Korea Badminton swept the men’s and women’s doubles titles at the Australian Open.
The world No. 3 women’s doubles team of Kim So-young (Incheon International Airport) and Gong Hee-yong (Jeonbuk Bank) defeated China’s No. 22 사설토토 pair of Liu Sung-soo and Tan Ning 2-0 (21-18 21-6) in the final of the World Badminton Federation (BWF) Australian Open (Super 500) in Sydney, Australia on Saturday.
It was the second consecutive international gold for the pair, who shared the title at the Japan Open (Super 750) last week, raising hopes for next month’s Asian Games in Hangzhou and next year’s Olympic Games in Paris. Both players are now four-for-four this season, boosting their performances and confidence at the same time.
The men’s doubles team of Seo Seung-jae and Kang Min-hyuk (both of Samsung Life, ranked 9th in the world) also reached the podium, defeating Japan’s Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi (ranked 5th) 2-0 (21-17 21-17) in the final.
Competing in the women’s singles, Kim won the first set against Beiwen Zhang of the United States, but dropped the next two and three sets to lose 1-2 (22-20 16-21 8-21) and add a silver medal to her collection. Ahn Se-young, who became the 사설토토 world No. 1 after winning the Japan Open, did not compete in the tournament.
Meanwhile, the mixed doubles team of Seo Seung-jae and Chae Yu-jung (Incheon International Airport) added a bronze medal.
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