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An Se-Young defeated Wang Zhiyi in a 100-minute final to win her first Asian Championships title and complete a historic Career Grand Slam in badminton.
South Korea’s An Se-Young joins Spain’s Carolina Marin as the only female singles players to complete a Career Grand Slam (X/BAC Media)
It wasn’t smooth, it wasn’t quick — but An Se-young has finally completed badminton’s ultimate checklist.
The World No. 1 sealed her long-awaited Career Grand Slam with a hard-fought victory at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, outlasting Wang Zhiyi 21-12, 17-21, 21-18 in a gripping 100-minute final.
Victory today was all too sweet for the South Korean who, just a month after falling to Wang in the All England Open final, flipped the script when it mattered most.
What Is A Career Grand Slam In Badminton?
In badminton terms, this isn’t just another title — it’s the collection.
To achieve a Career Grand Slam, a player must win the Olympics, World Championships, Continental Championships, and the Continental multi-sport event (like the Asian Games).
An Se-young had already ticked off most of that list: Olympic gold in Paris 2024, World Championship gold in 2023, and Asian Games gold the same year.
But the Asian Championships? That one kept slipping away.
Bronze in 2022. Silver in 2023. A quarterfinal exit in 2024. Injury ruled her out in 2025.
Until now.
The Missing Piece, Finally Found
Returning after a two-year gap, the South Korean looked locked in from the start — cruising through the early rounds without dropping a single game.
But the final wasn’t any cakewalk.
Wang, the World No. 2, came battle-hardened after a draining semifinal against Akane Yamaguchi. And she pushed An Se-young all the way today.
But when it mattered the most, the South Korean held her nerve to close it out and etch history.
From Prodigy to Greatness
An Se-young’s rise has been anything but linear. A national team debut at just 15 marked her as a prodigy, but early stumbles, including a disappointing Tokyo 2020 Olympics campaign, raised questions.
But through the years, she rebuilt her game, and the results followed: World titles, Asian Games dominance, and Olympic gold.
Now, with the final piece in place, she joins Carolina Marin as only the second women’s singles player to complete the Career Grand Slam — and the first Korean woman to do it.
April 12, 2026, 3:15 PM IST
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