Korean ladies return home to domestic duties

Three of the Korean women involved in finals on Sunday at the Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold were right back on court on Monday playing in Korea’s National Sports Festival (NSF).  Women’s doubles runners-up Jang Ye Na (pictured) and Lee So Hee were playing against each other as early as noon on Monday.  Jang, who was playing doubles with former Olympic and Asian Games gold medallist Lee Hyo Jung, followed up her victory over her current national team partner with another a few hours later against Eom Hye Won, the mixed champion in Thailand.

Jang and Lee eventually took the gold for North Gyeonsang Province on Tuesday, prevailing in the final against Thailand Open semi-finalist Kim Ha Na, who was representing Busan.  Kim was playing with Park So Ri, even though her team-mates include national team stalwarts Chae Yoo Jung and Shin Seung Chan.  Kim and Park, too, had to get past some Thailand Open semi-finalists to reach the final.  They beat South Jeolla’s Go Ah Ra / Yoo Hae Won in the second round.

North Gyeongsang took the men’s doubles gold in the professional division as well.  Former World Champions Ko Sung Hyun / Shin Baek Cheol won back the title they last took in 2013 by beating Lee Yong Dae / Han Sang Hoon in the second round and then two-time defending champions Yoo Yeon Seong and Jung Jung Young in the final.

The badminton competition of the NSF is being held a week earlier than the rest of the events so that Korea’s top players can fulfill their obligations at the Denmark Open Superseries Premier next week, an event that top ten players can be fined for skipping.  The doubles events are followed by men’s and women’s team events which wind up on Saturday morning and the team will fly together to Denmark on Sunday.

Photo: Don Hearn (archives)