Women’s Doubles off to a strong start at Malaysia Masters…Ahn sidelined
South Korean players, runners-up at the World Mixed Team Championships, got off to a strong start at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Malaysia Masters.
Jung Na-eun (23, Hwasun County Office) and Kim Hye-jung (25, Samsung Life Insurance) defeated China’s pair of Liu Xiangxu and Tan Ning 2-1 (21-19 15-21 21-13) in the women’s doubles first round (Round of 32) of the BWF World Tour Super 500 Series Malaysia Masters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Wednesday.
The South Korean badminton team finished as runners-up at the Sudirman Cup at the World Badminton Mixed Championships, which concluded in Suzhou, China, on Nov. 21. In the final, the Koreans lost 0-3 to the “world’s strongest” China. The South Koreans, who improved in every match, were looking to regain the title six years after winning the event in 2017, but were unable to cross the Great Wall and finished in second place.
After the Sudirman Cup, most of the players traveled to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to compete in this tournament. Women’s singles ace Ahn Se-young (20, Samsung Life Insurance) is not participating.
The Korean women’s doubles team, which had a world-class performance at the Sudirman Cup, will be disappointed. They were the last pair to appear in the final due to the rules of the tournament.
However, they got off to a good start at the Malaysia Masters, winning all of their first matches, especially the pair of Jung Na-eun and Kim 메이저사이트 Hye-jung, who faced a tough Chinese team in their first match. They struggled in the second set, but easily won the last three sets 21-13 to advance to the round of 16.
They will face Japan’s Rui Hirokami and Yuna Kato in the quarterfinals.
Kim So-young (front) and Gong Hee-yong
Kim So-young (31, Incheon International Airport) and Gong Hee-yong (27, Jeonbuk Bank), who won this year’s All-England Open, swept the Dutch pair of Deborah Gilles and Cheryl Seinen 2-0 (21-11 21-10) in the first round.
Lee Sohee (29, Incheon International Airport)-Baek Hana (23, MG Sae Village Bank) and Shin Seung Chan (29, Incheon International Airport)-Lee Yoo Rim (23, Samsung Life Insurance) also made it through the first round.
In the men’s doubles, Seo Seung-jae (26, Armed Forces Athletic Corps)-Kang Min-hyuk (24, Samsung Life) and Choi Sol-gyu (28, Armed Forces Athletic Corps)-Kim Won-ho (24, Samsung Life) also advanced to the round of 16.
Jeon Hyuk-jin
Jeon Hyuk-jin (28, Yonex), who competed in the men’s singles qualifiers, won both his first and second matches to reach the main draw. He will face world No. 19 Rasmus Zemke (DEN) in the first round of the main draw.
Meanwhile, SPOTV, SPOTV ON and sports OTT service SPOTV NOW will provide satellite coverage of key matches at the Malaysia Masters. It will also be broadcast live on SPOTV ASIA. SPOTV Asia is broadcast in 13 countries across the Southeast Asian region and offers a wide range of content, including the 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 and the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Cup of Badminton.