Just 20 minutes was enough! 'Queen' An Se-young kicked off her AG back-to-back title bid with a perfect shutout victory [Aichi Nagoya AG]

*This content was translated by AI.

The aura of the world No. 1 was truly on another level. Just 20 minutes after stepping onto the court to warm up and swinging her racket, the match ended. An Se-young (24, Samsung Life), known as the 'Queen of Shuttlecocks' who is challenging for the first-ever back-to-back Asian Games women's singles title in Korean badminton history, took a refreshing first step toward the gold medal race with overwhelming destructive power.

On the 26th, An Se-young easily secured her spot in the round of 16 at the 2026 Aichi·Nagoya Asian Games women's singles 32nd round match held at the Ichinomiya Comprehensive Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, by defeating Kazakhstan's Kamila Smagulova with a set score of 2-0 (21-5, 21-5).

The match content was so perfect that even the term 'one-sided' fell short. From the opening exchanges, An Se-young's experienced court dominance shone brightly. Sharp diagonal drop shots, precise clears that exploited every gap, and smashes that caught her opponent off guard kept coming nonstop. Smagulova could not keep up with An Se-young's iron defense and fast tempo, repeatedly committing errors. An Se-young displayed an overwhelming performance, even scoring 11 consecutive points at one point.

An Se-young won the first set by conceding only five points and dominated the second set with the same score of 21-5 without losing focus, closing out the match. In a tournament schedule where physical exhaustion is inevitable, finishing the match in just 20 minutes was an ideal result that conserved her energy.

With this victory, An Se-young powerfully kicked off her bid for back-to-back titles at the tournament. Already having won consecutive world championships and the China Masters earlier this year to establish a dominant position with no rivals, An Se-young continues to maintain peak form at these Asian Games.

In the previously held team event, Korea narrowly lost to Japan in the semi-finals, falling short of back-to-back team titles, but An Se-young's individual performance was unparalleled. She recorded wins in every match she played and even defeated her arch-rival and world No. 3 Akane Yamaguchi (Japan) 2-1 in the semi-finals, firmly upholding Korean badminton's pride.

After completing the team event schedule, An Se-young adjusted her condition with a sweet break and proved she was on another level as soon as the singles began, declaring that all preparations were complete.

Demonstrating the dignity of the 'defending champion' without reservation and signaling a smooth start, An Se-young will face Sri Lanka's Ranithma Liyanage this afternoon to continue her battle for a spot in the quarterfinals.

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*This content was translated by AI.