There are only two prominent titles now missing from An Se Young’s collection – the Badminton Asia Championships and the Olympic Games. By the end of this week it’s quite possible that the Korean would have whittled down her to-do list, for she is resounding favourite in Ningbo for the BANK OF NINGBO Badminton Asia Championships 2024.

How impressive was the No.1 in her two recent events in Europe! Still on the mend from a knee injury that she picked up last October, An Se Young seems to set ever-higher ascents, in terms of sheer mental fortitude.

At the YONEX All England 2024, she produced a semifinal performance that stirred the crowd. At times the Korean could barely move, and yet she punished Akane Yamaguchi with interminable rallies, which exhausted the Japanese’s challenge for the final against Carolina Marin.

An had gone into the match knowing she was less than fully fit, but she showed how much the loss meant to her as she remained crestfallen for hours after. It is this insatiable hunger that defines her; still only 22, she is on her way to becoming one of the most successful players of all time.

Following the semifinal loss at the All England, An gave a glimpse into what drives her despite being far from her physical best:

“Performance-wise and physically I wasn’t quite up there. My knee wasn’t 100 per cent for this semifinal. I gave everything I had. Obviously the result is disappointing, but I also learnt that even if you have obstacles, if you try to overcome the pain you’re going through, you can still play.

“I could see that my mind wasn’t moving, I could barely walk, but I decided to carry on, to finish the game. I was cramping; also, I wasn’t able to lunge forward.

“It’s been a long wait, and today also I had a long match. But this is what attracts me to badminton. I had a chat with my trainer, we’ve been preparing for this tournament for a long time. It wasn’t the result we wanted, but we endured.”

A couple of days earlier, An talked about her excitement at facing another player returning from injury – Pusarla V Sindhu – and the challenge that awaited her.

“We were both coming back from injuries, and that made me slightly nervous,” said An. “I was kind of looking forward to seeing a brand-new Sindhu, because she’s still powerful.

“After the French Open, my recovery has been slow. But you know how many matches I played last year – so I’ve learnt how to recover quickly. As long as I take care of my knees, I think I will be OK.”

Of course, the previous week, at the YONEX French Open, she had also produced another sample of her iron will, as she clambered back from 11-18 and 16-20 down in the third game against Tai Tzu Ying. It was a revenge of sorts against the Chinese Taipei maverick, to whom she had lost from a similar position of strength at the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2023 – a rare occasion when she succumbed to pressure.

Having accomplished the comeback win over Tai, An could not be stopped in the final – adding a 21^st World Tour title at the same venue that will host the Olympics later this year. When she does return in July, she will have fond memories.

“Winning the French Open is vital for the Olympics, and I was under a lot of pressure, and winning it definitely give me a lot of confidence,” she said after beating Akane Yamaguchi in the final. “I’m going to get ready for the Olympics, and I’m going to be happy today!”