An Se-young arrived at the 107th National Sports Festival in Jeju just days after winning the gold medal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, where her name appeared on the match sheet for the final singles match without needing to step onto the court, according to local sports reports. Samsung Life Insurance secured a 3-0 victory over the Daejeon Metropolitan Badminton Association in the women’s general division team event opening round on October 3 at the Jeju Complex Gymnasium, rendering the final scheduled matches unnecessary.
An Se-young Enters Team Match Sheet Following Asian Games Gold
The appearance of An Se-young on the roster drew immediate attention from spectators and officials attending the domestic tournament. Just four days prior, on September 29, the world number one defeated Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi two games to zero in the women’s singles final at the Ichinomiya City Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, capturing her second Asian Games title following her victory at the 2022 Hangzhou Games.
Rather than taking an extended break after returning from Japan, An traveled directly to Jeju Island to join her corporate club team, Samsung Life Insurance. The team entered her name into the fifth and final match slot of the tie—the third singles contest—which served as a potential anchor position should the earlier matches fail to decide the outcome.
Samsung Life Insurance Secures Early Victory Without World Number One
Under tournament regulations, the women’s general division team competition consists of up to five matches: two singles matches, two doubles matches, and a final third singles match if needed. While national team selections consistently place An in the opening singles match due to her top ranking, her club team positioned her at the very end of the lineup to provide a formidable final barrier.
The strategy ultimately proved unnecessary as Samsung Life Insurance dominated the opening three matches. Kim Min-ji defeated Cho Min-seo 2-0 (21-8, 21-4) in the first singles match, and Kim Min-seon followed with a 2-0 (21-3, 21-8) win over Lee Ha-na in the second singles contest. In the subsequent first doubles match, Kim Hye-jeong and Lee Yeon-woo defeated Cho Min-seo and Noh Hyun-ryung 2-0 (21-8, 21-5) to clinch the 3-0 team sweep.
Packed International Calendar Awaiting European Tournaments
Because the outcome was decided before the second doubles and final singles matches could begin, An watched from the sidelines without needing to unpack her racket. The brief respite provided a valuable recovery window for the top-ranked athlete, who endured a demanding schedule during the Asian Games in Japan, including a stretch on September 26 where she played both her round-of-32 and round-of-16 matches on the same day.
The lighter domestic workload precedes another rigorous stretch of international travel. Following the conclusion of the National Sports Festival, An prepares to travel to Europe to defend her titles at BWF World Tour Super 750 events. She is scheduled to compete in the Denmark Open in Odense from October 13 to 18, followed immediately by the French Open in Paris from October 20 to 25, tournaments where she enters as the defending champion after sweeping both titles last season.
