Change in playing style starting to work for An

A seventh title of the season would have sparked ecstatic celebrations for most athletes, but as far as badminton queen An Se-young was concerned, it was still not seventh heaven despite reaching that number with her China Masters victory on Sept 21.

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After cruising to the women’s singles title with a 21-11, 21-3 win over home hope Han Yue, the world No.1 seemed more concerned about her transition to a more offensive style of play.

As the third-ranked Han sent a return into the net which handed An victory in just 33 minutes, the South Korean turned to the Shenzhen Arena crowd, let out a yell and pumped her fists briefly.

“I was actually unsure about this victory. There were some parts that were frustrating because I wasn’t sure if my change in playing style will work,” said An, who had retired with an injury while trailing 21-19, 1-6 in her previous match with Han in the China Open semis in July.

“My opponent was outstanding at the start of match, so I told myself to play hard and not miss out on another opportunity. I started to increase the pace and moved faster – these were the crucial factors to winning today.”