The world No. 1 beat China’s Wang Zhiyi (No. 2) 2-1 (21-12, 17-21, 21-18) in the women’s singles final on 12 at the Ningbo Olympic Sports Center in Ningbo, China.
The Asian Championships had long eluded An. She lost to Wang in the semifinals in Manila in 2022, then finished runner-up in Dubai in 2023 after losing the final to Tai Tzu-ying of Taiwan. In Ningbo in 2024, she fell in the quarterfinals to China’s He Bingjiao, and she missed last year’s tournament because of injury. This time, she finally won the title.
With the victory, An completed the career Grand Slam. She previously won the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, the 2023 BWF World Championships and the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. An is the first South Korean women’s badminton player to achieve the feat.
The win also served as payback. An had lost to Wang in the final of the All England Open, ending her 36-match winning streak. She again asserted her dominance in the rivalry, improving her career record against Wang to 19-5.
An controlled the opening game, turning an 11-8 edge into a wider lead with four straight points and closing it out with steady defense and consistent scoring.
The second game shifted. After trailing 2-8, An pulled within 11-13, but she suffered a setback when she scraped her knee while defending and needed treatment for bleeding. Wang pressed the advantage, and An fell behind 13-19 as the match went to a decider.
In the third game, An surged to a 9-3 lead. Wang drew level at 15-15, but An responded with four straight points to regain control. Leading 19-18, An added a point, then sealed the championship when Wang’s next attack landed out.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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