"An Se-young is injured, yet we still couldn't beat her." Japan in shock... Humiliation of 10 consecutive losses for home ace, with comments like "She's too strong and makes no mistakes," treating her as a monster

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

As An Se-young (24, Samsung Life) achieved the feat of winning back-to-back titles at the Denmark Open despite playing through injury, reactions of shock have poured in from within Japan, where local audiences witnessed the complete defeat of their national star.

World No. 1 An Se-young defeated World No. 3 Akane Yamaguchi (Japan) 2-1 (21-23, 21-14, 21-18) in the women's singles final of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Super 750 Denmark Open held on the 18th (Korean time) in Odense, Denmark.

After losing the first game 21-23 following a tight deuce battle, An Se-young took the second game 21-14 to level the score. In the early stages of the third game, she felt pain near her right Achilles tendon and fell behind 5-11, but ultimately tied the score at 12-12 before securing a comeback victory with a display of fighting spirit despite injury, winning 21-18.

With this, An Se-young has recorded 10 consecutive wins against Yamaguchi, bringing her overall head-to-head record to 24 wins and 15 losses in 39 matches.

An Se-young, who has reigned as an "absolute powerhouse" since winning the double crown at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, achieved a "Grand Slam" by dominating the 2023 World Championships, the 2024 Paris Olympics, and the 2026 Asian Championships held last April. Following this, she made history last month by becoming the first player to win back-to-back titles in women's singles badminton at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

This victory at the Denmark Open marks a consecutive win at major tournaments this season, following the Malaysia Open, Indonesia Open, India Open, Singapore Open, China Masters, Asian Championships, World Championships, and Asian Games, and is her 10th gold medal won in events she participated in this year.

She also set a record of reaching the top for the fourth consecutive tournament, following the World Championships, China Masters, and Asian Games. An Se-young continues an astonishing winning percentage of 98.4%, with 61 wins and 1 loss in a total of 62 matches this year.

Japan's local media could not help but be shocked by An Se-young's overwhelming skill and fighting spirit despite injury. On Japanese portal sites such as "Yahoo Japan," netizens expressed regret over the defeat of their national star Yamaguchi while acknowledging An Se-young's performance.

Netizen A said, "Why is An Se-young so incredibly strong?" adding, "Just a few years ago, Yamaguchi showed quite a strong side against An Se-young, but it has completely changed," shaking their head in disbelief.

Detailed analysis of the match content also continued. Netizen B pointed out, "It was an incredible final showdown. In the first game, Yamaguchi won with aggressive play, but in the second and third games, she made too many errors that were close to self-destruction." They further praised her concentration, stating, "The most remarkable thing about An Se-young is that she rarely makes mistakes that lead to her own collapse, even when her stamina is depleted and she is exhausted."

Voices of encouragement for Yamaguchi also followed. Netizen C said, "Matches against An Se-young are truly extreme tests of stamina," adding, "Yamaguchi, who took the runner-up spot, did a great job."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original