“Shuttlecock Empress” Ahn Se-young (Samsung Life Insurance) succeeded in advancing to the semifinals, saving the spark for the first time in three years.
Badminton world No. 1 Ahn Se-young defeated China’s Han Yu (No. 8) 2-0 (21-11, 21-15) in the third Group B match of the HSBC World Badminton Federation (BWF) World Tour Finals 2024 Women’s Singles at the Olympic Sports Center in Hangzhou, China on the 13th.
In the second Group B match on Sunday, the Japanese team lost to Akine Yamaguchi 1-2 (20-22 21-17 15-21). It was in a position to challenge for the championship only when it defeated No. 1 ranking on the day.
The worry was unfounded. Ahn Se-young, the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics gold medalist, struggled against Yamaguchi, but showed off her skills one-up against Han Yu. She soothed her regret from the previous day’s defeat.
In the final group match, Ahn Se-young defeated Han Yu and recorded 2-1 to advance to the semifinals as No. 1 in the group.
In this year’s event, Ahn defeated Sufanida Katetong of Thailand 2-0 to clinch the first match, and in the second match, she met Yamaguchi and lost one to one. However, she had her last match, and is now able to seek to regain the top spot for the first time in three years since 2021.
Ahn failed to win last year, losing 1-2 to Tai Chiu Ying of Taiwan in the semifinals of the women’s singles.
The BWF World Tour Finals is a battle between kings and kings, with eight top rankers (teams) participating in five categories: men’s and women’s singles and mixed doubles. Up to two players (teams) from one country can participate in each event.
Two players from each group will advance to the semifinals to determine the strongest team of the year. The opponent for the semifinals has yet to be determined. In Group B, Ahn and Han Yu tied with Yamaguchi at 2-1 after winning five games and losing two. However, An Se-young, who won five games and lost two games, ranked first and Han Yu-yi, who defeated Yamaguchi 2-0 (21-19, 21-17) on the 11th, advanced to the semifinals. 스포츠토토
