Sheer joy: South Korea’s An Se-young celebrates after beating China’s Wang Zhiyi in the women singles final match at the Malaysian Open at Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil. — FAIHAN GHANI/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: World No. 1 An Se-young is eager to set a new record by surpassing the 10 titles she won in 2023.
She successfully defended her Malaysian Open title yesterday, defeating China’s Wang Zhiyi 21-17, 21-17 in just 45 minutes at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil.
This victory marked a personal milestone as she became the first South Korean women’s singles player to win the Malaysian Open in two consecutive years.
Se-young considers her success in defending the title a huge achievement and hopes to carry this momentum through the rest of the year.
"I’d like to win and defend the title,...winning always gives me confidence and joy," said Se-young.
"Yes, I want to break the record. I want to win and set a new one. That’s one of my goals. I want to win all 11 titles. I have a lot of ambition," said Se Young in a post match interview.
However, reflecting on yesterday’s match, the 22 year old admitted that facing Zhiyi was not an easy task, given that she had lost to the Chinese player in their two previous encounters.
The first loss came in the final of the Denmark Open last October, followed by another defeat in the semi-finals of the World Tour Finals in Hangzhou.
As a result, Se Young used those losses as valuable lessons, motivating herself to bounce back and perform strongly in this tournament. "I avoid making the same mistakes again. That's what I've been focusing on. I believe I've learned a lot from the last two matches," she said."I believe the present is what matters most."
