An Se-young Advances to World Championships Semifinals After Defeating China's Han Yue

Badminton women's singles world number one An Se-young (Samsung Life Insurance), who has returned to the court after shaking off injuries, has advanced to the semifinals of the World Championships, taking a major step toward her second tournament title.

On August 21 (Korean time), world number one An Se-young comfortably defeated world number five Han Yue of China 2-0 (21-19, 21-12) in just 40 minutes during the women's singles quarterfinals of the 2026 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Championships held in New Delhi, India.

An Se-young, who temporarily halted her dominant winning streak after complaining of pain in her left foot at the Japan Open last month, cancelled all subsequent international tournament schedules and dedicated a month to rehabilitation before returning to the court through this event.

Having not dropped a single game from the Round of 64 until today, An Se-young is cruising smoothly while showcasing her overwhelming skills even with a cautious style of play.

If she wins this tournament, An Se-young will lift her second career World Championships trophy.

In the first game, after a grueling rally, An Se-young initially took a 16-12 lead, but was pursued as Han Yue scored three consecutive points. She then conceded three straight points again, allowing a turnaround to 17-18.

However, refusing to lose focus, An Se-young immediately rattled off three points to reach game point, ultimately claiming the first game to seize the initiative.

The second game was even more overwhelming.

Tied at 10-10, she swept an astonishing nine consecutive points to decisively seal the match.

Running through August 23, the World Championships are a major tournament boasting the highest prestige in badminton alongside the Summer Olympics.

Having achieved the monumental feat of becoming the first South Korean singles player to win the tournament at the 2023 Copenhagen Championships, An Se-young settled for a bronze medal after losing to Chen Yufei of China in the semifinals at last year's Paris event.

Having successfully completed her return match and shaken off injury concerns, An Se-young is firmly targeting her first world title recovery in three years through this tournament.

An Se-young will face world number three Wang Zhiyi (China) in the semifinals.

Although An Se-young has reigned as a virtually insurmountable opponent against Wang Zhiyi with 12 wins and 1 loss in their past 13 head-to-head matches, she cannot afford to let her guard down, given the painful memory of suffering a surprise defeat and missing out on the trophy in the final of the prestigious All England Open (Super 1000) last March.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.