Latest news with #SeYoung
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Shi beats Lanier to win Japan Open badminton title
TOKYO: China's former badminton world No. 1 Shi Yuqi won the Japan Open title today, beating French defending champion Alex Lanier 21-17, 21-15 in the final. South Korea's An Se Young downed China's Wang Zhiyi 21-12, 21-10 in the women's final to capture an incredible sixth title in seven tournaments so far this year. Shi was replaced at the top of the men's world rankings by Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn in June, but he was too good for rising star Lanier in Tokyo. The Chinese player came out on top after a close first game and wore his 20-year-old opponent down to close out the match in 50 minutes. "I wanted to take it at my own pace, and even if I was losing I knew it was important to dig in," said current world No. 3 Shi, who won his third title of the year. "My opponent is young and he has a lot of physical strength, so I knew I had to stick to my own style." Lanier won his first major senior title in Tokyo last year and he followed it up with victory at the European Championships in April. He will attempt to win the world title in front of his home fans in Paris next month, but he admitted he felt pressure in Tokyo as the defending champion. "I don't think that it is affecting me mentally, but physically you play with a bit more pressure," he said. "The movements are a bit less relaxed and there are some distractions in the timing, in the footwork." World women's No. 1 Se Young extended her remarkable run of form with a dominating win over second-seeded Wang. Se Young's only defeat this year came in the quarter-finals of the Singapore Open last month. "I always have areas that need to be improved on so I work on those in training," said the 23-year-old Se Young, who won gold at last year's Paris Olympics. "I challenge myself and that's what leads to these results – I put in extra effort on the things that need improving." China's Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin took the mixed doubles title, beating Thailand's Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Suprissara Paewsampran 21-19, 16-21, 21-15 in the final. China also came out on top in women's doubles, with the top-seeded pair of Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning beating Malaysia's Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan 21-15, 21-14.
New Straits Times
25-05-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Absent Se Young hogs limelight in Malaysia Masters final
KUALA LUMPUR: The world No. 2 who beat the world No. 3 today, was left postulating how far ahead is the world No. 1. 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."
New Straits Times
23-05-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
The world is trying to catch up with Se Young
KUALA LUMPUR: South Korea's women's shuttler An Se Young has surged so far ahead, that the rest of the world is struggling to catch up with her. That was the admission by Japan's world No. 4 Akane Yamaguchi after she reached the Malaysia Masters semi-finals after beating China's world No. 14, Gao Fang Jie, 18-21, 21-16, 22-20 at the Axiata Arena on Friday. Akane is impressed by the arcane rise of Olympic champion and world No. 1 Se Young. "Previously, we were rivals and there was not much that separated us. But she has now surged ahead of everyone and we are all trying to catch up to her," she said. Although Akane holds a 14-12 edge in her head-to-head record against Se Young, the Korean has claimed victory in three of their last five meetings. Se Young aside, Akane, 27, will have to deal with the rise of Chinese shuttlers. She will next face China's world No. 3 Han Yue — who ousted Indonesia's world No. 13, Putri Kusuma Wardani, 21-12, 21-13 — in the Malaysia Masters quarter-finals. Akane, who used to battle stalwarts such as 2012 Olympic gold medallist Li Xuerui and former world champion Wang Yihan, has witnessed a changing of the guard among China's women's singles players on the World Tour. While the current crop — including world No. 2 Wang Zhiyi, Han Yue and Chen Yufei — remain formidable, Akane felt they lack the dominance of their predecessors. "Chinese players have always been strong. But compared to Xuerui and Yihan, the current generation is not as dominant," she added.
