An Se-young roars, silencing Japanese fans, defeats 'world No. 3' Yamaguchi 2-1 to seize early momentum in team event [Ichinomiya on-site]

*This content was translated by AI.

No upset occurred. An Se-young (Samsung Life), the world's top-ranked women's singles badminton player, once again took the lead in securing early momentum for a second consecutive Asian Games women's team title.

On the 23rd, An Se-young started as the first singles player against Japan's Yamaguchi Akane at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya (Japan) Asian Games women's team badminton semi-final held at Ichinomiya Municipal Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, defeating her 2-1 (21-9, 18-21, 21-11). An Se-young is ranked world No. 1, while Yamaguchi holds the third spot.

An Se-young had also started as the first singles player in the tournament's quarterfinals against Malaysia's Leechana Karupathevan (world No. 28) the previous day, defeating her 2-0 in just 33 minutes. Starting as the first singles player on consecutive days, she decisively secured early momentum for the team event.

Although Korean fans cheering for An Se-young were present at the venue that day, there were also many Japanese home supporters hoping to see their team reach the final. Chants of "Akane, Nippon" from Japanese fans continued nonstop, and An Se-young even lost momentum after surrendering the second game. Nevertheless, she regained her focus in the decisive third game, ultimately silencing the Japanese crowd.

In the first game, An Se-young dominated her opponent. Leading 4-3 early on, she scored eight consecutive points to push Yamaguchi back. With diverse attacking patterns and persistent defense, she quickly seized control. As the score progressed to 12-3, 17-6, and 20-8, An Se-young gradually widened the gap and won the first game 21-9 in just 19 minutes.

In the early stages of the second game, Yamaguchi appeared to take control. However, An Se-young's smash when trailing 4-7 shifted the momentum. Combined with a series of straight-line attacks and opponent errors, she quickly turned the tide to lead 9-8.

An Se-young then briefly faltered after three consecutive points lost. Her diving defensive attempts failed, leaving her on the floor for a moment as she swallowed her frustration. However, when the score reached 10-13, she scored three straight points to regain balance. The match then saw Yamaguchi pulling ahead only for An Se-young to catch up, tying the score at 18-18.

The final stretch brought contrasting emotions. The intense rally, during which An Se-young bent over to catch her breath, ended with her attack ruled out of bounds, breaking the balance once again. With an additional lucky point for her opponent, the game score was ultimately tied.

Yet An Se-young remained unfazed. Although she lost the early lead in the decisive third game, she quickly regained focus and built a 10-4 advantage. Yamaguchi attempted a late comeback, but An Se-young's concentration as the world's top player proved unstoppable. She steadily widened the gap, secured match point, and let out a roar of triumph.

Badminton team matches consist of up to five games in the order: singles, doubles, singles, doubles, singles. The first team to win three games takes victory. Following An Se-young, Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee will play the second doubles match, Sim Yu-jin the third singles, Jeong Na-eun and Kim Hye-jeong the fourth doubles, and Kim Ga-ram the fifth singles. In the other semi-final, China faces Indonesia. The women's team final is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on the 24th. South Korea aims for back-to-back Asian Games titles, following their victory at the 2022 Hangzhou Games.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.