HONG KONG – South Korea’s Olympic champion and world No. 1 An Se-young blew away home hope Gao Fangjie in just 38 minutes to win the China Masters on Nov 24.
The 22-year-old triumphed for the first time since her Paris Games exploits with a ruthless 21-12, 21-8 victory over the unseeded Gao in Shenzhen.
It was An’s fourth win on the Badminton World Federation World Tour in 2024 and cemented her status as the top player in the women’s game.
However, it has not been a smooth year for her. Following her Olympic gold in August, she said she was neglected by her national badminton federation while injured.
The world No. 1 accused the Korea Badminton Association of not providing adequate support while she went through a knee injury suffered in 2023, adding that she had to compete in pain because of the injury which had even been initially misdiagnosed regarding its severity.
She further accused the present training system of being outdated and not entirely safe for athletes, claiming it fails to “train in a way that prevents injuries or take proper measures if an injury occurs”.
An also said the country’s doubles players were prioritised for training and medical support over singles players.
This prompted a government investigation of the Korea Badminton Association, which resulted in the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recommending a host of reforms and calling for the removal of the association’s president Kim Taek-gyu for multiple alleged violations.
When asked if the events of recent months had altered her view of badminton, An said after the China Masters win: “I’ve really discovered the objective of an athlete and the things an athlete needs to do.
“I’ve had to bounce back, pick myself up and put a lot of thought into what is required of me.
“Now that I’ve achieved this good result, I’m also thinking about what else I need to do to fulfil my responsibility as an athlete.”
In the men’s final, Denmark’s third-ranked Anders Antonsen was an equally emphatic 21-15, 21-13 winner over Indonesian world No. 6 Jonatan Christie.
Antonsen is the first Dane to win the tournament’s men’s singles title. It was his fifth title in a productive year, which also saw him reach the quarter-finals at Paris 2024.
He and An took home US$80,500 (S$108,500) for their efforts, while the doubles champions pocketed US$85,100.
Said Antonsen: “It’s hard to describe this year that I’ve had. Except a huge disappointment at the Olympics, it’s been a fantastic year for me.
“Best year ever. I’m so happy, so grateful. To win in China for the first time is so special.
“Jonatan is a tough guy for sure. He is very physical. So I had to fight hard in the tough rallies and try to remain calm and collected.
“I think in a final like this, it’s about who can avoid the mistakes and keep the nerves away, so that was the plan.”
While Christie missed the title at the Shenzhen Arena, his run to the final sealed his place among the elite eight at the season-ending World Tour Finals in Hangzhou from Dec 11 to 15.
