'In just 33 minutes' An Se-young secures first victory at Asian Games... 女 Team event continues with consecutive 金 [Aichi Nagoya AG]

*This content was translated by AI.

It is the overwhelming class of the 'Shuttlecock Empress'. An Se-young (24, Samsung Life), in her first match at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, delivered a dominant victory and announced her continued pursuit of back-to-back double crowns across two tournaments.

On the 22nd, competing as the first singles player against Malaysia's Lee Chien-An Karupathevan (world No. 28) in the women's team badminton quarterfinals held at Ichinomiya Comprehensive Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, An Se-young defeated her opponent in just 33 minutes with a game score of 2-0 (21-12, 21-8).

With this victory, An Se-young extended her head-to-head record against Karupathevan to 4 wins from 4 matches. Following her one-sided win in the first singles match at the Asian Team Championships in Qingdao, China, last February (also won 2-0 in 36 minutes), she once again demonstrated absolute superiority. Additionally, this win brought An Se-young to 50 victories (1 loss) for the season, continuing her unreal dominance.

An Se-young's movements on the court were light. Her peak condition, having won consecutive matches without losing a set at last month's World Championships in New Delhi and early this month's BWF China Masters (Super 750), remained intact.

Although An Se-young conceded the first point due to an error right after the start of the first game, she did not waver. At 3-3, while allowing only two points, she unleashed explosive scoring power by winning ten consecutive points. She then built a double-digit lead at 14-7 and closed out the first game 21-12 without letting her opponent catch up.

In the early stages of the second game, An Se-young fell behind 0-3 due to her opponent's counterattack but quickly regained her rhythm. She cleverly induced consecutive errors from her opponent to tie the score at 3-3 and then took a 4-3 lead. After scoring five consecutive points to reach 8-4, she used persistent defense to block her opponent's smashes and force errors, leading 11-5 at the interval.

Having seized control, An Se-young finished off her opponent with delicate net shots and high clears near the net in the latter half of the match, extending her lead to 17-7, a ten-point margin. Taking advantage of her opponent's sudden collapse in defensive focus, she secured match points and comfortably ended the game 21-8.

Having easily won the first singles match in the team event played as three singles and two doubles matches, the South Korean national team aims for a 3-0 sweep. Following An Se-young, Lee So-hee and Baek Ha-na will compete in the first doubles, while Kim Ga-eun takes responsibility for the second singles. If the match continues, Kim Hye-jeong and Jung Na-eun will play in the second doubles, and Kim Ga-ram is on standby for the third singles.

An Se-young's overwhelming momentum has been a daily topic in foreign media as well. Chinese portal 'Sohu.com' described An Se-young's season performance as "terrifying results," closely focusing on her proximity to breaking Indonesian player Saina Nehwal's all-time record of 46 titles. An Se-young's only loss this season was in the final of the All England Open in March, while she lifted trophies with flawless set victories at both the New Delhi World Championships and the China Masters.

At just 24 years old, An Se-young has achieved a "Career Golden Super Grand Slam" by winning all major titles including the Olympics, World Championships, Asian Games, Asian Championships, All England Open, and World Tour Finals. She currently holds 45 international tournament victories in her career.

Three years ago at the 2022 Hangzhou Games, An Se-young overcame a knee injury to win both singles and team events, securing a double crown. At this year's tournament, she aims for an unprecedented record: back-to-back Asian Games singles titles — a feat never before achieved in South Korean badminton history — and consecutive double crowns across two Asian Games.

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*This content was translated by AI.