South Korea’s An Cruises To Thailand Open Final

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Badminton women’s singles world number two An Se-young sailed into the final of the Thailand Open on Saturday, 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 semi-final 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’s played in this year and said she was feeling confident heading into Sunday.

“I will do my best to make a great match,” she told reporters.

An will meet world number five He Bingjiao in the final after the Chinese powerhouse beat Mia Blichfeldt from Denmark 21-13, 21-18.

World number six 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 on Saturday, while India’s Lakshya Sen will play world number five Kunlavut Vitidsarn from Thailand.

lpm/pbt