Now only one step remains to reclaim the Uber Cup title after four years. The Korea women's badminton team defeated Indonesia to advance to the final.
The Korea women's badminton team beat Indonesia 3-1 in the semifinals of the 2026 World Women's Team Championships (Uber Cup) held in Horsens, Denmark, on the 2nd (Korea time). Held every two years, the Uber Cup is the most prestigious team competition, with the country that first wins three matches out of three singles and two doubles matches declared the winner.
The "women's singles world No. 1" ace Ahn Se-young led the way to victory. She took the first singles match, defeating Putri Kusuma Wardani (No. 6) 2-0 (21-19, 21-5) to seize the initiative.
It was not as easy a match as expected. Ahn Se-young had an overwhelming 9-0 record against Wardani, so another smooth victory was anticipated this time as well.
But Ahn Se-young struggled in the first game. She allowed four consecutive points early in the game and was overtaken, reaching the interval trailing 10-11. However, Ahn Se-young was Ahn Se-young. She turned the match around at 16-15, took control at 19-16, and secured game point with a sharp diagonal attack to claim the victory.
The second game was easy. Ahn Se-young surged to 7-3 and then scored 10 consecutive points to secure the win early. The flow was so one-sided that it seemed she may have deliberately conserved energy in the first game.
In the end, Ahn Se-young did not lose focus and finished the second game with an overwhelming 21-5. Thanks to that, she completed a straight-sets victory, 2-0, in 39 minutes, making the head-to-head record 10-0.
In the first doubles, the world No. 3 pair Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee earned the second point by defeating Kusuma and Amalia Cahaya Pratiwi (No. 17) 2-1 (21-16, 19-21, 21-15). It was a fierce battle that lasted a total of 1 hour and 26 minutes.
Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee took the first game comfortably, but they failed to finish the match quickly as they allowed a late comeback in the second game. Leading 16-13, they gave up a 17-17 tie, and after a rally lasting 133 shots they conceded a point and lost momentum. With luck not on their side, they ended up dropping the second game.
Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee even started the third game nervously, trailing 0-5. But they focused and tied it at 8-8, then scored five consecutive points to pull ahead. Although they later allowed four consecutive points and let the opponent close in, aggressive play added points and they secured the victory.
In the second singles, No. 19 Shim Yu-jin faltered, losing 0-2 (19-21, 19-21) to Talita Ramadhani Wiryawan (No. 63). She led comfortably 13-10 in the first game but suddenly showed a drop in condition and collapsed after seven consecutive points. Shim Yu-jin continued to concede points in the second game, wavered, and unfortunately lost by two points.
Fortunately, the pair Jeong Na-eun and Kim Hye-jeong, who played the second doubles, dashed Indonesia's hopes. They defeated Rachel Alesya Rose and Febi Setianingrum (No. 15) 2-0 (21-16, 21-18) to seal the tie.
Jeong Na-eun and Kim Hye-jeong surged early with seven consecutive points and took the first game comfortably. In the second game they briefly allowed a comeback at 15-16 but regained their composure and reached 21 points first. The match ended with Korea's 3-1 victory.
With this, Korea avenged the pain of being denied a place in the final after losing 2-3 to Indonesia in the semifinals of the previous tournament. Now one win remains for the title, and Korea's final opponent is China, which advanced after beating Japan 3-0. A showdown between women's singles No. 1 Ahn Se-young and No. 2 Wang Zhiyi could take place.
[Photo] Badminton Korea Association/BADMINTON PHOTO.
[OSEN]