SEOUL: Badminton world number one An Se Young said she was “very proud” of her achievements after winning an incredible 11th title of the year at her home Korea Open on Sunday.
The 24-year-old beat Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi 21-12, 15-21, 21-16 in the final in Yeosu to extend an unbeaten run that stretches back to March.
Se Young has been head and shoulders above the rest of the competition this year but she said she still had to be on her guard against world number two Yamaguchi.
“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,” Se Young told the Badminton World Federation.
“When the match was over, I was very proud of myself.
“It felt a bit different because it’s my home tournament.”
It was Se Young ‘s 11th straight win over Yamaguchi.
Yamaguchi’s most recent win over the world number one 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,” said Se Young.
“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 titles Se Young did not win this year, she finished runner-up at the All-England Open and pulled out injured from the Japan Open.
She claimed her second world crown 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,” said Se Young.
“I’m just so proud and happy that so many people in Korea are now supporting badminton.” – AFP