'Badminton queen' An Se-young is set to challenge for her second consecutive gold medal in women's singles at the Asian Games.
The world No. 1 in women's badminton will compete in the final on September 29 at 2 p.m. at the Ichinomiya City Gymnasium in Aichi, Japan.
Her opponent will be Japan's Akane Yamaguchi, currently ranked third in the world. An holds a 22-15 advantage in their head-to-head record. In the women's team semifinals held on September 23, An faced Yamaguchi as the first singles player and won 2-1 (21-9, 18-21, 21-11).
An, who claimed the gold medal at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, is aiming for a historic back-to-back victory, as no player has ever won consecutive gold medals in women's singles badminton at the Asian Games.
After defeating her nemesis, China's Chen Yufei, in the semifinals, An remarked, "It wasn't an easy match. Taking it point by point led to a good result." Regarding the possibility of achieving a historic second consecutive title, she stated, "It certainly holds great significance, but my focus is on playing the way I want to. I believe I can make this tournament truly satisfying with bold and confident play."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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