South Korea Women Win First Asia Team Badminton Title Led by An Se Young

An Se Young of Samsung Life Insurance led South Korea’s women’s national badminton team to its first title at the 2026 Asia Mixed Team Badminton Championships.

South Korea swept host China 3-0 in the women’s final on Saturday at Conson Gymnasium in Qingdao, China.

An, who rested in Friday’s semifinal against Indonesia to manage her condition, needed 39 minutes to beat Han Qianxi 21-7, 21-14 in women’s singles. The second game was tied 11-11, but An pulled ahead 15-14 and closed it out by winning the next six points.

In women’s doubles, Baek Ha Na (Incheon International Airport)-Kim Hye Jeong (Samsung Life Insurance) defeated Jia Yifan-Zhang Shuxian 24-22, 21-8. Kim Ga Eun (Samsung Life Insurance), ranked No. 17 in the world, then beat Xu Wenjing (No. 127) 19-21, 21-10, 21-17 to clinch the title under the best-of-five, first-to-three format.

The men’s team, without ace Seo Seung Jae because of a shoulder injury, finished tied for third after losing 2-3 to China in Friday’s semifinals.

Despite missing the final, the men’s team earned a berth in the finals of the BWF World Men’s Team Championship, the Thomas Cup, by reaching the semifinals.