An Se-young stops Carolina Marin in 2023 Thailand Open semi-finals - Kunlavut Vitidsarn reaches men's final
The South Korean world number two proved to be too strong for the 2016 Olympic champion who was hoping to win her second title of the year.
Badminton
World number two An Se-young stopped Carolina Marin's formidable run on Saturday (3 June) in the semi-finals at the 2023 Thailand Open.
The badminton star form the Republic of Korea beat the Rio 2016 Olympic champion 21-16, 21-12 to reach the final at the Haumark Indoor Stadium in Bangkok where she will face He Bingjiao (People's Republic of China). The Chinese powerhouse defeated Denmark's Mia Blichfeldt 21-13, 21-18.
Marin was hoping to win her second title of the year but South Korea's 21-year-old young gun was too powerful. It was all over after 44 minutes.
In the men’s singles draw, local hero Kunlavut Vitidsar is only one win away from clinching the title after taking care of Commonwealth Games champion Lakshya Sen (India) 13-21, 21-17, 21-13. Next up for him is Cheuk Yiu Lee of Hong Kong, China who ousted France's Toma Junior Popov 21-14, 21-16 to book his spot in the final.