South Korean badminton star An Se-young advanced to the women’s singles quarterfinals at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on September 26, defeating Sri Lanka’s Ranithma Liyanage 2-0 (21-9, 21-10) at the Ichinomiya General Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. The defending champion and world number one cruised through both the 32nd and 16th rounds, keeping her bid for a second Asian Games title firmly on track according to News1.
An Se-young Targets Historic Singles Repeat
She enters the tournament in peak form, having claimed the world championship and China Masters crowns earlier in the year. During the team competition preceding the individual bracket, An won every match she contested. Even when South Korea fell to Japan in the women’s team semifinals, she defeated world number three Akane Yamaguchi 2-1 to secure a point for her squad.
Following the team tournament, An utilized the break to rest and prepare for the individual singles event. Her opening-round performance displayed zero rust as she dispatched Liyanage in straight games.
Doubles Pairs and Singles Peers Advance to Quarterfinals
South Korea enjoyed a successful day across multiple brackets alongside An’s victory. Men’s doubles top-ranked pair Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae secured their spots in the quarterfinals. They were joined by fellow men’s doubles duo Kang Min-hyuk and Ki Dong-ju, while Lee So-hee and Baek Ha-na advanced safely in the women’s division.
Mixed doubles pairings Cho Song-hyun and Jeong Na-eun, along with Kim Jae-hyeon and Chang Ha-jung, also punched their tickets to the next round. In the men's singles tournament, Yu Tae-bin and Choi Ji-hoon won their respective matches to reach the quarterfinals.
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