Copenhagen: Carolina Marin, the three-time world champion (2014, 2015, 2018), showcased her dominance as she triumphed over another former world champion Akane Yamaguchi (2021, 2022) in two gripping rounds on Saturday, propelling herself into the final to face An Se Young of Korea.
In the semi-finals of the Badminton World Championships, the current World No. 6 from Spain, Carolina Marin, outshined the defending champion Akane Yamaguchi, securing a victory with a score of 23-21, 21-13. Marin’s journey to the final was paved with sheer determination and skill, earning herself a shot at her potential fourth world championship title.
Highlights of Carolina Marin vs. Akane Yamaguchi in the 2023 World Championships semi-finals:
With this defeat, Akane Yamaguchi’s aspirations of clinching a third consecutive championship were dashed, as she bowed out in the semi-finals.
On the other side of the semi-final bracket, the current World No. 1, An Se Young of Korea, exhibited her calmness by defeating Chen Yufei in a straight-set victory of 21-19, 21-15. This marks the seventh encounter between the two rivals this year, with An having claimed victory in five of their matchups.
Highlights of An Se Young vs. Chen Yufei in the 2023 World Championships semi-finals:
Prior to the final, An Se Young had met with Carolina Marin nine times and had a slight advantage over Marin with 5-4. Notably, the last time a Korean women’s singles player made it to the World Championships final was in 1993, when Bang Soo-hyun lost to Susi Susanti of Indonesia 11-7, 9-11, 3-11.
In women’s doubles, Indonesia’s World No. 12 Apriyani Rahayu/Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti pulled off an upset to beat World No. 3 Kim So Yeong/Kong Hee Yong of Korea 21-9, 22-20 to meet World No. 1 Jia Yifan/Chen Qingchen of China in the final.
