Se Young Dares To Think 'Mupae'

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 6 (Bernama) -- Watch out, An Se Young is not done yet.

Already the most dominant force in women’s singles, South Korean shuttler Se Young has set her sights on becoming mupae (unbeaten) and rewriting another record book in a new season.

Fresh off equalling former Japanese men’s singles star Kento Momota with 11 titles in a single season last year, the world number one made it clear that stopping at history is not an option, as she eyes an unprecedented 12th title and beyond.

“There are many tournaments this year, and each one is a motivation for me to win. Being unbeaten for the season is my final goal.

“It looks difficult if you judge from today, but as the season progresses, I might be able to do it,” she told reporters here today.

The 23-year-old was met after opening her new season with a 19-21, 21-16, 21-18 victory against Canadian Michelle Li at the Malaysia Open in Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil.

Despite the win at the season opener, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games gold medallist admitted that her body is still catching up after an intense end to last year’s campaign, which saw her bagging her second World Tour Finals title in Hangzhou last month.

“I’m still recovering from the previous tournament. Even though I trained for this event, the fatigue is still there and I know I need time to fully recover,” she said.

Se Young, however, expects the women’s singles field to grow tougher as rivals increasingly tailor their strategies to stop her dominance.

“It will definitely become more challenging because more players are analysing my game and preparing specifically to face me,” she said.

Today’s win sets up a clash between the 2023 world champion against Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara, who beat Taiwan’s Pai Yu Po, 21-12, 21-14.

The Malaysia Open will run until Jan 11.

-- BERNAMA