▲ Source | Shim Yu-jin's SNS
By Park Dae-hyun, SPOTV News — Korea isn’t leaning only on An Se-young. No. 3 Shim Yu-jin (Incheon International Airport, world No. 20) is also playing a crucial role as Korea pursues a third Uber Cup crown.
Shim took the court as Korea’s second singles player on April 26 (Korea time) for Group D’s second match against Bulgaria at the 2026 World Women’s Team Championships (the Uber Cup) in Horsens, Denmark.
Earlier, An Se-young opened the tie by dispatching Kaloyana Nalbantova (Bulgaria, world No. 49) 2-0 (21-7, 21-9).
Shim kept the momentum rolling.
She overwhelmed Gergana Pavlova (Bulgaria, world No. 177), winning 2-0 in just 24 minutes to push Korea into a 2-0 lead in the tie.
Shim dominated from the outset, cruising to an 11-3 lead by the first interval.
After the break she controlled the match with probing pushes, sharp hairpins and angled half-smashes to maintain the gap.
She closed out the opening game 21-6 and seized the initiative.
The first game lasted only 10 minutes, and the average rally was just 5.2 shots — evidence of her commanding tempo.
The second game played out the same way. Shim led 11-5 at the interval and quickly reached match point at 20-9.
A long backhand from Gergana sealed it, and Shim improved her Uber Cup record to 12-1.
▲ Source | 'Badmintonasia' SNS
Shim also drew attention on April 11 when she faced An Se-young.
At the 2026 Asian Badminton Championships in Ningbo, China, she pushed the “Korean queen” for a spot in the final in the women’s singles semifinals.
Although she lost 0-2 (14-21, 9-21), Shim had turned heads earlier in the event by beating Japanese veteran Nozomi Okuhara (world No. 15) in the quarterfinals and upsetting world No. 5 Han Yue (China) in the round of 32, showing sharp shot-making throughout.
Depth matters in the Uber Cup — team balance is everything.
Still, because a tie is decided over five matches across singles and doubles, the individual quality of ranked players can swing a result.
That’s why backups behind the top player — like Shim Yu-jin and Kim Ga-eun (Samsung Life, world No. 18) — must manage their form carefully.
From that angle, Shim’s 12-1 Uber Cup record is a strong positive for Korea as it looks to reclaim the title.
