[Anchor]

South Korean badminton star An Se-young has decided to withdraw from the Japan Open, where she won her first-round match two days ago, due to an unexpected left foot injury.

An, who returned to Korea last night, is scheduled to undergo a detailed medical examination today. Her participation in next month's World Championships and the Asian Games in September will be determined based on the results.

Reporter Bae Jeonghun has the story.

[Reporter]

During the first round of the Japan Open on the 14th, An Se-young, who was dominating her match against Akechi of Japan, was seen touching her left foot with a look of discomfort midway through the second game.

Although she continued the match, she was seen holding her left foot and stretching periodically.

She finished the match with a 2-0 victory in just 32 minutes, but that pain ultimately held her back.

The Badminton Korea Association stated that An felt pain in the outer part of her left foot during the match on the 14th. As the condition did not improve after the match and she felt pain even when putting weight on her foot, she decided to forfeit her Round of 16 match and withdraw from the tournament.

The association added that An had been experiencing pain in that area for some time.

With her bid for a second consecutive Japan Open title dashed, An has also decided to skip the China Open scheduled for next week.

An, who returned home last night, is set to undergo a detailed examination today. Her participation in the World Championships next month and the Asian Games in September will be decided depending on the test results.

An shared the news of her withdrawal from the Japan Open on her social media, stating that "while she has a minor injury, she will recover quickly and return to the court."

(Video editing: Nam Il, Design: Han Heung-soo, Choi Ha-neul)