Changzhou: The newly crowned women’s singles World Champion, An Se Young of Korea, is set to square off against Japan’s former world champion (2021, 2022), Akane Yamaguchi. This will mark the duo’s 10th showdown in the final of the BWF World Tour tournament.
Highlights of An Se Young vs. Tai Tzu Ying in the 2023 China Open semi-finals:
Despite having crossed swords 20 times already, this face-off holds weighty significance for both players. As Yamaguchi leads the personal head-to-head with a tally of 12-8, the competition promises sheer intensity. It is noteworthy that among their previous battles in nine finals, Yamaguchi has emerged victorious in prestigious tournaments such as the 2020 Thailand Masters, 2021 Denmark Open, 2022 All England Championship, 2022 Japan Open, 2023 Malaysia Open, and the 2023 German Open. On the other hand, An has clinched the 2021 Indonesia Masters, 2023 India Open, and 2023 Singapore Open. Interestingly, in 2023, both players enjoyed evenly split victories with each player bagging two titles.
This year’s China Open has seen the top seed, An Se Young, showcasing her exceptional form. She stormed into the final by overpowering former world number one, Tai Tzu-Ying from Chinese Taipei, with a commendable scoreline of 21-18, 21-14. This victory marked her entrance into the final for the 12th time in her 13 tournament participations this year. The 21-year-old sensation will now be eyeing her ninth championship title of 2023.
Reflecting on An’s recent matchups with Tai Tzu Ying, out of their seven encounters this year, An has dominated in five. With her win today, she has now triumphed in five consecutive matches against Tai. The only blemish was her loss at this year’s Asian Badminton Championship final. This extends her overall lead to a commendable 9-2 against Tai Tzu Ying.
While on the other side of the net, Yamaguchi, in a thrilling semi-final, edged past the Tokyo Olympic champion, Chen Yufei. It took her a grueling 65 minutes to clinch the win with a scoreline of 19-21, 21-15, 21-17. This win brought her 20th victory against Chen in their 30 encounters and solidified her 4-1 lead in this year’s meetings. As Yamaguchi gears up for her seventh final of the year, she’s undoubtedly aiming for her fifth championship title.
Highlights of Akane Yamaguchi vs. Chen Yufei in the 2023 China Open semi-finals:
In the women’s doubles final, Chen Qing Chen/Jia Yi Fan of China will take on Baek Ha Na/Lee So Hee of Korea while reigning mixed doubles world champions – Seo Seung Jae/Chae Yu Jung will clash with Thom Gicquel/Delphine Delrue of France on Sunday.
