JAKARTA - World number one badminton player, An Se-young, emerged as the champion of the Badminton Asia Championship (BAC) or the 2026 Asian Badminton Championship, which automatically makes his collection of titles in major tournaments complete.
The South Korean athlete is entitled to climb to the highest podium of the 2026 BAC after defeating the second-seeded host Wang Zhiyi in a three-game match 21-12, 17-21, and 21-18 at the Ningbo Olympic Sports Center, Ningbo, China, on Sunday, April 12, 2026.
The victory made An manage to capture the only major title that he had not won. In addition, this also avenged his defeat over Wang in the 2026 All England final - which was the only defeat he had suffered so far this year's calendar.
"The match was very tiring. My opponent was also tired, the match was long so I was very happy to win. There were many supporters from South Korea who encouraged me and that helped a lot," An said as quoted from the BWF website.
In his previous appearance at the same tournament, the 24-year-old shuttler only managed to collect one silver medal and one bronze medal. The bronze was won in the 2022 edition and the silver the following year.
The badminton player born in Gwangju collected his first gold medal at a major tournament at the 2022 Asian Games. In the following year, he managed to climb to the highest podium at the World Championships and the Olympic gold followed in 2024.
At such a young age, An also has a very big chance to add to his titles. This year he can chase the second gold from the World Championships in India and the Asian Games in Japan.
The men's singles title at BAC 2026 was won by top seed Shi Yuqi. Like An, he also won his first Asian Championship title after defeating Indian youth player Ayush Shetty in two games 21-8 and 21-10.
Shetty, who is currently ranked 25th in the world, enjoyed an incredible journey to the final. He managed to beat players such as Li Shi Feng, Chi Yu Jen, Jonatan Christie, and Kunlavut Vitidsarn.
"I am very grateful for this final. It has been a fantastic week for me. It's a shame it has to end like this. I really wanted to play a great match," Shetty said after the match.
In the men's doubles sector, world champion Kim Won-ho/Seo Seung-jae still showed their dominance. The pair also won the first BAC title after defeating their compatriots Kang Min-hyuk/Ki Dong-ju.
The title in the women's doubles was secured by the host pair of Li Yi Jing/Luo Xu Min. They were crowned champions after their compatriots Liu Sheng Shu/Tan Ning - who were seeded first - lost 5-8.
The success of the qualifying pair Kim Jae-hyeon/Jang Ha-jeong to climb to the highest podium in mixed doubles made South Korea the overall champion with three titles. Kim/Jang won a walkover (WO) over Dechapol Puavarnukroh/Supissara Paewsampran from Thailand.
Meanwhile, Indonesia had to bite its fingers again from this tournament. Of the total 16 representatives sent to this event, only two of them could reach the semifinals, namely the men's doubles Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri and the women's doubles Amallia Cahaya Pratiwi/Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti.
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