"An Se-young was too overwhelming to handle." Overwhelming victory... even Malaysian locals were in awe [Aichi Nagoya AG]

*This content was translated by AI.

"World No. 1 An Se-young was an opponent too overwhelming to handle."

'Badminton Empress' An Se-young (Samsung Life) displayed overwhelming performance from the very first match of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Even in Malaysia, there was no choice but to acknowledge the power of the world's top-ranked player.

The Korean women's Bae Deu-min-teon (CEO) team advanced to the semifinals by defeating Malaysia 3-1 in the women's team quarterfinals held on the 22nd at Ichinomiya Municipal Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

Having claimed the top spot in the women's team event at the previous Hangzhou Asian Games, South Korea safely passed the first hurdle toward a back-to-back gold medal.

Leading the Korean lineup was once again An Se-young.

World No. 1 in women's singles, An Se-young defeated world No. 28 Leachana Karupathevan 2-0 (21-12, 21-8) in the first singles match, securing the first win for Korea.

The gap in performance was clear. From the early stages of the first game, An Se-young dominated Leachana and quickly built a lead. Her opponent struggled to catch up, and An ultimately won the first game 21-12.

In the second game, she conceded three points early but remained composed. She immediately scored four consecutive points to turn the momentum around.

Thereafter, leveraging her signature solid defense and precise attacks, she widened the gap. Even after extending her lead to 13-5, she maintained steady gameplay and ultimately closed out the match 21-8.

Malaysian media outlets were also impressed by An Se-young's world No. 1-level performance.

Malaysian outlet The Star reported on the women's team quarterfinal result between Korea and Malaysia that day, stating, "Leachana stepped onto the court first, but world No. 1 An Se-young was an opponent too overwhelming to handle."

Malaysia's state news agency Bernama also referred to Korea as a 'powerhouse.' It added, "Leachana suffered a complete defeat against An Se-young," highlighting the clear difference in strength evident from the opening match.

Although An Se-young completely dominated the early stages, Korea's path to victory was not entirely smooth.

In the first doubles match, world No. 2 Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee (both from Incheon International Airport) lost 0-2 (20-22, 17-21) to world No. 5 Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah, tying the match score at 1-1.

However, Korea quickly regained its momentum. World No. 12 Kim Ga-eun (Samsung Life), competing in the second singles match, defeated world No. 38 Wong Ling Ching 2-0 (21-12, 21-18), reclaiming the lead.

The match was concluded by Kim Hye-jung (Samsung Life) and Jeong Na-eun (Incheon International Airport). Competing in the second doubles match, Kim and Jeong lost the first game to Qing Shui Ren and Lou Zi Wei but successfully mounted a comeback to win 2-1 (18-21, 21-11, 24-22).

The final game extended into deuce with a tightly contested battle. Nevertheless, Korea ultimately secured victory 24-22, confirming their advancement to the semifinals.

Malaysia fought tenaciously until the very end but ultimately could not overcome Korea's wall.

In contrast, South Korea, aiming for back-to-back team titles, will continue its challenge for the gold medal.

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*This content was translated by AI.