Badminton player An Se-young defends Asian Games title — Korea Herald

In Japan, 24-year-old badminton player An Se-young won the gold medal in the singles event at the Asian Games, defeating Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi 21-17, 21-9 in the final. She became the first athlete to win two consecutive Asian Games titles in women’s singles since badminton was added to the competition program in 1962, Korea Herald reports.

Victories without dropping a game

An Se-young did not lose a single match at the tournament. From the round of 32 to the semifinals, she finished every match in less than 40 minutes and did not concede a single game to her opponents.

In the semifinal, the athlete defeated China’s Chen Yufei 21-5, 21-12 in 38 minutes. An Se-young won the first nine rallies in the match against the world No. 4. Three years ago, she defeated Chen in the Asian Games final in Hangzhou while playing with a knee injury.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Tactics in the final

After the victory, An Se-young told reporters that the result feels like a dream to her, and thoughts about the work she has done evoke emotions. She noted that before the final, she analyzed the mistakes she made in the team competition when she rushed.

According to the badminton player, in the match against Yamaguchi, she sought to make her opponent move around the court as much as possible. This year, An Se-young also defeated Yamaguchi in the World Championships final, 21-17, 21-14, winning the title without dropping a game in six matches. Her official record this year stands at 56 wins and one loss, or 98.2% of matches won.