Going for nine wins in a row… Ahn set to conquer the Chinese Open
Ahn Se-young (21-Samsung Life), the world No. 1 in women’s singles badminton, will attempt to conquer the women’s singles title at the China Open Badminton Championships 2023. She will be looking to win her ninth international title.
The Chinese Open is being held in Changzhou. Changzhou is a city north of Hangzhou, the host city of the Asian Games, with a similar climate. This tournament is a precursor to the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Ahn Se-young is a dominant force in the women”s singles. In 12 international tournaments this year, she has reached the top eight times (three runner-up finishes). At the World Championships, which concluded last month, she became the first South Korean player to win both the men’s and women’s singles titles. It was a feat not accomplished by the previous South Korean shuttlecock queen, Suh Bang-hyun (silver in 1993).
After winning the Korea Open and Japan Open in July and the World Championships last week, Ahn will be looking to win her fourth consecutive title at the China Open.
Ahn Se-young reached the quarterfinals of the China Open. She defeated World No. 13 Mai Bleekfeldt (DEN) 2-0 (21-16 21-12) in the Round of 32 and then swept World No. 11 Wang Zhiyi (CHN) 2-0 (21-14 22-20) in the Round of 16.
The cruising Ahn will face World No. 9 Han Yue (CHN) in the quarterfinals on Monday. Ahn holds a 5-1 head-to-head lead over Han Yue.
The quarterfinals feature a number of players to watch out for. Ahn will have to get past rival World No. 2 Akane Yamaguchi (JPN), World No. 6 Carolina Marin (ESP), whom she faced in the World Championships final, and World No. 4 Tai Tzu-Ying (TAI).
The reigning world champion is keen to shrug off the pressure, saying ahead of her China Open round of 16 match on Sunday: “A lot of people recognize me and that can be a pressure. But it depends on your perspective. I try to enjoy it rather than feel stressed.”
After the China Open, Ahn Se-young is in the final warm-up for the Hangzhou Asian Games. National team ace Ahn Se-young has a big role to play. After failing to win a medal at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, South Korea will be looking to bounce back in Hangzhou after 40 years since the 1978 Bangkok Games. 먹튀검증
Ahn’s ultimate goal is a “grand slam. “What I need to do in the future is to win the Asian Games, the Olympics and the Asian Championships. I want to win all of them once. The goal is a grand slam,” he said.
Ahn still has a long way to go to achieve the grand slam. Ahn will need to win gold at the Olympics, Asian Games, Sudirman Cup, Asian Championships and BWF World Tour Finals. It”s important for her to stay injury-free and perform consistently.