Badminton world champion An Se-young shifts focus to Asian Games

Freshly crowned the world champion, Korean badminton star An Se-young said on Tuesday that she will now turn her focus to defending her Asian Games title next month in Japan.

An, world No. 1, arrived back home early on Tuesday, two days after winning her second career world title in the women’s singles in New Delhi, where she defeated second-ranked Akane Yamaguchi of Japan 21-17 and 21-14 in the final to cap a flawless, six-match run. She did not lose a game.

It was her first tournament back since a left foot injury forced her to withdraw from the Japan Open in July after just one match.

“I was quite nervous because this was my first competition back from the injury, so I only tried to focus on getting my feel back on the court,” An told reporters gathered at Incheon International Airport. “I didn’t have high expectations for myself, and I was surprised to be able to bring home such a great result.”

She admitted that she did not have a completely pain-free experience throughout the tournament, but her condition improved as the event progressed.

“Due to some lingering pain, I think that I was hesitant in the early going,” she said. “But as I continued to play against world-class opponents, I was able to make adjustments and react to certain shots when I had to.”

An extended her winning streak against Yamaguchi to six matches. The Japanese veteran once had An’s numbers, but the Korean has had the advantage since rising to No. 1 in the rankings in August 2023.

This trend should also bode well for An’s chances of winning her second straight women’s singles gold medal at the Asian Games, which will take place next month on Yamaguchi’s home turf.

“I think that it’s a great sign that I’ve kept on beating her,” An said. “If I approach the Asian Games with confidence, like I have nothing to lose, then I think that my opponent will tense up. I want to keep doing what I’ve been doing all along.”

With many of her rivals being from Asia — Wang Zhiyi of China and Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand were the two other semifinalists at the Badminton World Federation World Championships, while Chen Yufei of China is the reigning Asian Games silver medalist — the Asian Games will not seem much different from the world championships.

“I would love to win another Asian Games gold medal, but everyone else will want to win it too,” An said. “The most important thing is not to feel too much pressure. I know that it will take a lot of hard work to get it done, and I’ll try to play with confidence.”

With her rivals having recently expressed their helplessness against the Korean star — after losing to An in the semifinals in New Delhi, Wang playfully asked her, “How do I beat you?” — An said the difference likely comes in her level of self-belief.

“I have a great deal of trust in myself and in the work that I’ve put in,” she said. “And the biggest key is to play with confidence so that my conviction translates into my performance on the court.”

Yonhap