'Japan in shock' at An Se-young's overwhelming class, repeatedly exclaiming, "The wall of the world's strongest is too high; our country's top prospect..."

*This content was translated by AI.

Even Japan was left speechless by An Se-young (24, Samsung Life)'s overwhelming class. After suffering a decisive defeat on her first-ever final stage as a top-tier prospect, the gap in ability became painfully clear, leaving them unable to contain their surprise.

On the 6th, at the women's singles final of the 2026 BWF World Tour Super 750 China Masters held in Shenzhen, China, An Se-young defeated world No. 9 Miyazaki 2-0 (21-17, 21-6) to claim the title. Following last month's World Championships, she achieved a flawless victory without losing a single set from the round of 32 to the final. With this win, An Se-young secured her third consecutive China Masters title, tying the record for most titles at the tournament alongside China's Chen Yufei.

Japanese media reported on Miyazaki Tomoka (20), Japan's top prospect, but could not hide their awe of An Se-young's dominance. The Japanese outlet "Sports Hochi" stated, "Miyazaki suffered a 0-2 defeat against the world No. 1 in the final, settling for runner-up," adding, "Her opponent in the final was the world No. 1 who had defeated Japan's ace Yamaguchi Akane consecutively at last month's World Championships and this tournament's semifinals. It was a formidable wall she had never overcome in seven previous encounters."

The outlet further noted, "Miyazaki fought tenaciously in the early stages of the first game but fell behind by five points midway through, losing 17-21. In the second game, she conceded eight consecutive points from the start and collapsed 6-21 after a grueling match."

Another Japanese outlet, "The Answer," also reported that Miyazaki "could not overcome An Se-young of South Korea, the Paris Olympic gold medalist and world No. 1." It added, "Although Miyazaki staged a stunning upset by defeating world No. 2 Wang Zhiyi (China) 2-0 in the semifinals, she could not surpass her nemesis An Se-young, against whom she holds a winless record of seven matches."

The outlet further added, "Miyazaki elicited cheers from Chinese spectators with exquisite shots in the first game, but immediately after the second game began, she conceded eight consecutive points and lost all momentum. Despite covering the court relentlessly even amid a large score deficit, the wall of the world's strongest proved too high."

Japanese media outlet "NTV" also expressed regret, stating, "Although Miyazaki displayed confident performances by defeating the world No. 2 in the semifinals, she knelt before the world's strongest wall in the final." Despite being hailed as Japan's top hope after winning the 2022 World Junior Championships and capturing the All-Japan Championships as a high school student in 2024, Miyazaki was powerless against An Se-young's flawless offense and defense, highlighted by her Paris Olympic gold medal.

It was truly an overwhelming performance. In the first game, after trailing 9-9, An Se-young surged ahead to 15-10 and skillfully seized control of the match. In the second game, she unleashed a relentless offensive assault from the start, quickly building an 8-0 lead. She forced errors from Miyazaki, who had reached her physical limits, extending the score difference to 15-4 before securing a perfect 2-0 shutout victory with only six points conceded.

Having achieved a flawless victory without losing a single set in two consecutive tournaments, An Se-young, now asserting her status as world No. 1, will attend the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Media Day on the 8th at the Chungbuk Jincheon Athlete Village. She will then depart for Japan to challenge a historic milestone: becoming the first South Korean woman in history to win back-to-back Asian Games singles titles.

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*This content was translated by AI.