"I hoped An Se-young would be stopped in the final," but China's hopes were shattered; Wang Zhi was shocked into elimination... defeated by Japan's 20-year-old prospect.

*This content was translated by AI.

'Badminton Empress' An Se-young has only one match left to secure a third consecutive title at the China Masters. Meanwhile, Wang Zhi, China's last hope who had hoped An would be stopped, suffered a shocking defeat at home against Japan's 20-year-old prospect.

World No. 1 An Se-young advanced to the final by defeating Japan's Akane Yamaguchi (world No. 3) in the women's singles semifinals of the 2026 BWF World Tour Super750 China Masters held on the 5th in Shenzhen, China.

With this victory, An Se-young has only one final hurdle left to achieve a third consecutive title at the China Masters.

Initially, Chinese local media such as Sohu.com expected Wang Zhi and other domestic players to reach the final and stop An's three-peat in the tournament.

However, as the tournament began, China's hopes gradually faded. After Tian Weipei and Han Wei withdrew just before the event, even promising young Chinese player Han Qianxi fell to An Se-young in the round of 16.

In the end, Wang Zhi was the only Chinese women's singles player to survive until the semifinals, effectively making her China's last hope for victory.

But even Wang Zhi suffered an unexpected blow in the semifinals.

Wang Zhi lost to Japan's Tomoka Miyazaki in the women's singles semifinals held on the same day with a game score of 0-2 (19-21, 21-23).

The match content was even more painful. Wang Zhi took an early lead in the first game at 19-15 and seemed to have control. However, she suddenly faltered, allowing Miyazaki to score six consecutive points and ultimately lost 19-21 after being overtaken.

A similar scene repeated in the second game. Wang Zhi took a 15-12 lead and had a chance to reset the match, but committed frequent errors toward the end. After allowing an 18-18 tie, she lost again 21-23 after being overtaken.

Chinese local media also expressed regret over Wang Zhi's collapsed performance. Sohu.com reported, "Wang Zhi failed to deliver a strong performance at home and was eliminated 0-2 after conceding comebacks in both games."

Regarding the first game specifically, the outlet noted, "Fans thought Wang Zhi would easily take the game, but her performance suddenly stalled. Her return quality dropped consecutively, allowing Miyazaki to score six consecutive points at crucial moments."

On the second game, it added, "The same scene as in the first game occurred again. Wang Zhi, who had the upper hand, made too many mistakes at the final moment."

Tomoka Miyazaki, who defeated Wang Zhi, was born in 2006 and is currently ranked ninth in the world, representing Japan's most promising female badminton player. Among Japanese players, she holds the second-highest world ranking after Yamaguchi.

However, she had historically struggled against Wang Zhi. Before this match, the two players had faced each other four times, with Miyazaki winning only once—and that victory came when Wang Zhi withdrew due to injury during the match. Miyazaki's best results this season were reaching the semifinals at the German Open and China Open.

But this time was different. She pulled off an upset by defeating world-class powerhouse Wang Zhi on Chinese soil, advancing to the final to challenge 'Badminton Empress' An Se-young for the title.

Sohu.com reported, "Wang Zhi conceded comebacks in two consecutive games at home, lost to Miyazaki, and missed her chance to challenge An Se-young in the final."

It further added, "Miyazaki, who caused this upset, now challenges women's singles 'great king' An Se-young."

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*This content was translated by AI.