New Delhi: An Se Young may not be playing in her home country, but her die-hard fans are all over the world. India is no different. With no Indian in action on the final day, the South Korean world No. 1 had the vocal support of a packed arena in the women’s singles final against Japanese defending champion Akane Yamaguchi at the BWF World Championships at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here.
Paris Olympics champion An, 24, produced a terrific display to stop Yamaguchi, who was attempting to become the first woman shuttler to win four world singles titles. The 29-year-old is tied with Spain’s Carolina Marin on three titles. But An blitzed her way to a 21-17, 21-14 win in 49 minutes.
It was her second world title, adding to the 2023 crown when she beat Marin in the final. The Korean now holds a full set of titles -- World, Olympic, Asian Games and Asian.
On Saturday, in the semi-finals, An beat Chinese third seed Wang Zhi Yi 24-22, 21-16 in an engrossing battle. Despite the match starting late in the evening, an impressive crowd was in the stands to watch her, and she did not disappoint. It was the only match in which An was pushed physically and tactically, but the Korean came through unscathed.
In the final, An Se was a step ahead of Akane, and her attacking game left the Japanese with no answers. She took the shuttle early and never got drawn into Akane’s defensive game, instead looking to finish points.
{{/usCountry}}In the final, An Se was a step ahead of Akane, and her attacking game left the Japanese with no answers. She took the shuttle early and never got drawn into Akane’s defensive game, instead looking to finish points.
{{/usCountry}}At 29, Akane’s physical play and counter-attacking style aren’t sharp enough, especially against someone like An, who has so many attacking shots in her armoury. Her drives and smashes were hit with power, while her drops were devastating. After one marathon, engrossing rally closer to the finish line -- 33-shot rally at 17-13 in the second game -- An closed it out with a beautiful drop that left Akane sprawled after her vain effort to retrieve it.
This title will further add to her greatness. An’s domination at the top has not really been challenged. The players from the golden generation of women’s singles are past their prime. Nothing illustrates this more than this World Championships. Two former champions, Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon and Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara, retired midway through the tournament. Another champion, India’s PV Sindhu, has shown a resurgence and produced a fighting display against Wang Zhi Yi in the round of 16.
While men’s singles is seeing a new generation of players battle for supremacy, the women’s side is waiting for a challenger to An. However, this is the last World Championships in this format. The shorter 13x5 scoring system being introduced next year could transform how the game is played.
The bad news for the challengers is that An is only 24.