A Phenomenal 98% Win Rate… An Se-young Writing Legendary History

[Anchor]

Even legends of women's badminton have never achieved two consecutive titles at the Asian Games, let alone won twice. An Se-young, already evaluated as the greatest player in history at just 24 years old, is writing new history once again and turning 2026 into a year of legend.

Reporter Han Sung-hee has the story.

[Reporter]

Women's singles legends such as Susi Susanti of Indonesia, who was called the greatest player of the 1990s, Zhang Ning of China, who achieved consecutive Olympic titles in the 2000s, and Tai Tzu-ying of Taiwan, who maintained the world number-one ranking for 214 weeks, all failed to establish a long-term reign at the Asian Games.

Not a single player has reached the top twice, let alone achieved back-to-back titles, with 16 different champions crowned across the past 16 editions of the tournament.

This is why An Se-young's pursuit of consecutive Asian Games titles stands as another dazzling achievement that will go down in badminton history.

[An Se-young / National Badminton Team : I am so proud to be able to continue writing those records, but there is still so much I need to do. I still think I am young, so I find myself looking forward to what I will do in the future.]

With her impenetrable defense rated the best in history, elevated to an even higher level alongside sharp attacking power and veteran-like match management, An Se-young's 2026 season is being recorded as an unbeatable, immortal season.

Racing on a recent 40-match winning streak, she has suffered only one loss in 57 matches this season, boasting a 98.2% win rate that easily surpasses the all-time single-season record for both men's and women's singles of 94.8% that she set last year.

After sweeping 11 tournaments last season to tie the record for the most titles in a single season for men's and women's singles, An Se-young has already claimed the top spot 8 times this season and is expected to compete in at least 5 more tournaments, making her a strong contender to set a new record for the most all-time wins.

Such is the dominance that the saying "Whoever faces An Se-young last on the tournament bracket wins the silver medal" holds true, leaving competing players shaking their heads in astonishment.

[Akane Yamaguchi / Japanese National Team (Final Opponent) : If you ask what makes her excel, it is honestly every aspect. It is not something where I can just say as a player that it cannot be helped, but right now, I really can't help but say that there is nothing we can do.]

Following her overwhelming victory against their home country's player, Japanese media reacted by describing her skills as having "no rivals" and calling it "shocking."

(Photo: Yonhap News / Video by Park Hyun-chul and Yang Doo-won; Video Editing by Park Gi-deuk)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.