Even if you skip the competition, you’ll be ‘over the moon’… ‘Cheol Ongseong’ 14,000 points away from second place
“You have to avoid Ahn Se-young to survive”… Chen Yu-fei’s ‘calculated run’ to regain 3rd place
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[파이낸셜뉴스] Even if he stayed still, the throne did not shake. Rather, competitors’ impatience is only increasing.
‘Shuttlecock Empress’ Ahn Se-young (24, Samsung Life Insurance) maintained her No. 1 position in the world rankings by maintaining an overwhelming point gap. On the other hand, China’s ace Chen Yufei (28) began a fierce pursuit and took strategic steps to ‘avoid Ahn Se-young.’
According to the latest world rankings announced by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) on the 27th (Korean time), Ahn Se-young took first place in women’s singles with 117,270 ranking points.
The gap with 2nd place Wang Ziyi (China, 103,362 points) is about 14,000 points, a gap that is difficult to overcome in a short period of time.
After winning the Malaysia Open and India Open in succession early this season, Ahn Se-young skipped the Indonesia Masters (Super 500) last week to improve her condition. Although he saved up his stamina through ‘selection and concentration’, he had so many points that he had no problem securing first place. This is the prevailing view that Ahn Se-young’s solo system will continue for the time being.
What is interesting is the tectonic shift in the top three. While Ahn Se-young was resting, Chen Yu-fei won the Indonesia Masters and jumped to third place in the rankings (94,635 points). She pushed Akane Yamaguchi (Japan, 93,064 points) to 4th place and re-entered the ‘Big 3’.
China’s Chen Yufei. Yonhap News
It is analyzed that Chen Yufei’s forced march was based on thorough calculation. If she stays in 3rd or 4th place according to the current ranking system, there is a high possibility that she will clash with Ahn Se-young early in the semifinals of major tournaments such as the All England Open. From China’s perspective, they are using a strategy to raise Chen Yufei to second place and place her at both ends of the bracket with Ahn Se-young in order to prevent ‘team kill’ or physical exhaustion before the finals.
Meanwhile, Korean badminton continued its strength in doubles as well as women’s singles. The men’s doubles pair of Kim Won-ho (27) and Seo Seung-jae (29, Samsung Life Insurance) was ranked first in the world with a gap of more than 26,000 points over the second-place group.
Meanwhile, after taking a moment to catch their breath, Ahn Se-young and the Korean national team will participate in the Asian Men’s and Women’s Team Championships to be held in Qingdao, China on February 3, and will once again achieve a golden smash.
jsi@fnnews.com Reporter Jeon Sang-il
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