PETALING JAYA: South Korea's An Se-young remains the undisputed player to beat in women's singles after claiming her 11th title of the season at the Korean Open on Sunday (Nov 8).
The world No. 1, however, had to dig deep against Japan's Akane Yamaguchi before securing a 21-12, 15-21, 21-16 victory in a hard-fought final at the Jinnam Stadium in Yeosu.
The victory also saw Se-young equal her tally of 11 titles from last year.
What made the latest success even sweeter for Se-young was the opportunity to celebrate the milestone in front of thousands of home supporters, whose encouragement helped her through some difficult moments in the match.
"I felt so happy knowing there are so many badminton fans here.
"It is always great to win on home soil. I even got goosebumps hearing their cheers," said Se-young in a post match interview.
"I would like to thank these fans for their support. Sometimes during a match, I get discouraged when I make mistakes. But these fans helped me play with confidence even after errors.''
However, Se-young is not getting too carried away with the possibility of surpassing last year's tally of 11 titles, with only one tournament left on her schedule this season.
The world No. 1 has withdrawn from this week's Japan Masters and will also skip the Hong Kong Open next week.
She will instead enjoy a lengthy break before heading to Hangzhou, where she will attempt to defend her World Tour Finals title from Dec 9-13.
Se-young is expected to be among the eight players who qualify for the season-ending tournament through the BWF World Tour rankings.
"I am not thinking all that much about setting the record. In my next tournament, I just want to play the way I am capable of playing," she added.
There was more joy for the home crowd as world No. 1 men's doubles pair Kim Won-ho-Seo Seung-jae battled past Japan's Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi 21-12, 20-22, 21-19 in a thrilling final.
Their victory provided some consolation for the Korean camp after women's doubles pair Kim Yu-jung-Lee Yu-lim fell short against Japan's Rui Hirokami-Sayaka Hobara, losing 18-21, 18-21.
In the all-Chinese mixed doubles final, top seeds Jiang Zhenbang-Wei Yaxin lived up to expectations by defeating compatriots Gao Jiaxuan-Wu Mengying 21-16, 21-13.
Meanwhile, Canada's Victor Lai emerged victorious in the men's singles after beating Hong Kong's Jason Gunawan 21-11, 21-14 to claim his second title of the year, following his Indonesian Open success in June.
FINAL RESULTS
Men's singles: Victor Lai (Can) bt Jason Gunawan (Hkg) 21-11, 21-14.
Men's doubles: Kim Won-ho-Seo Seung-jae (Kor) bt Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi (Jpn) 21-12, 20-22, 21-19.
Women's singles: An Se-young (Kor) bt Akane Yamaguchi (Jpn) 21-12, 15-21, 21-16.
Women's doubles: Rui Hirokami-Sayaka Hobara (Jpn) bt Kim Yu-jung-Lee Yu-lim (Kor) 21-18, 21-18.
Mixed doubles: Jiang Zhenbang-Wei Yaxin (Chn) bt Gao Jiaxuan-Wu Mengying (Chn) 21-16, 21-13.
