An Se-young writes another chapter in 'badminton history'! Asian Games: First women's singles double title, sweeps Japan's Yamaguchi 2-0 for 'gold medal' [On-site from Ichinomiya]

*This content was translated by AI.

There were no surprises. An Se-young (24, Samsung Life), the world's top women's singles badminton player, achieved a second consecutive title at the Asian Games. An Se-young is the first in history to win back-to-back women's singles titles since badminton was adopted as an official event at the Asian Games. It is yet another 'new history' written by An Se-young.

An Se-young (world No. 1) comprehensively defeated Japan's Akane Yamaguchi (world No. 3) 2-0 (21-17, 21-9) in the women's singles final of badminton at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya (Japan) Asian Games, held on the 29th at the Ichinomiya Municipal Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

Following her victory at the 2022 Hangzhou (China) Games held in 2023, An Se-young achieved a second consecutive women's singles title. This marks the first time in history that a player has won back-to-back women's singles titles since badminton became an official event at the 1962 Jakarta (Indonesia) Games. Including the men's division, she is only the fourth player to achieve this feat, following China's Zhao Jianhua, Indonesia's Taufik Hidayat, and China's Lin Dan.

An Se-young, who boasted a remarkable win rate of 98% with a season record of 49 wins and 1 loss prior to the tournament, demonstrated superior skill against Yamaguchi, who had the home advantage. An Se-young had previously faced Yamaguchi in the women's team event and secured a 2-1 victory; she did not allow a defeat on this occasion either. In their head-to-head record, she extended her dominant streak to nine consecutive wins.

An Se-young took control from the first game. After initially ceding the lead to Yamaguchi, An Se-young successfully turned the tide for the first time by accurately exploiting an opening after a fierce rally when the score was 8-8. She then maintained a consistent lead of 2 to 3 points, reaching scores such as 11-8 and 13-10. Amidst intense exchanges involving tenacious defense, most of the cheers throughout the match culminated in points for An Se-young.

There were moments of danger. Leading 16-14, she conceded two consecutive points, allowing Yamaguchi to tie the score. However, she did not waver. She broke the deadlock with a smash after a fierce rally. Yamaguchi dove but failed to return An Se-young's attack. Having seized the initiative, An Se-young precisely targeted her opponent's weaknesses. Ultimately, she secured victory in the first game, leaving only one step remaining to make new history.

The second game appeared to start well. She held the lead from the early stages of the match. By deftly returning her opponent's attacks aimed at openings with tenacious defense and converting them into points, she took a 4-0 lead. However, world No. 3 Yamaguchi did not collapse helplessly in front of the home fans. She scored five consecutive points to instantly reverse the situation.

The 'world's strongest' player was not one to be shaken so easily. An Se-young responded to her opponent's five consecutive points with eight of her own. She consistently returned Yamaguchi's smashes and accumulated points with attacks that caught her opponent off guard. There were no repeated mistakes. Having fully boosted her momentum with consecutive points, An Se-young extended the gap to 13-6.

She began to solidify her hold on victory. Yamaguchi's attacks were repeatedly blocked by An Se-young's superior defense. Conversely, when opportunities arose, An Se-young did not let them slip away, crushing her opponent's will to chase. As the gap widened to 17-8, Yamaguchi lowered her head, swallowing her disappointment.

Ultimately, An Se-young took the second game as well, putting a period on the final stage. In the final that determines the strongest in women's singles badminton at the Asian Games, Yamaguchi could not match An Se-young. An Se-young's name was once again engraved in badminton history and Asian Games history.

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*This content was translated by AI.