World No. 1 An Se-young defeated Japan's Akane Yamaguchi, ranked third in the world, in the first singles match of the women's team semifinal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, held on September 23 at the Ichinomiya City Gymnasium in Japan.
This match was a highly anticipated showdown between the top two players in the world rankings. With this victory, An extended her winning streak against Yamaguchi to eight consecutive matches.
In the first game, An aggressively targeted the corners of the court, taking control of the match. After trailing 4-3, she scored eight consecutive points, ultimately winning the game by a margin of 12 points, allowing only nine points to Yamaguchi.
However, in the second game, Yamaguchi mounted a strong comeback, forcing An to play defensively. Despite An's efforts, she made several errors, leading to a third game.
In the final game, the score was tied at 4-4 when An seized the momentum by scoring six straight points. She maintained her physical advantage, finishing the match with a ten-point lead.
With An's strong start, South Korea is set to field the world No. 2 doubles team of Lee So-hee and Baek Ha-na in the second singles match. Following them, world No. 16 Sim Yu-jin, the doubles team of Kim Hye-jung and Jeong Na-eun, and singles player Kim Ga-ram are waiting to compete.
Earlier, on September 22, South Korea advanced to the semifinals by defeating Malaysia 3-1, securing at least a bronze medal, as there are no separate bronze medal matches in the badminton team event.
If South Korea defeats Japan in the semifinals, they will face the winner of the Indonesia-China match for the gold medal. South Korea is the defending champion in the women's team event, aiming for a second consecutive title.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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