An Se-young Battles Through Injury to Clinch Record-Tying 11th Title of the Season
World No. 1 An Se-young won her 11th title of the season at the BWF World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, tying Kento Momota's all-time record. She overcame a knee injury to defeat China's Wang Zhiyi.
World No. 1 An Se-young capped a historic season on Sunday, fighting through a visible injury to win the BWF World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, China. According to Yonhap news agency, the South Korean star defeated China's Wang Zhiyi 2-1 (21-13, 18-21, 21-10) in a grueling 96-minute final at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium.
The victory was An's 11th international title of the year, putting her in a tie with former men's singles player Kento Momota for the most ever in a single season. The win was a testament to her grit; An was seen limping and flexing her left knee in discomfort during the final stages of the match but pushed through to convert the final point.
"It was a grueling match. Toward the end, my leg hurt every time I landed on it, but I stuck to it through the end," An said after the win. "I doubted whether I'd really be able to get to the 11th win. I guess my belief was stronger than those doubts."
An's dominance this season has been staggering. She reached the finals in 12 of the 15 BWF World Tour events she entered, winning 11 of them.
It was a golden day for South Korean badminton all around. The nation secured two more titles in the doubles events. In men's doubles, Seo Seung-jae and Kim Won-ho also claimed their 11th title of the year, beating China's Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang. Meanwhile, Baek Hana and Lee So-hee defended their women's doubles crown, becoming the first South Korean doubles team to win back-to-back titles at the prestigious season-ending event.
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