South Korea’s badminton team has secured four semifinal berths across singles and doubles events at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, positioning the squad to contend for up to four gold medals. World number one singles star An Se-young, top-ranked doubles pairs, and a twenty-three-year-old contender advanced following quarterfinal victories on September 27 in Ichinomiya, Japan.
The campaign places South Korea on the brink of multiple podium finishes as the tournament moves into its decisive medal rounds. Matches scheduled for September 28 will determine which athletes advance to fight for gold.
An Se-young Cruises Past Intanon to Set Up Chen Yufei Clash
Women’s singles world number one An Se-young advanced to the semifinals with a dominant quarterfinal win over Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon. An dismissed her fifth-ranked opponent 2-0 (21-8, 21-9) in just 32 minutes, maintaining physical freshness after managing a demanding schedule that previously required playing both the 32nd and 16th rounds within a single day.
An will next face her rival, China’s Chen Yufei, who is ranked fourth globally. An enters the semifinal matchup holding a 54-1 match record for the season, with her only defeat coming against China’s Wang Zhiyi in the March All England Open final.
Seo Seung-jae and Kim Won-ho Battle Back in Men’s Doubles
World number one men’s doubles pair Seo Seung-jae and Kim Won-ho secured their semifinal ticket through a dramatic comeback victory in a showdown against Japan’s Kakeru Kumagai and Hiroki Nishi. Trailing after the opening game, Seo and Kim rallied to claim a 2-1 (15-21, 21-17, 21-15) victory.
The thrilling win elevated the team’s momentum heading into the next round. Seo and Kim will face Indonesia’s Martin Daniel and Leo Carnando for a place in the gold medal match.
Baek Hana and Lee So-hee Rebound in Women’s Doubles
World number two women’s doubles pairing Baek Hana and Lee So-hee advanced to the semifinals by sweeping Taiwan’s Hsu Yin-Hui and Lin Jhih Yun 2-0. The match featured a tightly contested opening game that finished 22-20 before South Korea closed out the second set 21-17.
The victory served as an important response for Baek and Lee, who experienced an earlier setback during the team event against Japan. Having recalibrated their form, the duo will face Japan’s Kie Nakanishi and Rin Uesaka in the semifinals as they look to build on their improving tournament conditioning.
Yoo Tae-bin Breaks a 16-Year Drought in Men’s Singles
World number 46 Yoo Tae-bin delivered a surprise for South Korea, defeating Japan’s Kodai Naraoka 2-1 (12-21, 21-5, 21-11) in the men’s singles quarterfinals. The victory guarantees Yoo at least a bronze medal regardless of his semifinal outcome.
The result marks a significant milestone for South Korean badminton, representing the country’s first men’s singles medal at the Asian Games since Park Sung-hwan earned bronze at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games. Yoo advances to face Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew, the 2021 world champion who secured Singapore’s first singles medal in the competition.
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