Dominant run in Shenzhen
An Se-young, the world's number one in women's singles, claimed her third consecutive China Masters title on Sunday by defeating Japan's Tomoka Miyazaki in the final. The match, held at Shenzhen Arena in Shenzhen, China, ended with scores of 21-17 and 21-6 in favor of the South Korean, who needed only 45 minutes to secure the victory.[S1][S2]
Throughout the tournament, An did not lose a single game in her five matches. This performance builds on her second career world title, which she won in August. The China Masters served as her final competitive event before the upcoming Asian Games, scheduled to take place in Japan's Aichi Prefecture.[S1][S2]
Final match details
In the opening game, Miyazaki offered strong resistance early, never trailing by more than two points until An moved ahead 13-10. An then capitalized on two errant returns from her opponent to score consecutive points. Miyazaki narrowed the gap to 18-15, but An closed out the game 21-17 with a smash that Miyazaki could not return.[S1][S2]
The second game was one-sided from the start, as An won the first eight points. After Miyazaki scored her first point to make it 8-1, An responded with three unanswered points and eventually finished the match on a 6-1 run. With this win, An improved her head-to-head record against Miyazaki to 8-0.[S1][S2]
Asian Games prospects
The Asian Games will begin with the women's team event on September 20, where An and her South Korean teammates will attempt to defend their gold medal. The women's singles competition starts on September 25, with the final scheduled for September 29. An is widely regarded as the favorite to win her second consecutive gold in the event.[S1][S2]
No Korean badminton player, male or female, has ever won back-to-back Asian Games gold medals. An's recent form, including her world title and this China Masters victory, positions her strongly to break that streak.[S1][S2]
