An Se-young won, but Korea lost! A cruel injury setback in women's badminton: Japan-Korea match ends in a comeback defeat [Aichi Nagoya AG]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Despite the valiant efforts of ace An Se-young (24, Samsung Life), the Korean women's Bae Deu-min-teon (CEO) team lost to Japan and failed to achieve back-to-back Asian Games titles.

On the 23rd, Korea suffered a comeback defeat against Japan with a match score of 1-3 in the women's badminton team semi-final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at Ichinomiya Municipal Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture. Under tournament rules that do not include a third-place playoff, Korea secured the bronze medal. The challenge to win consecutive gold medals following their victory at the 2022 Hangzhou Games was thwarted.

The absence of key players due to injuries proved painful. After doubles star Gong Hee-yong (Jeonbuk Bank) was removed from the roster due to a knee injury, singles player Kim Ga-eun (Samsung Life) also sat out due to thigh pain, preventing the team from fielding its full strength.

The start was promising. World No. 1 An Se-young (Samsung Life), competing as the first singles player, defeated Yamaguchi Akane 2-1 (21-9, 18-21, 21-11) to take an early lead. In the first game, An dominated with sharp diagonal attacks and secured a decisive 21-9 victory. The second game saw a tight contest ending at 18-18 before Yamaguchi gained the upper hand. However, in the third game, An regained her signature fast tempo, forced errors from her opponent, and closed out the match comfortably with a 21-11 win. With this victory, An extended her winning streak against Yamaguchi to eight consecutive matches.

However, Korea lost the next three matches in succession. The doubles pair of Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee (Incheon International Airport) fell to Fukushima Yuki and Matsumoto Mayu 0-2 (15-21, 19-21), leveling the match score.

Next, Shim Yu-jin (Incheon International Airport) suffered a straight-game defeat against Miyazaki Tomoka 0-2 (15-21, 14-21), pushing Korea to the brink. The hastily assembled fourth doubles team of Kim Hye-jeong (Samsung Life) and Jung Na-eun (Incheon International Airport) also collapsed against Nakanishi Kie and Uesaka Rin 0-2 (20-22, 16-21), ending their hopes of reaching the final.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original