World number two An Se-young emphatically beat Japan’s top-ranked Akane Yamaguchi to help send South Korea into the next round of the Sudirman Cup as group winners on Wednesday.
Four-time champions South Korea will be joined in the knockout stage by previous runners-up Japan, despite the Koreans winning the tie overall.
Following Korean victories in mixed doubles and men’s singles, the decisive blow came when An defeated Yamaguchi 21-11, 21-15 in a battle between the two best women’s players on the planet.
