S. Korea’s An cruises to Thailand Open final

S. Korea’s An cruises to Thailand Open final

An Se-young comfortably beat Spain’s Carolina Marin 21-16, 21-12.

South Korean An Se-young will meet China’s He Bingjiao in the final of the Thailand Open. (AP pic)
BANGKOK:
Badminton women’s singles world No 2 An Se-young sailed into the final of the Thailand Open today, comfortably upstaging Carolina Marin.

The 21-year-old South Korean — who won the All England Open as well as tournaments in India and Indonesia this year — was electric on the court, claiming the semifinal in straight games 21-16, 21-12.

An looked dangerous early in the first game with clever net work and lethal smashes, while Marin was sent diving across the court and struggled to hit winners.

Marin, 29, tried to mount a comeback in the second but the Spaniard quickly ran out of steam.

An has made the final of every tournament she has played in this year and said she was feeling confident heading into tomorrow.

“I will do my best to make a great match,” she told reporters.
An will meet world No 5 He Bingjiao in the final after the Chinese powerhouse beat Mia Blichfeldt from Denmark 21-13, 21-18.

World No 6 Marin, the Rio Olympic gold medallist, has faced a long road to recovery from a devastating knee injury that ruled her out of the Tokyo Olympics and denied her the chance to defend her title.

A disappointed Marin said she had made too many mistakes and her opponent had controlled the shuttle and on-court drift better.

In the men’s singles draw, Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu will face Frenchman Toma Junior Popov later today, while India’s Lakshya Sen will play world number five Kunlavut Vitidsarn from Thailand.

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