Badminton star An Se-young claims hat-trick of China Masters titles ahead of Asian Games
SCMP · 1 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
World No 1 An Se-young claimed her third consecutive China Masters title on Sunday in Shenzhen, delivering a commanding 21-17, 21-6 victory over Japan's Tomoka Miyazaki in the women's singles final . The 24-year-old South Korean, who is the reigning Olympic and world champion, did not drop a single game throughout the entire tournament on her way to capturing her seventh title of the season . The result serves as a ominous warning to her rivals ahead of the Asian Games, which begin on September 19 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, where An will defend her crown . In a historic men's singles final, Hong Kong secured a one-two finish with Jason Gunawan defeating Lee Cheuk-yiu 21-9, 21-16 . Meanwhile, India's Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty claimed the men's doubles title and expressed confidence heading into their Asian Games title defence .
Key Points
- South Korea's An Se-young won her third straight China Masters title, defeating Japan's Tomoka Miyazaki 21-17, 21-6 in Shenzhen on Sunday
- The world No 1 did not drop a game all week, securing her seventh title of the 2026 season
- Hong Kong made history with an all-Hong Kong men's singles final, as Jason Gunawan beat Lee Cheuk-yiu 21-9, 21-16
- India's Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty won the men's doubles, defeating China's He Jiting and Ren Xiangyu in three games
- An Se-young, Rankireddy and Shetty will all compete at the Asian Games starting September 19 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan
Why It Matters
An Se-young's dominant form with seven titles this season signals she will be the overwhelming favourite to retain her Asian Games crown in Japan . For Hong Kong, Jason Gunawan's victory in an all-Hong Kong final provides a morale boost as the city-state's badminton programme heads to the continental Games with two players capable of challenging for medals .
An Se-young's dominant form with seven titles this season signals she will be the overwhelming favourite to retain her Asian Games crown in Japan . For Hong Kong, Jason Gunawan's victory in an all-Hong Kong final provides a morale boost as the city-state's badminton programme heads to the continental Games with two players capable of challenging for medals .