[Edaily Starin JOO MEE_HEE Reporter] “Shuttlecock Queen” Ahn Se-young (Samsung Life) crushed world No. 5 Ratchanok Intanon (Thailand) in just 33 minutes, leaving her just two steps away from a second consecutive Asian Games women’s singles title. The world No. 1 men’s doubles pair, Seo Seung-jae and Kim Won-ho (both of Samsung Life Insurance), also secured a thrilling come-from-behind victory over a Japanese duo, continuing their quest for a gold medal—their first in 24 years.

On the 27th, at the Ichinomiya General Sports Center in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, Ahn Se-young defeated Intanon 2-0 (21-8, 21-9) in the quarterfinals of the women’s singles badminton competition at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. She put on a dominant performance against veteran Intanon—who won the women’s singles title at the 2013 World Championships—not allowing her opponent to score in double digits in either game.
Although she had played back-to-back matches in the Round of 32 and the Round of 16 the previous day, she showed no signs of fatigue. Ahn Se-young maintained a tight contest until 4-3 early in the first game, then gradually widened the gap by leveraging her signature solid defense and steady game management. From 16-8, she scored five consecutive points to take the first game 21-8.
The momentum remained unchanged in the second game. Although Intanon scored first in an attempt to mount a comeback, An Se-young regained the lead at 3-2. She rarely allowed her opponent to close the gap afterward, wrapping up the second game 21-9 in just 15 minutes to secure her spot in the semifinals. The entire match, from start to finish, lasted a mere 33 minutes.
Ahn Se-young will compete in the semifinals on the 28th for a spot in the final. She now has just two matches left to reach the gold medal. Ahn Se-young, who claimed the women’s singles title at the 2022 Hangzhou Games, will become the first South Korean athlete to win back-to-back Asian Games women’s singles badminton titles if she wins this time as well.
However, her bid for a double title at this tournament has already fallen through. The South Korean women’s national team, led by Ahn Se-young, lost to Japan in the team event semifinals on the 23rd. Having swept both the team and individual titles at the Hangzhou Games, Ahn Se-young will now focus on defending her individual title.
In men’s doubles, Seo Seung-jae and Kim Won-ho secured at least a bronze medal after a hard-fought Korea-Japan match. In the quarterfinals held at the same venue that day, they defeated the Japanese pair of Hiroki Nishi and Kakeru Kumabai 2-1 (15-21, 21-17, 21-15).
World No. 1 Seo Seung-jae and Kim Won-ho faced an unexpectedly tough challenge against the Japanese pair, ranked 20th. They lost the momentum to their opponents from the start and dropped the first game 15-21. However, after a close battle in the second game, they regained the upper hand, winning 21-17 and forcing the match into a deciding third game.
The third game remained a tight contest. Seo Seung-jae and Kim Won-ho faced a crisis while trailing 12-13, but their focus sharpened at the decisive moment. They scored five consecutive points to quickly turn the tide to 17-13 and fended off a late rally by the Japanese pair to complete a 21-15 comeback victory.
Having secured a bronze medal by advancing to the semifinals, Seo Seung-jae and Kim Won-ho are now aiming for South Korea’s first men’s doubles gold medal in 24 years, since the 2002 Busan Games.