"Why does it have to be An Se-young right from the first match?" Europe takes note of the toughest possible draw... "The most difficult opening round"

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Europe has taken notice of the overwhelming presence of "Badminton Queen" An Se-young (Samsung Life). In particular, it highlighted the grueling draw facing a Bulgarian player who must face An in her very first match.

World No. 1 An Se-young will compete at the 2026 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Korea Open (Super 500), held from the 3rd to 8 at the Yeosu Jinnam Gymnasium in South Gwangju Metropolitan City, South Jeolla Province.

An is scheduled to play her first match in the women's singles round of 32 against Kaloyana Nalbantova (Bulgaria) at approximately 2:35 p.m. on the 4th.

An has been assigned the top seed for this tournament. As she aims for her 11th title of the season on home soil, European media have also focused on the daunting draw facing her opponent.

The European Badminton Federation highlighted the matchup between An and Nalbantova through its official website, alongside news of European players' participation in the Korea Open.

The European federation assessed that "it is no exaggeration to say that Bulgaria's Nalbantova has been dealt the most difficult first match possible."

It explained that this is because she will face An Se-young, a popular player from host country South Korea and the tournament's top seed.

An is such an intimidating presence for her opponents. Living up to her world No. 1 ranking, she has demonstrated dominant performance throughout this season.

This year, An has recorded an impressive 66 wins and 1 loss in 67 matches, boasting a winning percentage of 98.5%. Since losing to Wang Zhiyi (China) in the All England Open final in March, she has been on a 50-match winning streak.

Her championship record is also remarkable. An claimed the top spot in the women's singles final of last month's French Open (Super 750) on the 25th by defeating Pusarla V. Sindhu (India) 2-1.

It was her third consecutive title at the French Open and her 10th victory of the season. Simultaneously, she achieved five consecutive tournament wins and her 48th career international championship.

If An wins this Korea Open, she will achieve 11 titles in a single season for the second consecutive year. She would once again match the record for most titles in a single season in men's singles, set by Japan's Kento Momota in 2019.

It is no easy challenge for Nalbantova, ranked world No. 36. She also holds a disadvantageous head-to-head record against An, having lost all three previous encounters. This time as well, she must face An, the world No. 1 on a 50-match winning streak, right from her first match.

The European federation predicted fierce competition, stating that "several of the world's top players are participating in this Korea Open."

In particular, it introduced that An Se-young of host country South Korea has been assigned the No. 1 seed in women's singles and will lead the tournament. It also reported that Japan's Akane Yamaguchi, An's long-time rival, received the No. 2 seed.

An previously reached the top of the Korea Open in 2022 and 2023. This time, she challenges two goals: her third career title and her 11th victory of the season.

Although there were concerns about her physical condition due to a recent heavy schedule, An has decided to appear before domestic fans. Instead, she will not participate in the Kumamoto Masters, which opens in Japan on the 10th.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.View Original