Kim Ga Eun becomes first Korean women's singles semifinalist in China Masters history

Published at :November 25, 2023 at 11:42 PM

Modified at :January 14, 2024 at 1:16 AM

(Courtesy : Screenshot/Jio Cinema)

She also reached the quarter-final stage in 2019.

Korea’s Kim Ga Eun has become the first women’s singles player from her country to reach the semifinals of the China Masters. She achieved this milestone with a 21-19, 21-10 win over Vietnam’s Thuy Linh Nguyen in just 38 minutes.

Three women’s singles shuttlers from the country, including Kim Ga Eun in 2019, had previously reached the quarterfinals stage, but failed to progress further before Kim Ga Eun’s run in the ongoing China Masters 2023.

#ChinaMasters2023 𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓽 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓭𝓪𝔂Kim Ga Eun 🇰🇷 is the first women's singles semifinalist from her country in tournament history.Korea's best result at the event was 3⃣ previous quarterfinal finishes, with Kim being one of them in 2⃣0⃣1⃣9⃣.#BWFWorldTour pic.twitter.com/V9EAxaB2OP
— BWF (@bwfmedia) November 25, 2023

Kim Ga Eun’s journey to the semifinals was not an easy one. She faced stiff competition in the quarterfinals against Vietnam’s Thuy Linh Nguyen. However, her determination and skill shone through as she secured a victory with a score of 21-19 in the first game and a commanding 21-10 in the second game.

This achievement surpasses Korea’s previous best result at the event, which was three quarterfinal finishes. Interestingly, Kim was one of the players who reached the quarterfinals in 2019.

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The first Korean woman to reach the quarterfinals of the China Masters was Kim Moon Hi in 2009. Despite a promising start, defeating Petya Nedelcheva in the pre-quarters, her journey was cut short when she lost to the eventual runner-up, Wang Lin.

The second South Korean woman to reach the quarterfinals was Sung Ji Hun, who reached quarterfinals in 2018. She defeated Nitchaeon Jindpol of Thailand in the round of 16 but unfortunately lost to Japan’s Okuhara, the eventual runner-up, in straight sets.

Kim Ga Eun’s run, however, came to an end in the semi-final stage against WR-3 Chen Yu Fei of China. The Korea went down in straight games (16-21, 15-21) in just 46 minutes.

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