"She didn't give up even at 5-11": An Se-young's stunning 11-1 comeback... Chinese media in awe: "Her stamina is truly remarkable; Yamaguchi was dragged along and exhausted"

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

'Queen of Badminton' An Se-young (Samsung Life) successfully defended her title. Even the Chinese on-site were left speechless by An's incredible late-game resilience.

World No. 1 An Se-young defeated Akane Yamaguchi (Japan, No. 3) 2-1 (21-23, 21-14, 21-18) in the women's singles final of the 2026 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Super 750 Denmark Open, held on the 18th (Korean time) at the SJF Bank Arena in Odense, Denmark.

It is her second consecutive title at the tournament, following last year's victory.

Moreover, it was a thrilling comeback win. An first faced a crisis by losing the first game after a deuce battle.

In the second game, she was once trailing 8-11. However, she steadily chased to tie the score at 13-13, and then scored five consecutive points to pull ahead 18-13. She ultimately took the second game 21-14, leveling the match.

The final third game was even more dramatic. An ceded the momentum to Yamaguchi early on, falling behind 5-11. A six-point gap. It seemed the match was tilting heavily in Yamaguchi's favor.

But from that point on, a completely different game unfolded. An racked up consecutive points, pressing Yamaguchi fiercely. The score, which had been 5-11, somehow became 16-12. In this stretch, An scored a whopping 11 points while conceding only one. It was an instant 11-1 counterattack.

Having completely seized the momentum, An ultimately closed out the third game 21-18 to secure the championship.

Chinese media Sohu.com also focused on this scene.

The outlet reported, "In the third game, Yamaguchi readjusted her tactics and led 11-5 early on. Judging by the flow of the match, it appeared Yamaguchi was going to win."

It continued, "But world No. 1 Queen An Se-young did not give up," praising that she "counterattacked with incredible momentum, instantly collapsing Yamaguchi. Ultimately, Yamaguchi lost the match."

In particular, they highly praised An's stamina and late-game endurance. Sohu.com explained, "An Se-young's stamina was truly remarkable," adding, "It could be said that Yamaguchi was completely dragged along by An until she became exhausted."

A variable in physical condition also arose in the third game. During the match, An showed signs of discomfort near her right Achilles tendon.

Nevertheless, An remained unshaken. Overcoming both the significant 5-11 deficit and the physical condition issue, she produced an unbelievable comeback victory.

After securing the victory, An unleashed her signature 'fierce roar.' She then made a heart shape with her hand toward the stands, responding to the fans' cheers.

Sohu.com also reported, "The on-site audience sent up enthusiastic cheers in response to An Se-young's roar."

This victory is An's ninth title of the season. She added the Denmark Open crown to her wins at the Malaysia Open, Indonesia Open, India Open, Singapore Open, China Masters, Asian Championships, World Championships, and Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

Her recent form is even more formidable. Following the World Championships, China Masters, and Asian Games, she has reached the top of all four tournaments she has entered recently, including the Denmark Open.

Her dominance over Yamaguchi also continued. With this win, An recorded her 10th consecutive victory against Yamaguchi, widening the gap in their head-to-head record to 24 wins and 15 losses.

Furthermore, through this Denmark Open, An has recorded a season record of 61 wins and 1 loss. She is currently on a 45-match winning streak, with a win rate reaching an impressive 98.4%.

Last season, she left behind an overwhelming record of 73 wins and 4 losses, with a 94.81% win rate, but this year she is showing an even stronger pace.

Sohu.com evaluated, "It does not seem to be much of an issue that Korean media praise An Se-young as the badminton 'GOAT (Greatest of All Time).'"

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original