'31 minutes was enough': An Se-young completely shuts out the world No. 5! Just two matches away from achieving a historic back-to-back title in women's singles at the AG [Aichi Nagoya AG]

*This content was translated by AI.

Known as the 'Shuttlecock Empress,' An Se-young (24, Samsung Life) completely defeated the world No. 5 in just 31 minutes. She is now only two matches away from achieving a back-to-back title in women's singles at the Asian Games, a feat no one has ever accomplished before.

World No. 1 An Se-young shut out Thailand's Ratchanok Intanon (world No. 5) with a score of 2-0 in the quarterfinals of the women's singles badminton event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held on the 27th at the Ichinomiya Municipal Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

The match lasted only 31 minutes. Although Intanon is a veteran who claimed the world championship title in 2013 and continues to maintain top-level skills, she could not overcome An Se-young's wall. This victory secured An Se-young a spot in the semi-finals and guaranteed at least a bronze medal. In badminton, there is no separate bronze medal match; all players who reach the semi-finals receive a medal.

The quarterfinals were essentially where the real competition began. After advancing to the round of 64 by walkover, An Se-young played two matches in a single day. In the round of 32, she defeated Kazakhstan's Kamila Smagulova (world No. 426) with a score of 2-0 (21-5, 21-5) in just 20 minutes. About seven hours later, in the round of 16, she dominated Sri Lanka's Ranitma Liyanage (world No. 142) with a score of 2-0 (21-9, 21-10).

Even as the competition intensified in the quarterfinals where opponents' world rankings rose sharply, An Se-young's momentum remained unchanged. She concluded the match in just 31 minutes, conserving her energy for the upcoming semi-finals and finals.

The rivalry with Intanon continued to favor An Se-young. Since their first encounter, An has rarely lost to Intanon, maintaining a winning streak. Earlier this year at the Indian Open semi-finals, she also defeated Intanon 2-0 in just 32 minutes.

Now, attention turns to making history. At the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, An Se-young won both the women's singles and women's team events, becoming a double champion. This time, she aimed for back-to-back double titles, but after South Korea lost to Japan 1-3 in the women's team semi-finals, she had to settle for a bronze medal.

Even then, An Se-young fulfilled her role perfectly. She defeated world No. 3 Akane Yamaguchi (Japan) 2-1 in the first singles match, but subsequent players on her team lost consecutively, ending South Korea's chance at back-to-back team titles.

The remaining goal is to defend the women's singles title. Since badminton was officially added to the Asian Games program at the 1962 Jakarta Games, no player has ever won consecutive gold medals in women's singles. If An Se-young wins gold again this time, she will set a new record as the first-ever back-to-back champion in women's singles at the Asian Games.

Even expanding the scope to include men's events, back-to-back singles titles have been rare. China's Zhao Jianhua won consecutive titles at the 1986 Seoul and 1990 Beijing Games; Indonesia's Taufik Hidayat won at the 2002 Busan and 2006 Doha Games; and China's Lin Dan won at the 2010 Guangzhou and 2014 Incheon Games. If An Se-young reaches the top, she will become only the fourth player in history, male or female, to achieve back-to-back singles titles at the Asian Games.

After winning gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games, An Se-young went on to claim the 2023 World Championships and the 2024 Paris Olympics in succession. By winning the Asian Championships last April, she completed a 'grand slam,' having experienced all four major titles: World Championships, Olympics, Asian Games, and Asian Championships.

Following her return to the top at the World Championships last month and defeating China Masters just before the Asian Games, An Se-young has maintained peak form. Only two victories remain for gold. In the semi-finals, she will face the winner of the quarterfinal match between China's Tian Weipei and India's Pusarla Sindhu. Can An Se-young become the first player in history to defend her title in women's singles at the Asian Games?

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*This content was translated by AI.