World No. 1 won every match under 40 minutes to defend her Asian Games title
An Se-young barely slowed down on her way to Asian Games gold. She won every single match throughout the tournament, finishing with a 2-0 victory over Japan's Akane Yamaguchi on Tuesday.
The 24-year-old beat Yamaguchi 21-17 in the first set and 21-9 in the second, becoming the first player to win back-to-back Asian Games gold in women's singles since the sport was introduced in 1962.
“It feels like a dream. I am so happy, and thinking about all the work I have put in until now makes me emotional,” the badminton star told reporters after the victory.
Asked about her defensive approach in the final against Yamaguchi, An said she had reflected on the mistakes she made when she rushed during the team event.
“After looking back on the tournament, I decided to make the opponent move around the court as much as possible,” she said.
Road to gold
An came to Japan as the defending champion and left as the first woman to win back-to-back Asian Games singles titles.
Her road to gold was just as commanding. She won every match from the round of 32 through the semifinals in under 40 minutes — without dropping a game.
Her most decisive victory came against China’s Chen Yufei in Monday’s semifinal. Three years after playing through a knee injury to beat Chen for gold in Hangzhou, An won their rematch 21-5, 21-12 in just 38 minutes.
An won the first nine points against the world No. 4, setting the tone. She chased down Chen’s shots and turned long rallies in her favor, cruising to another straight-games win.
Outside the Asian Games, An beat Yamaguchi 21-17, 21-14 in this year’s World Championships final, winning the title without dropping a game in any of her six matches.
During last year's World Tour finals, she beat China's Wang Zhiyi 21-13, 18-21, 21-10 in a 96-minute rally despite suffering leg cramps. It was her 11th title of the year, tying the record for most singles titles in a calendar year.
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, An beat China's He Bingjiao 21-13, 21-16 for singles gold, which is the biggest title she has won in her career.
This year, her official match record stands at 56 wins and one loss, a remarkable 98.2 percent winning rate.
junheee@heraldcorp.com