▲ An Se-young celebrating
Badminton queen An Se-young (Samsung Life Insurance), who has returned to the court after shaking off an injury, has easily passed through the semifinals of the World Championships, leaving her just one step away from capturing her second tournament victory.
On August 22 (KST), world number one in women's singles An Se-young defeated world number three Wang Zhiyi of China 2-0 after a tight deuce battle in the women's singles semifinals of the 2026 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Championships held in New Delhi, India.
With this win, An has established herself as a nemesis to Wang, recording 13 wins and 1 loss in their last 14 head-to-head encounters.
An, who temporarily halted her winning streak due to left foot pain at the Japan Open last month (July), canceled all subsequent international tournament schedules and concentrated on rehabilitation for a month before returning to the court through this competition.
From the Round of 64 to the semifinals on this day, she has not dropped a single game throughout the tournament, displaying flawless performances and showing off her overwhelming prowess befitting the world's best.
Although she is not in perfect physical condition as she is playing through an injury, An displayed stellar performance in the semifinals that was enough to dispel any concerns.
After taking an early lead with four consecutive points from 10-10 in the first game, An conceded five consecutive points to Wang and was turned over to 16-17.
Following a tight see-saw battle with back-and-forth rallies, the match went into a deuce, and An secured the first game by winning two consecutive points from 22-22.
Having seized the initiative, An operated the second game much more smoothly.
She took the lead with three straight points from 11-11, and leading 17-14, she once again surged ahead with three points to face a comfortable match point and wrap up the match.
An will now face world number two Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in the final.
An also holds the upper hand against Yamaguchi, having won all of their last five head-to-head matches.
Meanwhile, women's doubles world number three Lee So-hee and Baek Ha-na raised expectations for simultaneous championships by advancing to the final.
The pair easily swept China's world eighth-ranked duo Li Yijing and Luo Xumin 2-0 in just 45 minutes.
They seized the initiative by sweeping an impressive eight points from 4-6 in the first game to claim the win, and in the second game, they secured a comfortable victory after taking a 6-2 lead with five consecutive points early on and never allowing any pursuit.
The South Korean women's doubles pair will meet world number one Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning of China in the final.
On the other hand, men's doubles pair Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae failed in their bid for a second consecutive tournament title, stumbling 0-2 against Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia in the semifinals.
In the first game, except for grabbing a two-point lead early on, the South Korean pair trailed throughout and collapsed without mounting any meaningful counterattack.
They struggled similarly in the second game, but turned the tables with five consecutive points from 11-14.
However, after being re-reversed to 17-18, they conceded three points in a row and bowed their heads.
The South Korean pair, who soothed the disappointment of An Se-young ending up with a bronze medal by lifting the championship trophy last year, failed to shake off their recent sluggish momentum.
They had previously shown off overwhelming skills last year by lifting 11 championship trophies, tying the record for the most wins in a single season in history.
Unfortunately, however, they have not been able to connect with victory in their last five international tournaments.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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