Ahn Se-young defeats Japan to reach round of 16 at Asian Championships

World No. 1 badminton women's singles player Ahn Se-young (Samsung Life Insurance) has advanced to the round of 16 at the Asian Individual Championships.

Ahn defeated world No. 17 Nozomi Okuhara (JPN) 2-1 (21-15 18-21 21-17) in the round of 32 of the women's singles event at the Ningbo Olympic Sports Center in Ningbo, China, on Tuesday (Feb. 10).

Ahn faced a tough match against Okuhara, who was ranked No. 1 in the world in 2019, but she came from behind to take the first game.

She then dropped the next two games in close contests, but held on to her lead in the third game to seal the victory.

This is the last event to count towards the Paris 2024 Olympic Games ranking. Ahn, who is virtually assured of qualifying for the Olympics, is still nursing knee and thigh injuries but is using this tournament to improve her form.

Ahn will face world No. 20 Busanan Nambrungpan (THA) on Nov. 11 for a spot in the quarterfinals.

Ahn leads their head-to-head head-to-head with six wins.