'Shuttlecock Empress' Ahn Seyoung Defeats Wang Ziyi to Complete Career Grand Slam

Victory 2-1 in the Asian Championships Final

'Shuttlecock Empress' Ahn Seyoung has reached the top of the Asian Championships, becoming the first Korean badminton singles player ever to achieve a career Grand Slam.

World number one Ahn Seyoung defeated world number two Wang Ziyi (China) 2-1 (21-12, 17-21, 21-18) in the final of the 2026 Asian Championships held in Ningbo, China, on April 12, 2026. By avenging her loss to Wang Ziyi in the final of last month's All England Open, Ahn Seyoung improved her career head-to-head record to 19 wins and 5 losses against Wang.

With this victory, Ahn Seyoung completed her career Grand Slam. In badminton, a Grand Slam refers to winning the Olympics, World Championships, Continental Championships, and Continental Multi-Sport Games. Ahn Seyoung won the World Championships and Asian Games in 2023 and captured the Olympic gold medal in 2024. The Asian Championships, however, had eluded her. She won bronze in 2022 and silver in 2023, was eliminated in the quarterfinals in 2024, and missed last year’s tournament due to injury. With this championship, she finally completed her career Grand Slam.

Seyoung Ahn kisses the trophy after defeating world No. 2 Wang Ziyi of China to win the 2026 Asian Championships final held in Ningbo, China on the 12th. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

In the first set, Ahn Seyoung dominated Wang Ziyi. After a 7-7 tie, she scored four consecutive points to take control, then, after conceding one point, scored another four in a row to widen the gap to 15-8. Ahn Seyoung took the first set 21-12.

In the second set, she fell behind early 2-8, losing momentum. Though Ahn Seyoung kept chasing, she ultimately dropped the set 17-21.

In the third set, she seized the early initiative by scoring three consecutive points from the start. Ahn Seyoung led comfortably at 13-7, but Wang Ziyi mounted a fierce comeback. After allowing the score to be tied at 15-15, Ahn Seyoung scored four straight points to regain the upper hand. She finished the set 21-18, achieving a remarkable feat. It took her 8 years and 5 months to complete the Grand Slam since first joining the adult national team at age 15 years and 12 months in December 2017.

Ahn Seyoung is only the second women's singles player in history to achieve the Grand Slam, following Carolina Marin (Spain). Marin, the 2016 Rio Olympic gold medalist, has won the World Championships three times, the European Championships seven times, and the European Games once. In men's singles, only three players—China's Lin Dan, Denmark's Viktor Axelsen, and one other—have achieved the Grand Slam.

Ahn Seyoung is also the first Korean badminton singles player—male or female—to complete a career Grand Slam. In doubles, several players, including Park Joobong, Kim Dongmoon, and Kim Moonsu, have achieved the career Grand Slam.

The men's doubles team of Park Joobong and Kim Moonsu completed the Grand Slam by winning the World Championships and Asian Championships in 1985, the Seoul Asian Games in 1986, and the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. Kim Dongmoon achieved the Grand Slam in mixed doubles. After winning gold with Gil Youngah at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, he teamed up with Ra Kyungmin to sweep the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games, Asian Championships, and the 1999 World Championships.

At this tournament, the world number one men's doubles team of Seo Seungjae and Kim Wonho also captured the Asian title. Seo Seungjae and Kim Wonho defeated the world number 22 team of Kang Minhyuk and Ki Dongju in the final, 2-0 (21-13, 21-17), to lift the championship trophy.

In mixed doubles, Kim Jaehyun and Jang Hajung pulled off a surprise victory. Ranked 147th in the world, Kim Jaehyun and Jang Hajung stunned several higher-ranked opponents at this event. They defeated Indonesia's Jafar Hidayatullah and Felisha Alberta Nathaniel Pasaribu (ranked 10th) in the round of 16, and Malaysia's Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei (ranked 4th) in the quarterfinals. In the final, they claimed victory by walkover against the world number 3 pair of Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai (Thailand) to take the trophy.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.