KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia continues to be a happy hunting ground for South Korean women’s singles player An Se Young, who is one step away from clinching her second Super 1000 title.
World number four Se Young stunned world number two Chen Yu Fei 21-12, 19-21, 21-9 in the 2023 Malaysia Open semi-finals at the Axiata Arena, today.
After both shuttlers won a game each, the 20-year-old Se Young got the deciding game off to a cracker as she shot into an 8-0 lead, leaving last year’s runner-up Yu Fei shell-shocked, en route to her fourth Super 1000 tournament final.
It was only Se Young’s second win over the Tokyo Olympic champion in 10 meetings, with her last win also coming at the same venue during the women’s singles final of the 2022 Malaysia Masters, a Super 500 tournament, last July.
The buoyant Se Young aims to emulate the feat achieved by her idol, Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon, who won the title last year but skipped this year’s tournament due to an injury.
More to come. - Bernama