“Other countries can only compete for runner-up finishes,” the Beijing Youth Daily reported on Saturday regarding the dominance of South Korean badminton player An Se-young.
The Beijing Youth Daily reported on Nov. 14 that China and Japan face a battle solely for second place in women’s singles at the Kumamoto Masters while world number one An sits out the Super 500 tournament.
An withdrew from the Kumamoto event to manage her physical condition after playing a heavy schedule. She is resting and focusing on preparations for the BWF World Tour Finals in December, according to the report.
The Beijing Youth Daily reported that An is unquestionably the strongest player in women’s singles globally. Her absence leaves the door open for other contenders in Japan.
The women’s singles final at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium features world number three Wang Zhiyi against world number two Akane Yamaguchi on Sunday afternoon, Nov. 15.
Wang advanced by defeating Japan’s Tomoka Miyazaki 2-0 with set scores of 21-10 and 21-15 in the semifinals, according to the tournament results.
Yamaguchi reached the final after her opponent, world number four Chen Yufei of China, retired due to injury in the third game of their semifinal match. Chen won the opening game 21-18, lost the second 21-8, and trailed 11-4 in the third before stopping.
The Beijing Youth Daily reported that Wang remains China’s last hope for the title. Wang must get past Yamaguchi to claim the championship.
An claimed her 11th title of the season, marking the second year she has secured 11 tournament victories. That feat matches the single-season record set by Japanese men’s singles player Kento Momota in 2019.
An compiled a 71-1 record across 72 matches this season, yielding a 98.6 percent win rate. Her only loss came in March against Wang in the All England Open final.
An extended her winning streak to 55 matches by winning the Korea Open on Nov. 8. Four more wins would tie the women’s singles record of 59 victories held by Indonesia’s Susi Susanti.
An aims for her 12th title of the year at the BWF World Tour Finals next month.
