As it happened: Badminton Korea Open 2022, finals - An Seyoung wins women's singles title, Jonatan Christie stunned

End of Korea Open 2022

What a tournament this has been! Six days of intense, high quality badminton, culminating today with the finals.

South Korea had a spectacular event as their shuttlers won three of the five disciplines.

Young star An Seyoung thwarted a challenge from Pornpawee Chochuwong to win the women’s singles title and continue her rise.

The mixed doubles crown went to second seeds Tan Kian Meng and Lai Pei Jing from Malaysia while the women’s doubles title was claimed by home side of Jeong Na Eun and Kim Hye Jeong.

We had a couple of upsets on the last day in the men’s singles and the men’s doubles.

China’s Weng Hong Yang, ranked 156 in the world, produced one of the finest comebacks of the tournament, to defeat world No. 8 Jonatan Christie in the men’s singles.

Later, Korea's Kang Minhyuk and Seo Seungjae came from a game down to beat defending men’s doubles champions Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto in a thriller.

The final day saw some of the best badminton we have seen in a while and it was pleasing to see the crowds come back to the stadiums.

That was it from our end. Hope you enjoyed the coverage.

Goodbye!

Kang and Seo are the men’s doubles champions!

What an entertainer this match is turning out to be. The balance keeps shifting with every point as both sides give their all in the decider.

There’s still a two-point gap though, with Kang/Seo leading.

The Koreans can almost see the finish line and another netted shot by Alfian sets up the championship point.

Alfian-Ardianto save two points but hit the third one wide. And it’s over! The defending champions have been beaten.

Kang and Seo have overcome all odds to claim the men’s doubles title.

Score: Kanf Minhyuk/Seo Seungjae 19-21, 21-15, 21-18 Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto

Intense third game

The third game is turning out to be even tighter than the first two. Powerful smashes, cheeky drops, long rallies, we have it all.

Kang/Seo are slightly ahead at 8-6 but Aflian/Ardianto come up with two beautiful serves to level the scores.

The Koreans go into the break up by 11-9.

Kang/Seo force decider

Alfian and Ardianto are picking up again after the break. They win four points on the trot to close the gap to 12-9.

The momentum shifts slightly in the Koreans’ favour but the Indonesians are pushing hard to close in. It’s still a five point difference at 17-12.

Kang/Seo win two more to reach 19-12. A beautiful drop shot to set up the game point and wide shot puts the Koreans ahead 21-15.

We are headed into the decider.

Kan/Seo build big lead

First three points to Kang/Seo before the Indonesians pull one back.

But the Korean pair is slowly building the lead, aided by the errors from the Indonesians.

Ardianto has two below par service returns and the Koreans are up 11-4 at the break.

Alfian-Ardianto fight back to claim opener

Aggressive shots from the home team to extend their lead to 15-11.

Alfian covers the entire court all alone in a series of defensive shots and even ekes out the winner.

The Indonesians have clawed their way back into the match with six straight points to go into the lead at 17-16.

Kang and Seo are letting this slip away. Two game points for Alfian and Ardianto.

The Koreans save the first but the searing body smash from Alfian is unreturnable.

Alfian and Ardianto win the tight opening game 21-18.

Top class entertainment

It’s been a fast-paced match from the very start. One blink and you miss the point.

High quality badminton from both sides.

There is a battle between the fans as well. The Indonesians and Korean supporters are rallying behind their teams at every point.

The Korean duo of Kang-Seo is ahead at 11-8.

Men’s doubles title on the line

Defending champions Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto of Indonesia are on the court against the high-flying local pair of Kang Minhyuk and Seo Seungjae for the men’s doubles crown.

Kang and Seo had stunned the second seeds Mohammad Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan in the semis. Can they produce another upset against another Indonesian team in the summit clash?

We’ll find out soon as both teams are warming up on the court.

Jeong Na Eun-Kim Hye Jeong are women’s doubles champions

The Aimsaard sisters try to fight back late into the second game but the gap is too wide.

The Kim-Jeong duo is now just two points away from the title.

And it’s all over!

The Thai sisters miss a sitter, followed by the winner by Jeong Na Eun.

The home crowd goes wild. And the winners throw away their rackets in the sea of Korean fans.

Score: Jeong Na Eun/Kim Hye Jeong 21-16, 21-12 Benyapa Aimsaard/Nuntakarn Aimsaard

Kim-Jeong inches away from title

Kim-Jeong are in firm control of the second game, with the Thai sisters just not being able to find the sync.

The Aimsaards are struggling with their defence as well and the deficit swells to 11-3.

Excellent rotation by the Korean pair and it’s all going their way. They lead 15-7.

Jeong/Kim take lead

Benyapa and Nuntakarn led in the early exchanges but Jeong-Kim rallied back to have an 11-7 lead at the first break.

