World-ranking number one badminton player An Se-young opened her quest for consecutive titles at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games with a dominant 20-minute victory on Feb. 26. Playing at the Ichinomiya City Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, the South Korean star defeated Kazakhstan’s Kamila Smagulova 2-0 (21-5, 21-5) in the women’s singles round of 32.
An Se-young opens 2026 Asian Games title defense with 20-minute rout
As the defending champion, An established command from the opening serve, leaving her opponent with virtually no opportunity to counter. She easily claimed the first game 21-5 and mirrored the scoreline in the second to secure her place in the round of 16 in swift fashion.
Carrying dominant momentum from World Championships and China Masters
An enters the individual tournament carrying strong momentum after capturing titles at both the World Championships and the China Masters earlier this year.
During the preceding team event, she delivered victories in every match she contested. Although the South Korean team fell to Japan in the women’s team semifinals, An successfully defeated world number three Akane Yamaguchi 2-1.
Quick turnaround for round of 16 clash against Sri Lanka’s Ranithma Liyanage
With the team competition behind her, An immediately turned her attention back to the individual bracket. Later on Feb. 26, she is scheduled to face Sri Lanka’s Ranithma Liyanage in the next round for a spot in the quarterfinals.
Chasing history for South Korea’s first back-to-back singles titles
Having swept both the team and individual gold medals at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, An is aiming to become the first South Korean singles player in history to win back-to-back Asian Games titles.
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