"I did everything I could..." Yamaguchi also bowed her head, Japanese media: "An Se-young is the world's Choi Gang (여왕)" [Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games]

*This content was translated by AI.

"I did everything I could."

The "Queen of Badminton," An Se-young (Samsung Life Insurance, world No. 1), once again defeated Japan's flagship player Akane Yamaguchi (No. 3). Japanese local media described An as the "world's Choi Gang (여왕)," highlighting her overwhelming performance.

On the 29th, at the Ichinomiya City Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, An defeated Yamaguchi 2-0 (21-17, 21-9) in the women's singles final of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games badminton tournament to claim the gold medal.

The match lasted 52 minutes. On this day, An overcame Yamaguchi's fierce resistance in the first game before delivering a virtually one-sided performance in the second game to reach the top.

In the early stages of the first game, Yamaguchi struck first. An was once trailing 6-8. However, she did not waver. She reversed the momentum in an instant with consecutive points and took a lead of 11-8.

Yamaguchi also refused to back down easily. She pursued with tenacious defense and long rallies, eventually tying the score at 16-16.

But the power of the world No. 1 emerged in the decisive moments. After regaining the lead from 16-16, An did not allow Yamaguchi to catch up. She then scored five consecutive points to take the first game 21-17.

The second game was even more dominant.

Although Yamaguchi briefly led 5-4 in the early stages, it did not last long. An then scored a remarkable eight consecutive points to pull ahead 12-5 in an instant.

Once the gap opened up, it rarely narrowed. While Yamaguchi was stuck at eight points, An pushed her score to 18. Ultimately, An took the second game 21-9 to complete a straight-set victory.

Japanese local media also focused on An's overwhelming performance.

Japan's Sports Niche reported, "Akane Yamaguchi lost to the world's Choi Gang (여왕) and secured the silver medal." Although her rival from her own country was defeated, it was an acknowledgment of An's skill level.

Yamaguchi also accepted the defeat. She reflected, saying, "In the first game, I did everything I could today," adding, "Since I gave it my all from the start, my legs stopped moving, and in the second game, the point gap kept widening."

Yamaguchi had also suffered a straight-set defeat to An in the World Championships final last August. She lost to An in this Asian Games team event as well, and although they met again in the individual final, she ultimately failed to reverse the result.

Even so, Yamaguchi found meaning in confirming her potential against An.

She stated, "Losing is losing, but it was a tournament where I felt there were aspects where I could compete even against opponents I had truly considered overwhelming after watching other matches," and added, "Compared to the recent World Championships, I was able to confirm another possibility."

The result was even more disappointing for Yamaguchi. She had defeated Wang Zhiyi (China), world No. 2, in the semifinals to advance to the women's singles final for the first time by a Japanese player in 28 years since Kanako Yonekura, the winner of the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games.

However, at the last hurdle on the path to the gold medal, An Se-young was standing firm once again.

With this victory, An created another piece of history.

An, who had topped the women's singles and women's team events at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games held in 2023, achieved the first consecutive two-time championship in the history of badminton women's singles at the Asian Games by also dominating the women's singles at this tournament. Previously, she had won a bronze medal in the women's team event at this tournament.

It is a record that even "Queen of Shuttlecock" Bang Soo-hyun, the women's singles gold medalist at the 1994 Hiroshima Games, could not achieve. An is also the first Korean badminton singles player to win two consecutive Asian Games titles in both men's and women's categories combined.

The nemesis relationship between An and Yamaguchi was further solidified. Following her victory over Yamaguchi in this tournament's team event, An defeated her again in the individual final, extending her winning streak in recent head-to-head matches to nine.

At the World Championships, at the Asian Games team event, and even in the individual final where the gold medal was on the line, the result was the same.

Yamaguchi, too, had no choice but to acknowledge the defeat, stating, "I did everything I could."

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*This content was translated by AI.