Jeong is brilliant with her smashes, landing them with power and precision. Some miscommunication from the Aimsaard sisters is also helping the Koreans’ cause.

The home side of Jeong-Kim have taken the first game 21-16.

Recap An Seyoung's win over Pornpawee Chochuwong

Women’s doubles title on the line

The Aimsaard sisters - Benyapa and Nuntakarn - from Thailand are taking on the home pair of Jeong Na Eun and Kim Hye Jeong.

The Thai duo has taken an early lead into the opening game, going up 6-2.

Weng Hong Yang stuns Jonatan Christie

Weng’s lead has now swelled to five points post the interval. Christie needs to find the rhythm before it’s too late.

Meanwhile, Weng is not letting that happen. He continues pocketing points and takes the scoreline to 16-10.

Wait! Christie is making a comeback. Five straight points to the Indonesian and he is only one point behind.

This is a rollercoaster ride. Now Christie makes two unforced errors and Weng picks a winner to go 19-15.

Christie nets one more and Weng is on his championship point.

He has done it! Weng Hong Yang has won the men’s singles title.

What a way to turn this around. And did we mention that he came from China’s reserve squad. 

Score: Weng Hong Yang 12-21, 21-19, 21-15 Jonatan Christie

Upset on the cards?

The trend from the first two games continues in the third as both players win points in the early exchanges. It’s 3-3.

Christie, however, is making error after error. It’s not looking great for him.

Weng, on the other hand, is brimming with confidence. His defence has improved considerably and he pulls out a blind return to make it 8-4.

The Chinese has taken an 11-7 lead at the break.

Can he hold on to it till the end?

Weng forces decider

Jonatan Christie quickly cancels out Weng’s lead after the break but cannot go ahead.

The two shuttlers keep exchanging points and we are tied at 15-15.

But the higher-ranked Indonesian is slowly inching ahead, taking two points followed by a long shot from Weng. Christie leads 18-15.

Christie wins one more but loses the next three as Weng levels at 19-19.

Weng forces a third game! First he sends out a winner and Christie errs in the next.

21-19 to Weng. We have a decider now.

Refresh the page for live updates.

Weng takes narrow lead

Looks like Weng is finding his groove now. Two more attacking shots and his lead goes up to 7-3.

Now Christie ups his game to cut down the deficit to two points. 

But Weng is pushing hard as well and the two-point lead remains at the break.

Medical timeout for Weng

A better start from Weng as he wins the first four points before Jonatan sends a smash to open his account.

Think we need a medical timeout out here. Weng’s old bruise on the left knee has opened up.

It's unfortunate to see his momentum break.

Christie powers through in opener

Jonatan Christie builds on the lead from the break, banking on his attacking gameplay that Weng is finding hard to answer.

The lead is now up to nine points at 17-8. 

Weng is just not able to place the shuttle in the right places or maybe Christie is predicting it too well. Whatever it may be, it’s not working too well for the young Chinese.

As expected, Christie has taken the first game 21-12

A big task awaits Weng in the second.

Christie op top

Jontana Christie, ranked eighth in the world - 148 placed above Weng Hong Yang, is clinching point after point with his searing smashes. 

And it’s not just the attack, Christie’s defence has also been on point so far in the first game.

Weng also collects a few points after the Indonesian makes unforced errors.

But a strong smash by Christie helps him go up 11-7.

Jonatan Christie vs Weng Hong Yang for the men’s singles title

The tournament third seed Jonatan Christie is on the court against Weng Hong Yang for the men’s singles finals.

Christie has been impressive with his attack so far, he is up 4-3.

An Seyoung is the women’s singles champion

The young Korean is starting to pull away after the break and takes a 15-12 lead.

Chochuwong is also exhibiting her strengths with her brilliant drop shots and setting up points smartly. The scores are level again at 16-16.

A long shot from An gives the Thai the lead but the next one goes in the Korean’s favour to equalise.

The next two points are shared by the two players but Chochuwong makes another error. 

The Korean constructs the next one nicely and Chochuwong hits the final shot long to the left to give An Seyoung the championship.

Score: An Seyoung 21-17, 21-18 Pornpawee Chochuwong

An Seyoung inching towards victory

It’s tight contest again in the early exchanges of the opening game with the scores tied at 2-2.

But An Seyoung is taking the lead now, courtesy of some unforced errors by Chochuwong. 6-3 it is.

Mistakes from An Seyoung now to make it all-square at 7-7. Another one from the Korean and Chochuwong is in the lead.  It is starting to look like a battle of who makes fewer unforced errors. 

An Seyoung, however, has made fewer mistakes and goes up 11-9.

An Seyoung takes opener

Chochuwong starts strongly post the interval and levels the scores at 12-12.

