Ahn Se-young defeats Wang Zhiyi to reach China Open quarterfinals…mixed doubles Seo Seung-jae and Chae Yu-jung also reach quarterfinals

South Korean women’s badminton standout and World No. 1 Ahn Se-young (21, Samsung Life Insurance) has reached the quarterfinals of the World Badminton Federation (BWF) China Open, a “precursor” to the Hangzhou Asian Games.

Ahn defeated Wang Zhiyi (China), ranked 11th in the world, 2-0 (21-14 22-20) in the women’s singles round of 16 at the BWF World Tour Super 1000 China Open at the Changzhou Olympic Center on Sunday.

Last month, Ahn became the first South Korean to win gold in women’s singles at a World Championships. She cited the World Championships and the Hangzhou Asian Games as the most important events of the year. With her first goal accomplished, Ahn has her eyes set on her second “big one,” the Asian Games.

Changzhou is located 200 kilometers north of Hangzhou, where the Asian Games will be held. She was ranked eighth in this tournament, the final rehearsal for the Hangzhou Asian Games.

At the China Open, Ahn will try to win her ninth title of the year. She will also be aiming for her fourth consecutive title since winning the Korea Open in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, in July.

After defeating World No. 11 Wang Zhiyi, Ahn will face World No. 9 Han Yue (China) in the quarterfinals. If Ahn reaches the quarterfinals, she will likely face either Tai Tzu-ying (Chinese Taipei, World No. 4) or Carolina Marin (Spain, World No. 6).

Seo Seung-jae (26, Samsung Life) and Chae Yoo-jung (28, Incheon International Airport), the reigning World Championship mixed doubles champions, came from behind to defeat Japan’s Kyohei Yamashita and Naru Shinoya 2-1 (8-21 21-18 21-19) in the round of 16 to advance to the quarterfinals.

Seo Seung Jae and Chae Yoo Jung got off to a shaky start, dropping the first set in a one-sided affair. They were on the verge of losing the second set as well, but were saved by back-to-back points from Chae Yoo-jung.

After winning the last three sets in a close match, Seo Seung-jae and Chae Yoo-jung earned a ‘hard-fought victory’ and joined the quarterfinals.

Their quarterfinal opponents will be the ‘world’s strongest’ pair of Zheng Zhiwei and Huang Yaocheng (China, World No. 1). In the final of the World Championships, Seo Seung-jae and Chae Yu-jung defeated Zheng Zhiwei and Huang Ya-chung 2-1 (21-17 10-21 21-18) to win the gold medal.

Kim Won-ho (24, Samsung Life) and Jung Nae-eun (23, Hwasun County Government) fell 1-2 (15-21 21-15 18-21) to Malaysia’s Chen Tang Jie-Toe Wei in the quarterfinals.

Jung Na-eun and Kim Hye-jung (25, Samsung Life Insurance) lost 0-2 (16-21 18-21) to Indonesia’s Afriyani Rahayu and Citi Padia Silva Ramadanti in the round of 16 of the women’s doubles.

Women’s singles player Kim Ga-eun (25, Samsung Life) was also knocked out of the quarterfinals after falling to world No. 2 Akane Yamaguchi (JPN) 0-2 (20-22 17-22).

Meanwhile, SPOTV, SPOTV ON and sports OTT service SPOTV NOW will provide satellite coverage of key matches at the China Open. It will also be broadcast live on SPOTV ASIA. SPOTV Asia broadcasts to 13 countries in the Southeast Asian region and offers a wide range of content, including tennis Grand Slam events Wimbledon and the US Open, the men’s professional tennis ATP Tour, motorcycle racing event MotoGP, World Table Tennis (WTT) table tennis events, BWF badminton events, and the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) Sport Climbing World Cup 온라인바카라.