Suwon: World No. 1 An Se-young has advanced to the semifinals of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour event in South Korea, positioning herself just two victories away from clinching her eighth international title of the year. An showcased her dominance by defeating Japan's Tomoka Miyazaki in straight sets, 2-0 (21-7, 21-17), during the women's singles quarterfinals at the Suwon Gymnasium, located 30 kilometers south of Seoul.
According to Yonhap News Agency, An exerted control throughout the first game, facing minimal resistance. The second game saw a more competitive edge as Miyazaki managed to level the score at 15-15 after trailing 15-11. Nevertheless, An secured the win by claiming four consecutive points, ultimately overcoming the 10th-ranked player. With the absence of top Chinese players Wang Zhiyi, Han Yue, and Chen Yufei, An is anticipated to be the favorite for her third Korea Open title, having previously won in 2022 and 2023.
An is set to face world No. 6 Pornpawee Chochuwong from Thailand in the semifinals, holding an impressive record of 11 victories in their previous encounters.
In the men's doubles, the world No. 1 pair Seo Seung-jae and Kim Won-ho triumphed over China's Ren Xiangyu and Xie Haonan, winning 2-0 (24-22, 21-11) in their quarterfinal matchup. Despite trailing in the initial game, Seo and Kim managed to equalize and eventually secure the win. Their next opponents in the semifinals will be Japan's Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi. This year, Seo and Kim have already accumulated seven international titles, including their first world championship in August.
Meanwhile, in the women's doubles, the second-seeded team of Kong Hee-yong and Kim Hye-jeong advanced to the semifinals by defeating Japan's Rui Hirokami and Sayaka Hobara 2-1 (21-16, 15-21, 21-19). They are set to compete against fellow South Koreans Baek Hana and Lee So-hee, who are the third-seeded team. Baek and Lee secured their semifinal spot by defeating Hsieh Pei-Shan and Hung En-Tzu of Chinese Taipei 2-0 (21-17, 21-17).