Badminton star An Se-young wins final competition before Asian Games

Seoul, September 6 - South Korean badminton star An Se-young clinched her final competition before the upcoming Asian Games on Sunday, bolstering her chances of defending the women's singles title at the continental event. As the world's top-ranked player, An defeated Japan's Tomoka Miyazaki 21-17, 21-6 in the women's singles final at the China Masters in Shenzhen, China.

The encounter, lasting just 45 minutes, saw An maintaining a perfect record in her five matches leading up to the match. An had previously won the China Masters title for the third time in a row. In August, she claimed her second career world title, setting her up to ride a wave of momentum into the Asian Games in Aichi, Japan. The Asian Games will commence with the women's team event on September 20, with An and her teammates aiming to secure another gold medal.

The women's singles competition is scheduled to begin on September 25, with An expected to clinch her second consecutive gold. This marks the first time a South Korean badminton player, male or female, has won back-to-back Asian Games gold medals. In the final, Miyazaki put up a spirited performance initially, never falling more than two points behind An.

However, An turned the tide, scoring two consecutive points after Miyazaki's errant returns. Miyazaki briefly gained the lead at 18-15, but An sealed the match with a final smash that Miyazaki could not return. An opened the second game with a lead of eight points, with Miyazaki struggling to regain control. An extended her victory with a 6-1 run, improving her record to 8-0 against Miyazaki.