South Korea's An Cruises To Thailand Open Final

Bangkok, June 3 (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 3rd Jun, 2023 ) :Badminton women's singles world number two An Se-young sailed into the final of the Thailand Open on Saturday, comfortably upstaging Carolina Marin.

The 21-year-old South Korean -- who won the All England Open as well as tournaments in India and Indonesia this year -- was electric on the court, claiming the semi-final in straight games 21-16, 21-12.

An looked dangerous early in the first game with clever net work and lethal smashes, while Marin was sent diving across the court and struggled to hit winners.

Marin, 29, tried to mount a comeback in the second but the Spaniard quickly ran out of steam.

An has made the final of every tournament she has played in this year and said she was feeling confident heading into Sunday.

"I will do my best to make a great match," she told reporters.

World number six Marin, the Rio Olympic gold medallist, has faced a long road to recovery from a devastating knee injury that ruled her out of the Tokyo Olympics and denied her the chance to defend her title.

A disappointed Marin said she had made too many mistakes and her opponent had controlled the shuttle and on-court drift better.

An will meet world number five He Bingjiao in the final after the Chinese powerhouse beat Mia Blichfeldt from Denmark 21-13, 21-18.

"In the first set, I played more boldly because I had the advantage of playing against the wind. After switching sides, Mia played with great precision," Bingjiao told reporters.

In the men's singles draw, Hong Kong's Lee Cheuk-Yiu booked a finals berth after outpacing Frenchman Toma Junior Popov 21-14, 21-16 in 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, the crowd went wild as local hope and world number five Kunlavut Vitidsarn came from one set down to beat India's Lakshya Sen in a cliffhanger 75-minute match.

Vitidsarn triumphed 13-21, 21-17, 21-13.