Absent Se Young hogs limelight in Malaysia Masters final
That was how China's Wang Zhi Yi felt after successfully defending her Malaysia Masters title by beating compatriot Han Yue 13-21, 21-13, 21-18 in the women's singles final of the Malaysia Masters at Axiata Arena today.
The person on Zhi Yi's mind was not even at the venue. South Korean An Se Young, the numero uno, skipped the Malaysia Masters.
Zhi Yi, 25, pointed out that Se Young's current dominance is pushing the sport to new heights.
Zhi Yi echoed the sentiments of Japan's world No. 4 Akane Yamaguchi who said earlier this week that the rest of the world are still playing catch-up with Se Young.
"I think it's because she (Se Young) can maintain a very high level for a long time," said Zhi Yi.
"Whenever we play against her, it's a challenging situation, but having such a strong opponent is beneficial — it pushes us all to improve.
"She possesses many admirable qualities, and there's a lot we can learn from her."
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