▲ An Se-young
Returning to the court after recovering from an injury in about a month, world women's singles badminton powerhouse An Se-young (Samsung Life Insurance) has comfortably secured her spot in the quarterfinals of the World Championships.
World No. 1 An Se-young decisively defeated 16th-ranked Mia Blichfeldt of Denmark 2-0 (21-16, 21-10) in the women's singles Round of 16 at the 2026 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Championships held in New Delhi, India.
An, who temporarily halted her unstoppable winning streak last month at the Japan Open after complaining of pain in her left foot, cancelled all subsequent international tournament schedules to focus on rehabilitation for a month before making her return through this event.
Having not dropped a single game from the Round of 64 through today, An is smoothly raising her match fitness by showcasing dominant skills even while managing her gameplay to avoid overexertion.
In the first game today, she faced a tight early flow as they reached the interval at 11-10, but after the break, she sparked momentum with three consecutive points and comfortably seized the initiative by stringing together another three points near the end.
The second game that followed was much smoother.
She early on grabbed the momentum by unleashing six points while giving up only a single point from the start.
Her movements were light, rendering concerns over the aftermath of her injury groundless.
She flaunted her signature tenacious defensive skills, throwing her body to retrieve shuttlecocks aimed at the corners of the court, and easily wrapped up the match by sweeping five consecutive points while leading 16-10.
The World Championships, running through August 23, is a major tournament boasting the highest prestige in badminton alongside the Summer Olympics.
An, who achieved the historic feat of becoming the first South Korean singles player to win the title at the 2023 Copenhagen Championships, took home a bronze medal at last year's Paris Championships after losing to China's Chen Yufei in the semifinals.
Having shaken off the injury label with a successful comeback match, An is firmly targeting her first world title recovery in three years through this tournament.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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