An Se-young in Yeosu: "I wanted to hear Korean fans' cheers"

[Anchor]

An Se-young has begun her quest for her 11th title of the season at the Korea Open in Yeosu. Although she is not yet at 100 percent physical condition, she decided to compete to hear the cheers of her fans. True to expectations, she rewarded their passionate support with a dominant victory.

Reporter Bae Jeonghun has the details.

[Reporter]

Amid enthusiastic cheers from fans who gathered from all over the country,

[Nam Sang-chul & Jang Nan-sook / Danyang-gun, North Chungcheong Province: Player An Se-young, we hope you do well without getting hurt and stay strong. Fighting!]

[Oh Yoon-ju & Lim Ji-eun / Gimpo and Goyang, Gyeonggi Province: We took the KTX from Seoul Station all the way to Yeosu. Have a happy Se-young! Ride the momentum, Se-young!]

As An Se-young appeared at an international tournament held in South Korea for the first time in 1 year and 2 months, a tremendous roar erupted.

[An Se-young, KOREA!]

Backed by enthusiastic support, An Se-young showcased overwhelming skills that lived up to fans' expectations.

Awe broke out as she displayed diagonal smashes piercing open spaces on the court along with her signature airtight defense.

Securing a 2-0 victory in just 39 minutes against Bulgaria's Nalbantova, ranked 36th in the world,

[We love you, An Se-young! Milky-white An Se-young!]

She expressed her gratitude to the fans.

[An Se-young / National Badminton Team: I think I agonized over it quite a bit until the end. Perhaps because I am someone who has constantly lived with injuries, I had quite a few worries, but I decided to compete because I really wanted to hear the cheers of Korean fans once again.]

Stating that she has put behind the pain of finishing as the runner-up after losing to Yamaguchi last year, she left a video message for Yamaguchi, who is widely expected to meet her in the final again.

[An Se-young / National Badminton Team: We always play such difficult and exhausting matches against each other that I really hate it during the game, but still, (Yamaguchi) unnie is so cute, and I hope we can meet again in the final without any injuries.]

(Video filming: Yang Du-won | Video editing: Ha Seong-won | Design: Hyun Min-hee)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.