21-3), and in the round of 16, she turned back Chinese prospect Han Chen-shi 2-0 (21-14, 21-7).

In the quarter-finals, she completely defeated Kim Ga-eun, also from Samsung Life, 2-0 (21-11, 21-10). With this victory over world No. 3 Yamaguchi Akane by a 2-0 score, she advanced to the final.

She won all eight games played in this tournament without dropping a single set.

Now, only one match remains for An Se-young to achieve a third consecutive title at the China Masters.

An Se-young claimed the women's singles title at the China Masters in 2024 and last year, securing back-to-back championships. If she reaches the top this year as well, she will complete a three-peat in the tournament.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original