World No. 1 An Se-young said she was “very proud” of her achievements after capturing an incredible 11th title of the year with victory at her home Korea Open on Sunday. The 24-year-old defeated Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi 21-12, 15-21, 21-16 in the final in Yeosu, extending an unbeaten streak that has lasted since March. An has been the dominant force in women’s badminton this season, but she admitted she remained wary of world No. 2 Yamaguchi throughout the contest. “She’s a player who can always keep the score close, so I tried to keep the intensity up all the way until the end,” An told the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
“When the match was over, I was very proud of myself.
“It felt a bit different because it’s my home tournament.”
The victory marked An’s 11th consecutive win over Yamaguchi.
Yamaguchi’s most recent victory against the Korean star came in the final of last year’s Korea Open.
“Whenever we play each other, sometimes I win and sometimes she does, so I didn’t think too much about last year’s result,” An said.
“Yamaguchi is a player who brings different styles into every match, so I knew it wouldn’t be easy, and it wasn’t.”
Of the tournaments she did not win this season, An finished runner-up at the All England Open and was forced to withdraw from the Japan Open due to injury.
She also claimed her second World Championship title in August in New Delhi and became the first woman to win two Asian Games singles titles in Nagoya in September.
“We don’t play many matches in Korea, so this feels like a dream moment,” An said.
“I’m just so proud and happy that so many people in Korea are now supporting badminton.”
In the men’s singles final, Canada’s Victor Lai, the second seed, defeated Hong Kong’s Jason Gunawan 21-11, 21-14 to claim the title.
The mixed doubles title went to Chinese top seeds Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin, who beat compatriots Gao Jiaxuan and Wu Mengying 21-16, 21-13.
In women’s doubles, Japan’s Rui Hirokami and Sayaka Hobara overcame South Korea’s Kim Yu-jung and Lee Yu-lim 21-18, 21-18 in the final.
The men’s doubles crown was won by South Korean top seeds Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae, who edged Japan’s Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi 21-12, 20-22, 21-19.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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