PETRONAS Malaysia Open review
An Se-young earned a measure of retribution by beating Tai Tzu-ying to the PETRONAS Malaysia Open title.
The Korean won 10 titles – including the YONEX All England Open – in a sensational 2023, coming close to equalling
Kento Momota’s singles record of 11 tournament wins in a calendar year.
A rare low point came in dramatic defeat to Tai at the BWF World Tour Finals, when she blew a 19-10 lead in the deciding game.
In the first World Tour event of Olympic year, An underlined her status as the leading player in the world with a brilliant come-from-behind win in Kuala Lumpur.
An was overrun in the first game of the final, but was able to change the momentum in the second and pull clear in the third to claim 10-21 21-10 21-18 victory.
The story of the Super 1000 week came as Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning’s rapid rise reached a new peak with a women’s doubles win.
Aged 19 and 20 respectively, the Chinese pair beat world champions and compatriots Chen Qing Chen and Jia Yi Fan in the quarters and then team-mates Zhang Shu Xian and Zheng Yu 21-18 21-18 in the final.
Double All England champions Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino took the mixed doubles title, with Anders Antonsen at his mercurial best to triumph in men’s singles.
Image: Badminton Photo
