An Se-young and the Records After Asian Games 2026 Gold: Defending the Women's Singles Crown, a 56-1 Season and a Milestone Matching Susi Susanti

INTRODUCTION: A FINAL THAT CLOSED A LONG RUN On September 29, 2026, in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, An Se-young of South Korea entered the women's singles badminton final at the Asian Games 2026 as the defending champion. She defeated Akane Yamaguchi of Japan 21-17, 21-9, successfully defending the gold medal she had won at the previous edition of the Games. The second-game scoreline of 21-9 was a clear indicator of the gap at the decisive moment: Akane Yamaguchi was not beaten by luck, but broken by a run of points that carried the force of imposition. What matters is that this achievement did not come from a single tournament. Across the whole of 2026, An Se-young played 57 matches, winning 56 and losing only 1. In her 5 matches in the women's singles draw at the Asian Games 2026, she won 10 games and dropped none. Her path ran through Smagulova, Liyanage, Ratchanok Intanon, Chen Yufei and finally Akane Yamaguchi, an escalating difficulty curve rather than a comfortable draw. This article does not merely retell the final. Its purpose is to compile and analyse the records, milestones and data signals An Se-young generated after the Asian Games 2026 title, while clearly separating verified facts from inference and from figures that require cross-checking against primary data from the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA). This is a necessary discipline: a records article is only useful when readers know exactly which numbers hold and which depend on definitions. PART 1: FIVE GROUPS OF RECORDS 1.1. First record: the first women's singles player to defend an Asian Games gold medal According to the compiled data, An Se-young is the first women's singles player to successfully defend the women's singles gold medal at the Asian Games since the event was introduced in 2026. This is the heaviest record on the list because it does not depend on how international titles are defined or how matches are counted, but on a binary event: before An Se-young, nobody had done it; after An Se-young, someone had. The quadrennial nature of the Asian Games makes this record especially difficult. An elite player usually has two, at best three, opportunities in an entire career. To defend the title, that player must sustain peak form across an Olympic cycle, absorb a generational change in rivals, handle the psychological pressure of the incumbent, and cope with rivals preparing specifically for her. Defending gold at a continental multi-sport event is far harder than winning a stop on the World Tour. This is a historical claim and must be checked against OCA records. In the source analysis it is flagged as data pending verification. Logically it is plausible: women's singles badminton at the Asian Games has a history of more than six decades, and no one having defended the title is possible given the extreme density of competition in Asia, where almost all of the world's leading women's singles powers are concentrated. 1.2. Second record: a 56-1 season in 2026 In 2026, An Se-young played 57 matches and won 56, a win rate of 98.2 percent. This is an extreme figure in women's singles, where even world number ones in other eras rarely sustain a win rate above 90 percent across a full season. The number must be read in context. A 57-match season means An Se-young entered many tournaments, travelled constantly, and carried an almost year-round competitive load. A high win rate combined with a heavy workload signals two things at once: exceptional ability, and accumulated physical stress and injury exposure. In the risk section, this is flagged as medium. Her only defeat of 2026 has no named opponent in the source data. This is a meaningful gap: if the loss came against a player with a specific countering style, it is an early warning signal; if it came in a match she withdrew from or played while overloaded, it is statistical noise. The missing opponent identity means any claim of invincibility must be held cautiously. 1.3. Third record: winning the title without dropping a game In the women's singles draw at the Asian Games 2026, An Se-young won 5 matches and 10 games without losing a game. This straight-game run came against a continental field of leading Asian players. The technical meaning is larger than it appears. In elite women's singles, winning one game against a top-10 opponent is hard; dropping no games across 5 consecutive matches against opponents including Ratchanok Intanon, Chen Yufei and Akane Yamaguchi shows An Se-young not only excelled at the decisive moments but controlled the tempo from start to finish. She did not need a third game, a comeback, or to give opponents a chance to build belief. This is high-confidence data because it is recorded directly from results and does not depend on definitions. It is also the best indicator that her form at the time of the tournament was stable, with no sign of decline in any game. 1.4. Fourth record: nine consecutive wins over Akane Yamaguchi Before the Asian Games 2026, An Se-young already had a winning streak against Akane Yamaguchi. After the final on September 29, 2026, that streak reached 9. In their last 5 meetings, An Se-young is 5-0. This carries the highest analytical weight in the source article because it describes not one match but a repeating relationship. A long winning run against an opponent of equal standing usually reflects either a style match-up advantage or accumulated psychological advantage. At 9, it is very hard to attribute the streak to luck. It also means the risk of her style being solved is low in the short term. An opponent who has lost 9 straight cannot overturn the situation with a small adjustment; they need a structural change in playing style, which usually takes months or years. 1.5. Fifth record: a 46th international title, matching Susi Susanti According to the compiled data, the Asian Games 2026 title was the 46th international title of An Se-young's career, matching the Indonesian legend Susi Susanti. This figure has strong media resonance in Asian badminton markets. However, it must be flagged as pending verification. BWF does not publish a single canonical list of a player's international titles. Different counts may include or exclude world championships, continental championships, the Asian Games, World Tour events, older Grand Prix events, team events and junior events. Saying 46 international titles is therefore definition-dependent, and any comparison with Susi Susanti must be understood as following a specific counting method, not an absolute standard. This does not reduce the achievement. It simply means readers should treat the figure as a media milestone rather than a certified historical record. 1.6. An additional milestone: the World Championships and Asian Games double, achieved twice Another milestone appears in the data: An Se-young completed the double of world champion and Asian Games champion in the same calendar year twice, in 2026 and 2026. Compared with the 46-title figure, this is far more robust, because both events have clear binary outcomes and official recognition. Its significance lies in proving she peaked over a long span, not a single season. The gap between 2026 and 2026 is three years, close to a full Olympic cycle. Repeating the double after three years shows a stable pattern, not a one-off. PART 2: TECHNICAL AND TACTICAL ANALYSIS 2.1. A warning about the limits of the data The source article is a records compilation with no shot-level technical data: no smash speed, no average rally length, no unforced error rate, no first-three-shot data. Every tactical claim here is therefore inferred from results, not observed. This is a systemic limitation of the records genre: strong on numbers, weak on mechanisms. Readers should distinguish two kinds of information: verifiable facts such as scores, matches, games and head-to-head counts, and inferences about which style produced those numbers. This article presents both while labelling confidence. 2.2. Inferred playing profile: rally-and-control with an attacking finish From her results, it is reasonable to infer An Se-young belongs to the rally-and-control group with an attacking finish. Three points support this. First, the 21-9 second game in the final. Such a margin in the closing game of a major final usually appears when a player is not only more skilled but fitter and more tactically persistent in long rallies. The opponent is worn down rally by rally until resistance collapses. Second, dropping no games across 5 straight matches shows she does not rely on bursts of brilliance. If she relied only on attack, at least one game would likely have gone to an opponent who found the rhythm. That it did not happen suggests a stable foundation with low variance. Third, the nine-match streak against Akane Yamaguchi, a player known for movement and sustained intensity, shows An Se-young holds an advantage in exactly the type of match the opponent is best at. That points to physical advantage and defensive retrieval in long rallies. Confidence across this inference is medium, and the specific mechanism of breaking opponents late in games is low confidence, because there is no point-distribution data by phase of game. 2.3. Comparison with direct rivals Compared with Akane Yamaguchi, the difference lies in finishing. Yamaguchi is a speed-and-continuity player who wins by sustaining pressure and forcing errors. An Se-young, if the inference holds, wins by controlling first and finishing second. When these models meet, the one with better conditioning and tolerance for long rallies wins. The 9-0 streak shows that in this specific pairing, An Se-young's model dominates. 2.4. Technical risk flags Two risks are flagged. First, technical claims lack data support, since the source has no shot-level data. Second, there is a risk of over-generalising from a single sample: the entire record list comes from one tournament and one season, insufficient to conclude a long-term technical model. PART 3: FORM AND HEAD-TO-HEAD DATA 3.1. Current position and career phase According to the data, An Se-young is world number one. Born in 2026, she is roughly 24 in 2026, at the peak of her career, the age at which most elite women's singles players combine fitness, competitive experience and mental stability best. 3.2. Form indicators Her recent results are 56 wins and 1 defeat in 2026 across 57 matches, with an Asian Games title and no games dropped. Result quality is top-tier, with the World Championships and Asian Games in the same year. Schedule density is high, with 57 matches in a season. Key data include 46 career international titles and nine consecutive wins over Akane Yamaguchi. Of these, schedule density is the only indicator flagged medium risk; the other three are low risk. This is a favourable structure: rising form, peak result quality, and the only risk sitting in workload. 3.3. Head-to-head Against Akane Yamaguchi, the data show nine consecutive wins and 5-0 in the last five meetings, with dominance reflected in the 21-17, 21-9 final. This is a clearly one-directional pairing. Against Chen Yufei, the overall record is not stated, but at the Asian Games 2026 An Se-young won in straight games. Against Ratchanok Intanon, the overall record is likewise unstated, and she also won in straight games at the Asian Games 2026. In both cases information is missing, but the tournament results show similar imposition. 3.4. Ranking points and the sensitivities of being number one When a player holds world number one and wins almost everything, points-defence pressure becomes self-generated. Every event she skips or loses early costs protected points. This is the paradox of the leader: the more she wins, the less room for error. On seeding, the number one ranking guarantees the top seed and draw protection, reducing short-term risk. Intra-team quota competition is not addressed in the data and cannot be analysed. 3.5. Conclusions on form First, a 56-1 season is extreme in women's singles and places An Se-young in a single-superpower tier, pending independent verification. Second, the 46 international titles figure is a media-compiled metric, definition-dependent and flagged pending verification. Third, the World Championships and Asian Games double achieved twice, in 2026 and 2026, is more robust and less contestable. 3.6. Hidden information Her only 2026 defeat has no named opponent, a significant missing item. A 57-match season also suggests an aggressive multi-event scheduling strategy, raising late-season fatigue exposure. PART 4: TOURNAMENT SYSTEM AND THE PLACE OF THE ASIAN GAMES 4.1. Where the Asian Games sits The Asian Games is a continental multi-sport event, not a BWF World Tour stop. Its prestige value exceeds its ranking-point value. For a player like An Se-young, the Asian Games title matters more for legacy and career narrative than for ranking mechanics. This is why the source record list focuses on historical milestones rather than ranking metrics. Records such as being the first to defend a gold medal can only exist at a quadrennial Games, where career opportunities are strictly limited. 4.2. Field quality Her opponents at the Asian Games 2026 were Smagulova, Liyanage, Ratchanok Intanon, Chen Yufei and Akane Yamaguchi, an escalating draw: two lower-ranked opponents followed by three continental leaders. Beating all three without dropping a game underpins the quality of the title. 4.3. Format and its impact The women's singles draw is single-elimination. Randomness is low to medium: few matches, each decisive, but for a player in dominant form, the risk of an early exit is greatly reduced. There is also a team event. One notable detail: South Korea used An Se-young in the team semi-final against Japan, where she beat Akane Yamaguchi, yet South Korea took only bronze. This matters because a team tie outcome does not necessarily reflect individual head-to-head results. 4.4. Conclusions on the tournament system First, the Asian Games is a continental multi-sport event with prestige value above ranking-point value, so this result matters more for legacy. Second, the article's central record, being the first women's singles player to defend an Asian Games gold since the event was introduced in 2026, requires cross-checking against OCA records. Third, the team-event detail shows the limiting factor for the Korean women's team in the team format is squad depth, not An Se-young's individual form. 4.5. Hidden information The final date of September 29, 2026 sits within the scheduled Games window, giving the data internal plausibility. Whether Asian Games badminton results count toward BWF world ranking points is unaddressed and affects the points-defence framing. PART 5: THE WORLD LANDSCAPE IN WOMEN'S SINGLES 5.1. The landscape map Three tiers describe the current landscape. Tier one has a single name: An Se-young. Tier two comprises Akane Yamaguchi, Chen Yufei and Ratchanok Intanon. Tier three, the chasing pack, includes Wang Zhiyi, Han Yue and an ageing Tai Tzu-ying. This is a one-superpower-plus-contenders structure, relatively rare in women's singles, where at least two or three players usually compete at the top. 5.2. Comparing the powers On world ranking, An Se-young is number one, with a clear gap over Akane Yamaguchi and Chen Yufei in the top 10. On depth, South Korea depends heavily on An Se-young while China and Japan have broader women's singles squads. On system resources, South Korea has state support, comparable at the top with China's state system and Japan's corporate-team model, but South Korea is a single-point dependency. 5.3. Succession signals An Se-young, born in 2026, represents the young guard already at the summit. Tai Tzu-ying represents the fading veteran generation. The shift shows women's singles is in transition, but the recipient of dominance is one individual, not a group. 5.4. Conclusions on the landscape First, the record list is essentially a dynasty-continuation signal for Korean women's singles, but it is a single-star phenomenon: Korea's team bronze despite An beating Yamaguchi exposes the depth gap. Second, the nine-match streak suggests the traditional Japan-China-Korea balance has tilted toward a single dominant pole. Third, straight-game losses for Chen Yufei and Ratchanok Intanon reinforce that tier two currently has no reliable answer to An Se-young. PART 6: RULES, INSTITUTIONS AND VERIFICATION 6.1. Rule check The source article addresses no rules content: no serving or officiating rules, no participation obligations or withdrawal rules, no selection or registration system, no anti-doping. Most of this dimension is therefore not applicable. 6.2. Institutional impact scenarios Three scenarios: worst case, a later eligibility or records-verification dispute reclassifies one or more records; neutral case, records stand as reported with no institutional friction; optimistic case, OCA and BWF confirm the records, cementing the legacy. 6.3. The only institutional exposure The only exposure is verification of the records themselves. The 46 international titles figure and the claim about consecutive Korean champions are historical claims requiring association and OCA confirmation. The cited precedent is the mixed doubles pairs Park Joo-bong and Chung Myung-hee from 2026 to 2026, and Kim Dong-moon and Ra Kyung-min from 2026 to 2026. These are historical data claims requiring independent verification. 6.4. Hidden information An Se-young publicly raised concerns about national-team injury management and support systems in 2026, so institutional-relationship risk is non-zero even if absent here. There are no doping, integrity or match-fixing signals. PART 7: COACHING TEAM AND SUPPORT SYSTEM 7.1. Information status The source does not address the coaching team: no information on the head coach's ability or style, on staff stability, or on selection decisions. For singles, pairing decisions do not apply. 7.2. Support system There is no information on sparring partners, technical analysis, strength and conditioning, rehabilitation staffing, or technology adoption. The overall model is inferred to be a state-supported national team. 7.3. Key-person status An Se-young is at the peak of her age curve, around 24. Injury risk is medium, given a history of knee and patellar issues. Her institutional status is established within the national team. Public-opinion pressure is elevated given her high media profile. 7.4. Conclusions on the support system First, a 57-match workload implicitly tests the quality of the conditioning and rehabilitation team; a heavy schedule is only sustainable with elite support. Second, her history of publicly questioning national-team injury management makes support-system quality a live variable for sustained dominance. 7.5. Hidden information Single-star dependency increases the opportunity cost of any injury to Korean women's singles. If her dominance is support-driven, other nations may seek to replicate the model. PART 8: RISK SURFACE 8.1. Risk matrix Injury: knee, patellar and lower-back load from a 57-match season; medium level, medium probability, high impact; mitigation via load management and selective scheduling. Competitive: style solved by rivals after nine straight losses to An; low level, low probability, medium impact; mitigation via tactical variation. Ranking and qualification: points-defence pressure as number one; low level, low probability, medium impact; mitigation by maintaining top-tier entries. Personnel structure: single-star dependency in Korean women's singles; medium level, medium probability, medium impact; mitigation by developing second and third singles. Rules and discipline: records-verification dispute; low level, low probability, low impact; mitigation by citing OCA and BWF primary data. Public opinion and commercial: overhype then backlash if dominance breaks; low level, low probability, medium impact; mitigation via narrative balance. Systemic: event or schedule disruption, since the Asian Games is quadrennial; low level, low probability, medium impact. 8.2. Overall risk rating Overall risk is low to medium. This is a positive records compilation with no inherent competitive risk. The elevated elements are injury exposure from a heavy workload and the structural fragility of a single-star national programme. Neither is a current problem, but both are forward-looking watch items. 8.3. Conclusions on risk First, the dominant near-term risk is injury from schedule overload, based on the 57-match season. Second, style-solved risk is low, because a nine-match streak against a top rival indicates a persistent rather than fragile advantage. Third, verification risk is real: several headline records are historical and definitional and could be contested. PART 9: NARRATIVE AND EXPECTATIONS 9.1. The current narrative The narrative centres on the coronation of a dominant queen and the continuation of a dynasty. The heat cycle is at its climax phase. 9.2. Narrative sustainability Fundamentals support it strongly: the number one ranking, a 56-1 season, and a straight-game title run. On sample size, the data suffice for dominance, but the 46-title comparison is definition-sensitive. Expected duration is medium to long term, anchored to her peak years and the Los Angeles 2028 cycle. 9.3. Expectation gap On player results, the market expects continued dominance, supported by fundamentals, small gap, reasonable. On the landscape, the market expects An as clear number one, supported by the 9-0 run over Yamaguchi, small gap, reasonable. On major-event outlook, the market expects gold at Los Angeles 2028, plausible but early, medium gap, reasonable to optimistic. 9.4. Sentiment indicators Frenzy or disappointment signals are not quantified in the source, but An Se-young is a high-profile national figure. The ratio of social heat to fundamentals is likely aligned rather than divergent, since the results justify the attention. 9.5. Olympic-cycle narrative The cycle is in post-Paris 2026 digestion and Los Angeles 2028 build-up. The framing of reigning world and Asian Games champion will raise must-win expectations for Los Angeles 2028. 9.6. Conclusions on narrative First, the narrative is a dynasty storyline well supported by fundamentals, not a bubble. Second, the main narrative risk is over-attribution: framing multi-year dominance as inevitable invites sharp backlash if form dips. Third, the matching-Susi Susanti framing is emotionally potent in Asian badminton markets and will drive coverage, but it rests on a soft metric. PART 10: BADMINTON INDUSTRY TRANSMISSION 10.1. Transmission map The chain runs from upstream youth and talent supply, linked to Korea's women's singles pipeline, through the midstream player and tournament layer, linked to An Se-young's dominance, to downstream equipment, broadcast and derivatives. 10.2. Per-domain impact Equipment brands: positive via star endorsement value, medium magnitude, short to medium term. Tournament commerce: positive via the Asian Games host market, medium magnitude, short term. Regional markets: positive in Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia, medium magnitude, medium term. Talent development: positive via inspiration effect, small to medium magnitude, long term. Derivatives: positive via content and highlights, small magnitude, short term. Capital and institutions: neutral, small magnitude, medium term. 10.3. Conclusions on industry First, her dominance supports equipment and broadcast value in Korean and Asian markets, reinforcing the star-drives-category dynamic. Second, the records narrative is itself a content-industry product: milestone listicles are optimised for social sharing, indicating her high media-market value. PART 11: A VIEW FROM VIETNAM 11.1. Why this matters in Vietnam For Vietnamese badminton, An Se-young's story offers reference value in three areas. First, the model of building a world-class women's singles player from a country with intertwined school and national sport systems. Second, workload management: a 57-match season is a figure most Vietnamese players cannot pursue given funding, medical staffing and scheduling limits. Third, how the athlete-federation relationship is handled, a topic that has appeared in Vietnamese sport. 11.2. The data gap What stands out is data quality. The An Se-young story is built on verifiable numbers: matches, games, head-to-head counts, titles. For Vietnamese badminton, standardising match data, including at national and junior level, is a low-cost, high-value step, because good data enables opponent analysis, load monitoring and evidence-based communications. 11.3. A lesson on regional competitive thresholds At Southeast Asian level, the realistic goal for Vietnamese players is competing at the SEA Games and continental events. An Se-young's story shows the gap between the Southeast Asian tier and the continental summit remains large, and it lies not only in technique but in conditioning, medical and data systems. This is contextual, not a prediction about any specific Vietnamese player. 11.4. Inspirational value On the positive side, the dominance of an Asian player in women's singles raises the profile of badminton in the region, which can draw sponsor and audience interest in Southeast Asian markets. For Vietnam, that is an opportunity to grow recreational participation and viewership of international events. PART 12: OVERALL JUDGMENT 12.1. Core judgment The source article is a record and milestone compilation celebrating An Se-young's defence of her Asian Games women's singles gold at Aichi-Nagoya 2026, positioning her as the dominant figure of modern women's singles. Its competitive core is a 56-1 season and back-to-back Asian Games titles. Its weaknesses are the complete absence of tactical and verification data, plus several definition-sensitive historical claims. 12.2. Information-value rating Competitive value: four out of five stars, for strong, verifiable core results including 56-1, the title defence and the 9-0 run over Yamaguchi. Industry value: two out of five stars, with no commercial or industry content, only contextual inference. Timeliness: four out of five stars, covering a very recent, high-prestige event. Reference value: three out of five stars, useful as a milestone record but requiring verification. 12.3. Key risk warnings, in priority order First, medium: schedule-overload injury exposure implied by a 57-match season; recommendation to monitor her schedule and withdrawal signals. Second, medium: records-verification risk on the 46 international titles, the consecutive Korean champions claim, and the first-to-defend claim; recommendation to cross-check OCA and BWF primary sources. Third, low to medium: single-star structural dependency in Korean women's singles, shown by the team bronze despite her win over Yamaguchi; recommendation to track Korea's second and third singles. Fourth, low: over-attribution and backlash if dominance breaks; recommendation to frame records as results, not inevitability. 12.4. Highlights and opportunities First, high certainty: the 9-0 run over Akane Yamaguchi signals a genuine, sustained head-to-head advantage, with a time window running through the Los Angeles 2028 cycle. Second, medium certainty: the World Championships and Asian Games double achieved twice, in 2026 and 2026, is a robust, verifiable legacy marker, with a long-term window. Third, medium certainty: the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya boosts the Japanese and Asian badminton market and broadcast interest, with a short to medium-term window. PART 13: SIGNALS TO TRACK First signal: the single 2026 defeat. Track by identifying opponent and scoreline. Trigger condition: recurrence against the same style. Expected impact: a potential match-up vulnerability. Second signal: An Se-young's schedule load. Track by tournament count and withdrawals. Trigger condition: rising withdrawals or fatigue losses. Expected impact: injury risk and ranking points defence. Third signal: rivals' tactical response. Track via head-to-head against Akane Yamaguchi and Chen Yufei in coming meetings. Trigger condition: a first loss to a top rival. Expected impact: a narrative shift from dynasty to contest. Fourth signal: records confirmation. Track via official OCA and BWF records. Trigger condition: discrepancy with the article's claims. Expected impact: a downgrade in reference value. Fifth signal: Korean women's singles depth. Track via second and third singles results. Trigger condition: continued underperformance in the team format. Expected impact: structural risk to the Korean programme. PART 14: TERMS TO UNDERSTAND CORRECTLY The Asian Games is a quadrennial continental multi-sport event; women's singles badminton has been contested since 2026 according to the source article. The World Championships is the BWF's annual individual world-title event, not held in Olympic years. The World Championships and Asian Games double means winning both titles in the same calendar year. Head-to-head, or H2H, is the historical meeting record between two players. Rally-and-control is a style built on controlling and moving the opponent before striking. Points defence is managing the ranking points a player must protect as old results expire. Single-elimination is a format where one loss ends a player's campaign. PART 15: DISCLAIMER This article is based on public information and the Stage-1 text-analysis results. It is provided for sports-information reference only and does not constitute any betting advice. Sports competition results are highly uncertain. Several historical records cited in the source article are definition-sensitive and are marked as data pending verification, including the 46 international titles figure, the claim about consecutive Korean champions, and the claim of being the first women's singles player to defend an Asian Games gold. Readers should view the analytical conclusions rationally and distinguish clearly between verified facts and inferences of varying confidence. CONCLUSION What remains after An Se-young's Asian Games 2026 title is not only a second consecutive gold medal, but a set of data showing a player at a rare peak in women's singles badminton. A 56-1 season, a title run without dropping a game, a nine-match winning streak over Akane Yamaguchi, and a World Championships and Asian Games double achieved twice in three years are milestones of differing weight pointing in the same direction. This article also points to limits. Shot-level technical data does not exist in the source, so every description of playing style is inference. Several records are historical and definition-dependent, requiring cross-checking against primary OCA and BWF records. And two long-term risks remain: a 57-match season creates injury exposure, and Korea's women's singles structure depends on one individual, shown clearly by the team bronze despite her win over Akane Yamaguchi. For Vietnamese badminton, this story is a useful reference on building data systems, managing workload, and handling the relationship between athlete and national sports system. Above all, it is a reminder that even the most impressive dominance streaks are made of specific matches with specific numbers, which must be recorded and verified carefully.