"She's Not Human": 21-9 in Game 2 of the Final? An Se-young Made It Look Like a Neighborhood Badminton Court—the 'Greatest Masterpiece' Among 39 Golds [Nagoya Asian Games]

[Financial News] If one had to pick the most overwhelming and brutal contest among the 39 gold medals won by South Korea at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, this would undoubtedly be it. The difference in skill was so stark that the competitors on the other side of the court looked almost pitiful. An Se-young (Samsung Life Insurance), the "shuttlecock queen," put on a perfect one-woman show in the heart of Japan and achieved the historic feat of winning the Asian Games women's singles title twice in a row for the first time.
World No. 1 An Se-young overwhelmed world No. 3 Akane Yamaguchi of Japan 2-0 (21-17, 21-9) in the women's singles final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, held on the 29th at Ichinomiya Municipal Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. With this victory, An Se-young, the women's singles gold medalist at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, became a living legend—the first player in Asian Games badminton history to successfully defend the women's singles title twice in succession.
Although her victory had been predicted well in advance, the way she achieved it was overwhelmingly dominant to the point of seeming almost brutal. She finished the round of 32 in 20 minutes, the round of 16 in 35 minutes, the quarterfinal against world No. 5 Ratchanok Intanon in 35 minutes, and even the semifinal against her nemesis Chen Yufei in just 40 minutes. The rivals who had once formed a "Big Four" alongside An Se-young collapsed helplessly after realizing the gap in skill was impossible to overcome.

The final was no different. Backed by the enthusiastic support of the home crowd, Yamaguchi pressed hard early in the first game. But An Se-young reeled off five straight points from 6-8 to seize control with ease. In the second game, against a physically drained Yamaguchi, she conceded just nine points and ended the match with a humiliating 21-9 scoreline. It was An Se-young's one-sided garbage time, making the final-stage setting seem almost meaningless.
Japan was stunned by An Se-young's merciless performance as the country's ace suffered a crushing defeat. Japanese media and fans alike shuddered, saying, "She is a stamina monster" and "As long as she maintains that composure, no one can beat An Se-young."


Yet the dignity of the competitor standing before An Se-young's formidable wall also shone through. Yamaguchi, who once ruled the world rankings for 74 weeks, did not make excuses despite suffering her ninth consecutive defeat to An Se-young. After the match, Yamaguchi said, "An Se-young is such a strong player that I entered from the outset with the mindset of taking on a challenge," adding, "Rather than wanting to avoid someone because she is too strong, having a player I can challenge in order to defeat is actually something wonderful and good for me now." Her words showed true sportsmanship.
An Se-young's dominant reign at the top has reduced even the world's best players of her generation to mere challengers. The 24-year-old queen has now set her sights on defending her title at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, having erased even the suspense of competition.
[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter