All England: Epic Finale on Super Sunday
A 95-minute classic later, An Se Young declared: “I’m the queen of the All England!”
· DEV SUKUMAR
For sheer tenacity in the face of physical pain, the women’s singles final in the 115th edition of the All England between An and Wang Zhi Yi will occupy a special place in the record of the Olympic champion. An, far from her physical best, frequently doubled over in pain and clutching her knee, somehow willed herself on against an opponent who was just as tenacious. What unfolded over the 95 minutes was a spectacle of the two challenging each other to surmount physical and mental barriers, with marathon rallies and sharp attacking and defensive exchanges eliciting gasps from the audience.
There were mistakes from either side, and Wang would rue missed opportunities, but An did prove once again what makes her such a hard player to beat. She revealed later that she’d had a flu, which had hampered her usual ease of movement and physical indefatigability.
“I can’t even try to describe how hard today’s match was,” An winced, after the 13-21 21-18 21-18 result had taken her to her second All England title. The victory meant that the Korean picked up her 25th HSBC BWF World Tour title, and her third of the year.