“They are not opponents we can never defeat.”
A rival’s bold challenge. However, it took only 43 minutes for the world’s No. 1 to demonstrate the magnitude of her dominance. South Korea’s badminton star An Se-young, 24 years old, Samsung Life Insurance, showcased overwhelming skill, leaving herself just one win away from a three-peat at the Chinese Masters.
An Se-young advanced to the final of the 2026 BWF World Tour Chinese Masters, Super 750, after defeating Japan’s world No. 3 Yamaguchi Akane 2-0 (21-13 21-15) in 43 minutes during the women’s singles semifinal held at Shenzhen Arena on September 5.
Yamaguchi had expressed confidence in an interview with a foreign media outlet before the match. However, An Se-young secured a straightforward victory, extending her winning streak against Yamaguchi to seven consecutive matches and reaffirming her status as a “nemesis.” Their overall head-to-head record now stands at 21 wins and 15 losses for An Se-young.
The first set belonged entirely to An Se-young. After briefly trailing early, she reclaimed momentum by scoring five consecutive points from a 6-6 tie. Following the interval, her signature “steel-wall defense” forced Yamaguchi into unforced errors, widening the gap.
Having seized control early, An Se-young showed no signs of weakness in the second set. She surged ahead by six points and never allowed a comeback. Yamaguchi, stifled by An Se-young’s relentless play, committed a net error at 20-14, handing An Se-young the match point. A straight smash sealed the emphatic victory.
An Se-young’s season record is 48 wins and 1 loss. She has been on a 31-match winning streak since her defeat in the All England Open final in March. After recovering from a left foot injury in July, which caused her to skip two tournaments, she has returned stronger. Last month, she won the World Championships without dropping a single set across six matches. In this tournament, she has maintained an undefeated streak from the round of 32 to the semifinal, with each match concluded within approximately 40 minutes.
An Se-young needs just one more win to secure her third consecutive title at this event, following victories in 2024 and 2025. She will face Japan’s No. 9 Miyazaki Tomoka, who defeated world No. 2 Wang Zhiyi of China 2-0 (21-19 23-21), in the final on September 6. An Se-young holds a perfect 7-0 record against Miyazaki in their seven previous meetings.
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