"Defeated World No. 2 → Lost 6-21 to World No. 1": Japan's rising star Miyazaki suffers another crushing defeat against An Se-young... Japanese media calls her "the strongest opponent"

*This content was translated by AI.

Although she climbed to World No. 2, 'Badminton Empress' An Se-young (Samsung Life) proved to be a wall of another dimension.

On the 6th, at the women's singles final of the 2026 BWF World Tour China Masters (Super 750) held in Shenzhen, China, 'Badminton Empress' An Se-young completely defeated Japan's Tomoka Miyazaki, ranked No. 9, with a game score of 2-0 (21-17, 21-6), claiming the title.

Even before the final, Miyazaki's momentum was significant. In the semifinals, she caused an upset by defeating China's top player and World No. 2 Wang Zhiyi with a 2-0 scoreline. Wang Zhiyi, boasting world-class ability and backed by enthusiastic home crowd support, could not overcome Miyazaki.

But against the World No. 1, it was different.

Miyazaki tenaciously kept pace with An Se-young until midway through the first game. They engaged in a close battle up to 10-11, but then lost four consecutive points and lost control of the flow. A critical error at the end compounded the situation, and An Se-young took the first game 21-17.

In the second game, the gap became even more apparent. An Se-young aggressively pushed Miyazaki from the start. Miyazaki conceded eight consecutive points, and the score once reached 1-11.

Although Miyazaki attempted a comeback by scoring three consecutive points and roaring, the gap was already too large. An Se-young managed the match without wavering and ultimately ended the contest with a 21-6 victory.

The 20-year-old Japanese rookie, who had defeated World No. 2 to reach the final, managed to score only six points in a single game against the World No. 1.

Japanese coaches also acknowledged An Se-young's formidable wall. The Japanese media outlet D&N stated, "Miyazaki fought hard across the court without giving up even when facing a large point deficit, but she could not match the strongest opponent."

The media emphasized that Miyazaki had gained momentum by defeating World No. 2 Wang Zhiyi in the semifinals and reached the final. However, she failed to secure another victory against World No. 1 An Se-young.

D&N explained that An Se-young is a 'formidable rival' whom Miyazaki had never beaten in seven previous head-to-head matches.

It further reported, "Miyazaki impressed the Chinese audience several times with her excellent shots, but she could not overcome South Korea's An Se-young, who is World No. 1 and a Paris Olympic gold medalist."

As a result, Miyazaki suffered another defeat, bringing her record against An Se-young to eight consecutive losses.

Miyazaki is the next-generation star expected by Japan. She reached the summit of the 2022 World Junior Championships as a first-year high school student and became the Japanese champion at the All-Japan Comprehensive Championships in 2024, the first time a high school student had achieved this in ten years.

She was also evaluated as the future of Japanese women's badminton by securing runner-up honors in the same tournament last year. At this China Masters, she once again demonstrated her potential by defeating World No. 2 Wang Zhiyi.

However, the gap against An Se-young remained significant.

With this victory, An Se-young achieved a three-peat at the China Masters. She maintained her top position for three consecutive years, following victories in 2024 and 2025.

Her recent momentum has been even more overwhelming. After winning the World Championships last month, An Se-young completed a 'perfect victory' at this China Masters by not surrendering a single game to any opponent. She finished all matches from the round of 32 to the final with a 2-0 scoreline.

Her dominance in this tournament was unstoppable. In the round of 32, she completely defeated Taiwan's Lin Xiangti, ranked No. 17, with a 2-0 score (21-11, 21-3). Notably, in the second game, she allowed only three points to her opponent.

In the round of 16, she turned back China's promising player Han Chenxi (World No. 33), who was backed by home crowd support, with a 2-0 score (21-14, 21-7). Although considered the future of Chinese women's badminton, the wall of World No. 1 was too high.

In the quarterfinals, she completely defeated her senior teammate and World No. 12 Kim Ga-eun (Samsung Life) with a 2-0 score (21-11, 21-10).

In the semifinals, she subdued Japan's top player Akane Yamaguchi, ranked World No. 3, with a 2-0 score (21-13, 21-15). The two players had also faced each other in the women's singles final of the World Championships held last month in New Delhi, India, where An Se-young defeated Yamaguchi 2-0 to claim the title.

The result did not change even in the final. Even Miyazaki, 'the future of Japanese badminton' who had climbed to the final by defeating World No. 2 Wang Zhiyi, could not match An Se-young.

Another Japanese media outlet, Sports Hochi, also described An Se-young as a 'high wall' that Miyazaki could hardly overcome.

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*This content was translated by AI.