Badminton women’s singles world number two An Se-young smashed home victory at the final of the Thailand Open in Bangkok on Sunday, overcoming China’s He Bingjiao.
The 21-year-old South Korean came out roaring and was in knock-out form throughout the 21-10, 21-19 straight games victory in the Thai capital.
World number five He fought back in the second game — leading briefly by four points — which featured some brilliant net play from both players.
But she could not fend off a gloriously sure-footed performance from the South Korean.
On championship point, He’s serve devastatingly failed to clear the net, giving An her 15th title on the world tour.
The South Korean player is on something of a roll, having made the final of every tournament she has played this year, winning titles at the All England Open, India and Indonesia.
In the men’s final, Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn triumphed to take his kingdom’s first gold medal of the day by dominating Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu, 21-12, 21-10 in just 38 minutes.
He becomes only the fourth Thai man to have won this tournament — enthusiastically thanking the ecstatic crowd, who were noisily behind him all the way.
The world number five — who beat top-ranked Viktor Axelson at the Indian Open in January — played a dominant first game, and was troubled only briefly by an unsettled and uneven Lee.
The second game was opened by a beautiful feint from Vitidsarn, 22, tumbling the shuttlecock over the net in a move that disorientated his opponent.
The Hong Konger, ranked 17th in the world and the city’s first medalist in this tournament, fought back with some nail-biting rallies and powerful slams, but could not rattle Vitidsarn’s supreme confidence.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.