Singapore: The Super 750 Singapore Open final featured a potential preview of the Paris Olympic women’s singles gold medal match, with South Korean star An Se-Young defeating China’s 2020 Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Chen Yufei 21-19, 16-21, 21-12. This victory secured An her third title of the season and made her the first South Korean women’s singles player to successfully defend her title at the Singapore Open, setting a 64-year historical record at the tournament.
Highlights of An Se-Young vs. Chen Yufei in the final of the 2024 Singapore Open:
An Se-young and Chen Yufei have faced each other 19 times in international competitions. Despite Chen holding an 11-8 advantage in their head-to-head record, she has lost all four finals against An, including at the 2024 Singapore Open, the 2022 Malaysia Open, the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, and the 2023 All England.
An Se-young who played through an injury, successfully defended her title in Singapore. In a post-match interview, she said, “My injury put me through a tough period, but I’m very happy and relieved today because winning the championship proves that my efforts have not been wasted.”
Meanwhile, this marks Chen’s third runner-up finish this season. After the match, Chen admitted she felt fortunate to have the opportunity to compete against An before the Olympics, acknowledging there are many areas where she can improve.
“This match has been very beneficial for me.” She acknowledged the gap between her and An and expressed her determination to work hard to close and resolve it before the Paris Olympics. Chen praised An for her speed and defense despite being injured, noting that these are aspects she needs to learn from.
Chen Yufei admitted that she didn’t perform particularly well in this match, saying, “I still haven’t made a significant breakthrough.” She described herself as a stable player on the court but so is her opponent, and she tends to make mistakes first in critical moments. Chen highlighted areas where she can improve in terms of speed, mentality, and tactics. She hopes to solidify her strengths in the next tournament.
In women’s doubles, China’s Chen Qingchen/Jia Yifan extended their career head-to-head record against Nami Matsuyama/Chiharu Shida of Japan to 14-3, after beating the Japanese pair 21-15, 21-12 in the final.
China’s mixed doubles World No. 1 Zheng Si Wei/Huang Ya Qiong needed only 30 minutes to beat Yang Po-Hsuan/Hu Ling Fang 21-11, 21-19 to win the Singapore Open crown.
