No woman in Asian Games history had ever defended the badminton women’s singles title, and An Se-young has just ended that wait in Ichinomiya.
The South Korean world number one beat Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi 21-17, 21-9 on Tuesday 29 September at the Aichi-Nagoya Games. It gave her a second straight gold, following her triumph in Hangzhou.
How An Se-young pulled away in the final
The opening game stayed close until An found her rhythm late on. Yamaguchi, a former world champion playing in front of home fans, pushed hard but could not hold off An in the closing stretch.
The second game was a different story. An took control and never let Yamaguchi back into the contest. The 21-9 finish showed how comfortable she felt once she found her rhythm.
For Korea, the gold adds another highlight to a season in which An has dominated nearly every event she has entered, and it keeps her firmly in control of the women’s singles picture.
The result also confirmed her remarkable consistency. An has lost just once in 2026, and that form keeps her at the top of the world rankings.
An’s calm approach to the pressure
Afterwards, An did not dwell on the record books. She described the title as just one part of her process, and she said she believes she can still improve.
She also warned herself against complacency. In her view, losing focus for even a moment is how a player slips from the top, so she treats every event as a fresh challenge.
That attitude explains how she keeps winning. Read more about her second straight gold and follow the badminton section for more from the tour.
The BWF World Tour returns next week with the Arctic Open in Finland, and every rival will be watching to see whether anyone can slow An down.
