Ahn Se-young, world number one in badminton women’s singles, is happy after winning against Wang Zhiyi in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Malaysia Open women’s singles final held at the Asiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on January 11. ⓒ AFP = News 1
(Seoul = News 1) Sports Reporter Lim Seong-il = ‘Shuttlecock Empress’ Ahn Se-young (24, Samsung Life Insurance), who swept 11 international competitions last year and continued the momentum until 2026, adding two titles (Malaysia Open, India Open) in January alone, will participate in a competition of a slightly different nature in February. The new mission given to Ahn Se-young is to be the ‘Korean Ace’ who will be responsible for the first win.
The badminton team, including Ahn Se-young, will participate in the ‘2026 Asian Men’s and Women’s Team Badminton Championships’ to be held in Qingdao, China, starting on the 3rd.
This tournament, held every two years, is a national competition with 3 singles matches and 2 doubles matches to be decided in a best-of-5 series. Participating teams will first play in the group stage, then the top two teams from each group advance to the quarterfinals, and the winning team will be determined through a tournament.
This competition also serves as a ‘continental qualifier’ for qualification to the finals of the World Men’s and Women’s Team Championships to be held in Denmark in April. The top four teams in the Asian Championships can obtain tickets to the finals.
Korean badminton has yet to win the Asian Team Championship. The women’s national team’s best performance was second place twice in 2020 and 2022, and the men’s national team has reached the semifinals four times, but has never advanced to the finals. This is because competitors are formidable. There are many badminton powerhouses in Asia, including China, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, and India.
An official from the Korea Badminton Association said, “In some ways, the Asian Championships are more difficult than the World Championships. There are a lot of strong teams. In the World Championships, depending on the organization, you can face somewhat easier opponents, but in Asia, all stages are difficult.”
However, in this competition, Korea is putting pressure on other countries. In particular, the women’s national team, led by Ahn Se-young, the undisputed number one in the women’s singles world rankings, is the number one candidate for the championship. The composition is as good as ever.
Lee So-hee (right) and Baek Hana, who returned after winning their second consecutive women’s doubles title at the World Tour Finals, are expressing their feelings about winning upon returning to Korea through Incheon International Airport on the afternoon of the 22nd. 2025.12.22/News1 ⓒ News1 Reporter Oh Dae-il
Ahn Se-young, who swept 11 wins in a total of 77 games last year, leaving an unrealistic record of ’73 wins, 4 losses, 94.8% winning rate’, is a ‘trustworthy’ one-win card. In addition, Kim Ga-eun (17th), who has extensive international experience, also boasts world-class skills. The doubles team is also solid.
Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee, ranked third in the world in women’s doubles, were crowned champions of the World Tour Finals last year, a competition with a ‘Battle of Kings’ nature, and succeeded in winning two consecutive tournaments. This year, they are also consistently showing their ability to win, including runner-up at the Malaysia Open and third place at the India Open. In addition, the world’s 5th ranked team, Kim Hye-jung (Samsung Life Insurance) and Gong Hee-yong (Jeonbuk Bank), have a solid card in place.
Without any special variables, if they can fully utilize their skills, they can set a new milestone of winning their first Asian Team Championship. For Ahn Se-young, who has collected numerous trophies including the Olympics, World Championships, and BWF Tour, this is an opportunity to add the missing ‘puzzle’.
An official from the Badminton Association said, “This is an opportunity for Ahn Se-young, who holds almost all individual titles, to win the team event. She herself has a strong will for this tournament. (Although her schedule for participating in the individual event is tight), I understand that she decided to participate after consulting with the national team coaching staff.”
It is unfortunate that the men’s national team cannot field a fantastic doubles team. Seo Seung-jae will not participate in this tournament due to injury. ⓒ News1 Reporter Kim Young-woon
When approached calmly, the reality for the men’s national team is not easy. Above all, it is most disappointing that the combination of Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae, ranked No. 1 in the men’s doubles world rankings, cannot play. Seo Seung-jae will not participate in this tournament as he has not recovered from the shoulder injury suffered at the Malaysia Open last month. The coaching staff must play the game by combining Kim Won-ho with other players depending on the opponent and situation.
An official from the Badminton Association predicted, “It is unfortunate that the doubles team (Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae) cannot be operated. It is also true that the men’s singles players still lack experience,” adding, “But we must take on the challenge boldly. The results may vary depending on how confident our young players are in the competition.”
lastuncle@news1.kr
