"The term 'robot' is an understatement": Foreign media shower An Se-young with praise... "An incomprehensible genius, like a meticulously choreographed performance"

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Praise from overseas media for the "Empress of Badminton," An Se-young (Samsung Life), has once again poured in.

Indian sports outlet Sports Star published an in-depth analysis on the 29th (Korea time) titled, "Why An Se-young is one of the greatest players in badminton history."

The outlet described An as a "champion with no visible limits," praising her by stating that "her achievements to date have further reinforced the assessment that she is one of the players representing her generation."

Sports Star highlighted An's achievement of winning her 10th title of the season, along with her third consecutive French Open victory. An has been on a remarkable 50-match winning streak since losing to Wang Zhiyi (China) in the All England Open final in March.

In particular, An claimed the top spot by defeating India's star player Puspala Sindhu in the women's singles final of the 2026 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour French Open held in Paris, France, on the 25th, with a game score of 2-1 (16-21, 21-11, 21-12).

Sports Star noted, "An found a solution every time her opponent tried to disrupt her flow," adding, "Once she began to maintain the lead, she returned to her long-tested playing style. It was a method of targeting the corners of the court, employing quick drop shots, and forcing the opponent to run across the entire court."

The outlet further emphasized, "By adding another French Open trophy to her collection, An has made her already brilliant winning career even more dazzling."

An has won all 11 head-to-head matches against Sindhu. Sports Star acknowledged An's overwhelming performance despite the one-sided disadvantage of its home country's player.

The outlet pointed out, "Indian badminton fans are accustomed to An's overwhelming performance. In particular, the head-to-head record against Sindhu is one-sided," noting that "Sindhu has won only two games in total so far."

Previously, Scotland's veteran badminton player Kirsty Gilmore had also praised An by saying she was "like a robot."

However, Sports Star gave an even higher evaluation than the term "robot." The outlet stated, "The metaphor of comparing her to a machine suggests much, but it alone cannot fully explain An's genius," emphasizing that "An's game is not composed solely of strong power or relentless attacks."

It further explained, "An understands how to utilize and control space, how to dominate the speed of rallies, and how to make the opponent exert a great deal of effort to earn every point."

An's true strength lies not only in her outstanding attacking power but also in her ability to move opponents according to her intentions.

The outlet analyzed, "An does not always attack hard just because an opportunity for a smash arises," adding, "She can push the opponent into one corner of the court and force them to move back to the same spot. Then, at the moment least expected by the opponent, she executes a cross-court drop shot or a powerful smash."

It continued, "For An, patience is as important as power. Through long rallies, she finds the opponent's weaknesses, lures them into a consistent pattern, and then suddenly changes speed or direction," praising that "the moment an attacking opportunity opens up, she finishes the point with astonishing precision."

The outlet also paid attention to An's growth process. In 2019, An defeated Li Xuerui (China), the gold medalist of the 2012 London Olympics, in the New Zealand Open final to claim her first BWF World Tour title. She subsequently grew into a world-class player and became the first Korean player to reach the top of women's singles at the 2023 World Championships.

She also won a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, solidifying her position as the world's best. This year, she achieved the first-ever back-to-back titles in women's singles history at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

Sports Star also mentioned An's head-to-head record against Chen Yufei (China). From 2019 to 2021, An recorded a 7-0 losing streak against Chen. However, she later reversed the head-to-head record to lead with 18 wins and 14 losses.

The outlet highly evaluated this turnaround, stating, "This reversal shows how much An has grown," adding that "she adapted to an opponent who once dominated her and developed into a player capable of ultimately defeating them."

In particular, Sports Star praised An by comparing her game to an artistic performance. The outlet raved, "Watching An's game is like appreciating a performance with meticulously choreographed dance," noting that "the precisely controlled offense and defense, the rallies gradually increasing in intensity, and the sudden acceleration toward the decisive moment—these processes themselves constitute the spectacle of the match."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original