Sunday, September 27, 2026

An Se-young shuts out world No. 5 in just 33 minutes... A whopping 52 wins and 1 loss this season [Nagoya AG]

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2026-09-27 15:57:59
Updated
2026-09-27 15:57:59
An Se-young celebrates after defeating Thailand's Ratchanok Intanon during the women's singles quarterfinal match between South Korea and Thailand at the 2026 Asian Games badminton tournament held at the Ichinomiya Municipal Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on the 27th. News1

[Financial News] She is truly 'untouchable.' There is no suitable opponent to be found on the court. An Se-young (Samsung Life Insurance Co., Ltd.), the 'absolute number one' of Korean badminton, shut out the world No. 5 veteran in just 33 minutes, continuing her unstoppable charge toward becoming the first player in Asian Games history to win two consecutive women's singles titles.
World No. 1 An Se-young advanced to the semifinals by easily defeating Thailand's Ratchanok Intanon (world No. 5) 2-0 (21-8, 21-9) in the women's singles quarterfinals of the 2026 Asian Games badminton tournament held at the Ichinomiya Municipal Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on the 27th.
There was no mercy. Despite enduring a grueling schedule the previous day (the 26th) by playing both the Round of 32 and Round of 16 matches on the same day, An Se-young's footwork was as light as a feather. From the start of the first set, she stunned her opponent with precise strokes targeting the corners of the court, seizing the initiative with a 21-8 lead while allowing only 8 points. In the ensuing second set, she broke through Ratchanok Intanon's tenacious defense with ruthless attacks, allowing only 9 points to cleanly finish the match 21-9. The match took a mere 33 minutes to complete.
With this victory, An Se-young has maintained an astonishing winning percentage of 52 wins and 1 loss in the 53 matches played this year. It is, quite literally, the overwhelming dominance of the strongest player who 'does not know how to lose.'
On the 27th (local time), South Korea's An Se-young is competing against Thailand's Ratchanok Intanon in the women's singles quarterfinals of the 2026 Asian Games badminton tournament held at the Ichinomiya Municipal Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Newsis

Now, all eyes turn toward new history. If An Se-young, who swept the gold medals in both the team and singles events at the 2022 Asian Games, stands on the highest step of the podium at this Nagoya tournament as well, she will achieve the unprecedented feat of becoming the first player in the history of Asian Games women's singles badminton to win two consecutive titles. She is the undisputed number one favorite to win this tournament as well.
An Se-young, who reached the semifinals without hesitation, will face the winner of the match between world No. 4 Chen Yufei (China) and No. 11 Pusarla Venkata Sindhu (India) in the semifinals for a ticket to the final.
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