'An Se-young's Faded Victory': South Korea's Badminton Team Crumbles in Bitter Comeback Loss in Semifinal Clash with Japan... Double Gold Medal Hopes in Team Event Shattered [Ichinomiya On-site]

*This content was translated by AI.

The South Korean women's Bae Deu-min-teon (CEO) team, which had aimed for a second consecutive gold medal in the women's team badminton event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya (Japan) Asian Games, failed to advance to the finals. Although An Se-young secured an early lead with her victory as the first singles player, the win was overshadowed by subsequent losses from other teammates.

On the 23rd, the South Korean badminton Yeo Ja (CEO) team suffered a 1-3 comeback loss against Japan in the women's team semifinals (quarterfinals) at Ichinomiya Municipal Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. In the team event, five matches are played in the order of singles and doubles, with the first team to win three matches declared the winner. South Korea took an early lead thanks to An Se-young's victory in the first singles match, but the pairs of Baek Ha-na-Lee So-hee (second doubles), Shim Yu-jin (third singles), and Jeong Na-eun-Kim Hye-jeong (fourth doubles) could not avoid consecutive defeats.

The Yeo Ja (CEO) team, which had jointly won the gold medal in the team event at the 2022 Hangzhou (China) Games, aimed for back-to-back gold medals in this tournament. Led by An Se-young, the world's top-ranked singles player, they were considered strong contenders for gold. However, failing to cross the semifinal threshold left them with regret. Since there is no bronze medal match in the team event, South Korea concluded the tournament with a bronze medal. The final will be contested between China and Japan.

The start was promising. An Se-young (world No. 1 in women's singles), who played as the first singles player, defeated Akane Yamaguchi (No. 3) with a score of 2-1 (21-9, 18-21, 21-11). In the first game, An Se-young demonstrated overwhelming skill by scoring eight consecutive points. Although she struggled against her opponent's speed in the second game and lost it, she regained focus in the third game and secured an early lead with ease.

However, the doubles pair of Baek Ha-na-Lee So-hee (world No. 2 in women's doubles), who played as the first doubles team, suffered a complete defeat against Yuki Fukushima-Mayu Matsumoto (No. 3) with a score of 0-2 (15-21, 19-21). Baek Ha-na-Lee So-hee fought closely to a 10-10 tie in the first game but lost focus after the mid-game and surrendered the set. In the second game, they built a lead up to 15-11 but could not overcome the comeback after trailing 17-17. Baek Ha-na-Lee So-hee endured another bitter defeat on consecutive days following their loss in the doubles match against Malaysia in the quarterfinals the previous day.

Shim Yu-jin (world No. 16), who played as the third singles player, also failed to overcome Tomoka Miyazaki (No. 7) and lost completely with a score of 0-2 (15-21, 14-21). Shim Yu-jin initially took a 10-6 lead in the first game and established good momentum but was shaken by Miyazaki's resilience, allowing a comeback and ultimately losing the first set. In the second game, she held a three-point lead during the early to mid-game but again allowed a comeback after the mid-game and could not reverse the widening gap.

With elimination looming if they lost even one more match, South Korea sent Jeong Na-eun-Kim Hye-jeong (unranked) as the fourth doubles pair to face Rina Uesaka-Ki Nishii (world No. 7 in women's doubles). Trailing 4-11 after struggling from the start, Jeong Na-eun-Kim Hye-jeong fought back with seven consecutive points to level the score, showcasing their resilience. The match then saw a tense back-and-forth exchange of leads and comebacks. However, they failed to maintain a 20-18 lead, allowing four straight points and losing the first game in vain.

With no room for error, Jeong Na-eun-Kim Hye-jeong aimed for a late turnaround in the second game. However, the well-coordinated Uesaka-Nishii pair displayed superior focus. Although Jeong Na-eun-Kim Hye-jeong took a 10-7 lead by mid-game, they could not hold it and allowed a comeback. They failed to reverse the situation again, and the gap only widened further. Ultimately, the match ended in a bitter comeback loss for South Korea. Jeong Na-eun-Kim Hye-jeong also lost completely with a score of 0-2 (20-22, 16-21).

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

*This content was translated by AI.