[Anchor]
World's top badminton player An Se-young has stepped onto the court for her first match of this tournament. She led the women's team to the semifinals with overwhelming skills, showing her exceptional competitive spirit by saying she is playing with the mindset to go all out.
Reporting from Nagoya, here is Hong Seok-jun.
[Reporter]
Ahead of their quarterfinals match against Malaysia, the women's national badminton team solidified their determination to win by celebrating Baek Ha-na's 26th birthday.
As the first runner up, An Se-young showcased overwhelming skills befitting the world's best.
With sharp diagonal attacks pinpointing empty spaces and an airtight defense, she defeated world number 28 Karupathevan 2-0 in just 36 minutes, letting out a roar of victory.
An later played the role of a cheerleader during her teammates' matches, boosting their morale.
Following Kim Ga-eun's sweeping victory in the third singles match, the women's doubles pair of Kim Hye-jeong and Jeong Na-eun secured a 2-1 come-from-behind victory after a fierce deuce battle, advancing to the semifinals with 3 wins and 1 loss.
[An Se-young / National Women's Badminton Player: "I approach every match with the mindset of going completely wild, so I want to go all out. I hope all of our team members can finish up to the end with their best efforts without getting injured and achieve good results."]
Kicking off their journey toward a second consecutive team event title with a strong start, the women's national team will face host nation Japan tomorrow (September 23) for a spot in the finals.
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National table tennis player Shin Yu-bin also took the table first in the women's team quarterfinals against Singapore.
Shin successfully set the tone by defeating Zeng Jian 3-1 in 26 minutes, fulfilling her role as the ace.
(Camera: Choi Dae-woong | Video Editing: Park Na-young)
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