KORAn defeated world number three Akane Yamaguchi of Japan 2-0 (21-17, 21-9) in the women's singles final of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held today (September 29) at the Ichinomiya City Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.
As a result, An, the gold medalist at the 2022 Hangzhou Games, wrote a new piece of history by becoming the first player to win consecutive women's singles titles in Asian Games badminton.
An continued her phenomenal winning streak with a success rate of over 98 percent, suffering only a single defeat in 57 matches this year.
Having extended her head-to-head winning streak to eight matches against Yamaguchi by winning their "preview of the final" in the women's team semifinals earlier, An was unstoppable today as well.
Early in the first game, a determined Yamaguchi stepped up her pace and applied strong pressure, but An fought back with sharp attacks and did not allow her opponent to hold the lead for long.
An then used her signature delicate strokes to make Yamaguchi run tirelessly across all corners of the court, draining her stamina.
Capitalizing on a moment when Yamaguchi lost her balance and fell during a fierce rally, An precisely targeted the open space at the back of the court to turn the game around at 9-8.
Gaining momentum, An added points with calm and accurate in-and-out judgments, reaching the 11-point mark (interval) first at 11-8.
Once she seized control, An's play became even more dominant.
Yamaguchi, struggling with An's faster-paced attacks and repeatedly committing net errors, raised her concentration late in the game to tie the score at 16-16. However, An responded with her trademark sharp diagonal smash to instantly reclaim the lead.
Moving with greater ease, An shook her opponent by placing shuttlecocks across various parts of the court. After a long rally that threw Yamaguchi off balance, she softly dropped the shuttlecock into the open space on the opposite side near the net to comfortably claim the first game.
In the second game, An built momentum by scoring four consecutive points early on, though she experienced a brief stumble after giving up five straight points.
However, that was the extent of Yamaguchi's pursuit.
Showcasing superior skills against Yamaguchi, whose steps had grown heavy after expending her stamina while losing the first game, An seized the initiative by widening the gap to 12-5 with a blistering seven-point streak.
Although Yamaguchi mustered her remaining strength and fought back desperately, it was not enough to overcome An, who was displaying peak form.
Making the stage of a final look effortless, the balance of the match tipped early, and An wrote a new chapter in badminton history once again with an overwhelming and complete victory.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.
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