National badminton player An Se-young, who is aiming for the first consecutive women's singles titles in Asian Games history, secured a victory in the early "preview of the final" during the team event semifinals.

Stepping up as the first runner in the women's team badminton semifinals of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held today (the 23rd) at the Ichinomiya City Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, An Se-young decisively defeated Japan's Akane Yamaguchi with a set score of 2 to 1 (21-9, 18-21, 21-11).

With this victory, An extended her winning streak against world No. 3 Yamaguchi to 8 consecutive head-to-head matches, once again showcasing her status as an unrivaled powerhouse.

The two players often face each other in the finals or semifinals of major international tournaments, but in this competition, they clashed early in the team event semifinals, setting up a fierce "big match."


From the first game, An relentlessly pressured Yamaguchi with sharp attacks targeting the corners of the court.

After breaking a 4-3 tie by scoring 8 consecutive points, she crushed Yamaguchi's momentum and easily closed out the first game with a 12-point margin, conceding only 9 points.

In the second game, An lost control as Yamaguchi launched a counterattack, but in the final game, An's strong finish overwhelmed Yamaguchi.

Seizing control after scoring 6 straight points from a 4-4 tie, An leveraged her physical advantage to outpace Yamaguchi by a 10-point margin, bringing the long battle to an end.


With ace An Se-young seizing the early initiative, the South Korean national badminton team is continuing its pursuit of reaching the final and winning consecutive tournament titles through the subsequent doubles and singles matches.

If South Korea defeats Japan and advances to the final, it will clash with the winner of the Indonesia-China match for the gold medal.

(Photo: Yonhap News)