An Se Young's long unbeaten run ends at Japan Masters 2023

Chen Yufei defeated world No. 1 in a thrilling semi-final clash.

An Se Young, the reigning world No. 1, saw her impressive 31-match unbeaten streak, dating back to July, come to an end after defeat against familiar rival Chen Yu Fei in the semifinals of the Kumamoto Japan Masters 2023.

The 21-year-old from Korea, An Se Young, fought hard, saving two late match points and pushing it to a decider. However, she ultimately fell to China's world No. 3, Chen Yufei, with a score of 18-21, 22-20, 8-2 halting her wonderful winning run.

In a standout season, An Se Young displayed remarkable form, making it to the semifinals 15 times and clinching 10 titles. Despite securing a gold medal against Chen Yufei at the Hangzhou Asian Games, she had to temporarily step away from international competition due to a knee injury. Her return occurred just this week at the Japan Masters.

Yet, the impact of An Se Young's lingering, unhealed knee injury became apparent as she struggled to maintain strength in the decisive game. Ultimately, she managed to secure only eight points, which paved the way for Chen Yufei to avenge her earlier defeat at the Hangzhou Asian Games.

This marks just her sixth defeat in the current year, breaking a streak of five consecutive title victories. Interestingly, her previous loss occurred in the semifinals of the Indonesia Open 2023, with Chen once again being the opponent. Chen Yufei stands as the only woman to achieve victory over An Se Young three times this year. The only other players to defeat the Korean in the current year are Akane Yamaguchi and Tai Tzu Ying, aside from Chen.

Following her setback in the Asian Games, Chen Yufei demonstrated exceptional performance. She secured back-to-back championships in Denmark and France, making it to the finals in her initial Asian stop, the Japan Masters.

In the upcoming match, she will compete against Indonesia's Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, who secured victory by defeating Zhang Beiwen of the USA with a score of 21-12, 21-13 in the final.