Seoul: World No. 1 An Se-young finished as the runner-up at the Korea Open, narrowly missing her eighth victory on the BWF World Tour this season. The home crowd at Suwon Gymnasium witnessed An's defeat to Japan's Akane Yamaguchi, the No. 2 seed, with a score of 2-0 (21-18, 21-13) in the women's singles final.
According to Yonhap News Agency, An, the top-seeded South Korean, saw her record against Yamaguchi drop to 14-15, marking her first loss to the Japanese player in four encounters this year. An, who clinched the 2024 Olympic gold medal, has been a formidable force on the tour, with victories in seven tournaments, including the esteemed All England Open. Despite a setback at the world championships in Paris last month, where she settled for bronze, An rebounded with a win at the China Masters.
An, who had previously secured the Korea Open titles in 2022 and 2023, was aiming for her third consecutive win in the tournament. However, on Sunday, she struggled against Yamaguchi's skillful play, trailing by as much as 15-10 in the opening game. Although she managed to level the score at 17-17, Yamaguchi clinched four of the next five points to take the game. The second game saw An continually on the back foot, with Yamaguchi maintaining a comfortable lead throughout.
Despite the loss, the hometown fans gave An a warm ovation as she acknowledged their support. "Yamaguchi played a perfect match, and I had to play from behind," An remarked. "Her attacks were so quick that I had trouble keeping pace. With so many fans cheering for me, I really wanted to win, but I guess this was not my day."
An was considered the favorite at Suwon due to the absence of Chinese rivals Wang Zhiyi, Han Yue, and Chen Yufei. However, she admitted the increasing difficulty of winning international competitions. "It's hard to determine just how much harder I have to try," An said. "My arrivals are coming out stronger and stronger at every competition. I have to keep getting better, too."
Reflecting on her season, An described it as tumultuous, noting, "As good as I was in the beginning, I faded away in the second half. So it has not been a good year at all. It's forced me to look at myself in the mirror." She expressed a desire to win the remaining tournaments of the year, emphasizing her focus on staying healthy and playing to her potential.
In a successful day for South Korea, the men's and women's doubles titles were swept by local teams. Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae, the top seeds, triumphed over Indonesia's Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri with a score of 2-0 (21-16, 23-21), marking their eighth international title this season. Seo and Kim, who reunited at the start of this season, have shown remarkable synergy, with Seo attributing their success to their complementary skills.
In the women's doubles final, the South Korean duo of Kim Hye-jeong and Kong Hee-yong defeated Japan's top-seeded team of Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi 2-0 (21-19, 21-12). This victory marked Kim and Kong's first Korea Open title together, with Kong having previously won the event in 2019 with a different partner.