A delightful cross court drop shot from the Thai to go into the lead.

However, An Seyoung sets up points with two drives down the line, followed by a service fault from the Thai. 14-14 at the moment.

It is neck and neck, with both players bringing out their best even after some draining rallies.

Two errors from Chochuwong and An Seyoung is up 18-16. The Korean reviews a wide shot to pocket the next two, setting up her game point.

Chochuwong serves it out of bounds to hand An Seyoung the opening game 21-17.

An Seyoung in front

Pornpawee Chochuwong draws first blood as An Seyoung hits it wide but the Korean picks up the next.

Long rallies for all points and it is Chochuwong who is nosing ahead at 3-1.

Wide cross net from Chochuwong and another out of bounds shot from her levels the score.

The Thai has made two more unforced errors to cancel out her own good work, making it 6-6.

An Seyoung takes the lead for the first time with a well-placed shot on Chochuwong’s right. She picks up two more to lead 11-8 at the break.

Time for An Seyoung vs Pornpawee Chochuwong 

The women’s singles final between South Korea’s An Seyoung and Thailand’s Pornpawee Chochuwong is starting in a few minutes.

This should be exciting.

Tan/Lai are the mixed doubles champions

The Malaysians pick up three straight points after the break and extend their lead to 14-8.

Tan has been a busy man at the back but credits to Lai as well, she is taking care of the net game, helping Tan concentrate on the big winners.

Ko and Eom show some fight to get three points and are catching up. 16-13.

The shuttle tears into Ko’s racket and gets stuck there. He’ll need to change it again.

The Malaysian duo, seeded second, is inching closer to the title. Lai sets up the championship point with an easy winner.

The Koreans, however, save the next four points and another unforced error from Tan. 20-18 it is.

Lai, who has been a force at the net, brings out the winner with a clever placed shot and Tan-Lai win their first Super 500 title on the BWF World Tour.

Score: Tan Kian Meng/Lai Pei Jung 21-15, 21-18 Ko Sung Hyun/ Eom Hye Won

Tan/Lai continue their run

It’s a similar start in the second game, with both sides exchanging points. 

Tan and Lai’s attacking game has been phenomenal. They are now targeting Eom with their smashes and it’s working. 

The Malays are slowly building the lead and go up 11-8.

Tan/Lai bounce back

A long rally to restart the game which goes in the Malaysians’ pocket, followed by a powerful smash from Tan on Eom’s body.

Tan/Lai have won four in a row, and the scores are level. 

The interval has shifted the momentum of the match, with Tan/Lai winning seven points on the trot. 14-11.

Lai has been phenomenal at the net. When the Koreans defend Tan, Lai steps up to surprise the Koreans with winners out of nowhere.

The home team gets a couple of points to stop the run but they need to do more. 

The Malaysians are brilliant in their attack and keep collecting points to pocket the first game 21-15.

Home team nosing ahead

Ko/Eom pick up the first point and the crowd goes wild. These fans are really backing their players.

A flurry of smashes from Ko Sung Hyun but his racket strings give up, point to the Tan/Lai. Ko is impeccable at the base line.

Another big smash from Ko to get the winners, followed by a drop shot disguised as a smash. It’s 8-5 to the Koreans now.

Tan/Lei also collect points but the Ko/Eom have maintained their lead. They are 11-7 up at the break.

Korea Open 2022 final line-up

1. Ko Sung Hyun/Eom Hye Won (South Korea) vs Tan Kian Meng/Lei Pai Jing (Malaysia) - mixed doubles
2. Pornpawee Chochuwong (Thailand) vs An Seyoung (South Korea) - women’s singles
3. Weng Hong Yang (China) vs Jonatan Christie (Indonesia) - men’s singles
4. Benyapa Aimsaard/Nuntakarn Aimsaard (Thailand) vs Jeong Na Eun/Kim Hye Jeong (South Korea) - women’s doubles
5. Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto (Indonesia) vs Kang Minhyuk/Seo Seungjae (South Korea) - men’s doubles

Final Day

Good morning and welcome to the last day of the Korea Open 2022. 

Today, we will see players take the court for a shot at the titles of the Super 500 event on the BWF World Tour Calendar.

Young star An Seyoung has impressed her home crowd by reaching the women’s singles final and will take on Thailand’s Pornpawee Chochuwong for the top place.

In the men’s singles, we have tournament third seed Jonatan Christie up against the unseeded young Chinese shuttler, Weng Hong Yang,

South Koreans have a shot at claiming four title today, having reached the final of women’s singles, women’s doubles, men’s doubles and mixed doubles.

Will the home stars reign supreme? We will find out in the next few hours. 

Till then, sit back and relax as we take you through all the live action.