JAKARTA - Indonesian women's singles Gregoria Mariska Tunjung will face a steep path in the top of the 2022 Australian Open because she has to face the first seed from South Korea An Se Young.
Gregoria advanced to the top party of the Super 300 tournament after struggling to get rid of Han Yue from China in a three-game battle which ended with a score of 18-21, 21-16, 21-14. He became the only Indonesian representative left after mixed doubles pair Dejan Ferdinansyah/Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja stopped in the semifinals.
The final match which will take place at the Quay Center, Sydney, Sunday will be Gregoria's inaugural title fight in the BWF world tour tournament.
Since the tournament system was changed to BWF World Tour in 2018, Gregoria's steps have always stopped in the early stages. The women's singles ranked 19th in the world have actually reached the semifinals in four BWF World Tour tournaments, namely Thailand Open 2018, Denmark Open 2018, Malaysia Masters 2022, and Hylo Open 2022.
But the 2017 junior world champion always failed to take advantage of this opportunity to advance to the top party, including when he lost to An Se Young in the semifinals of the Malaysia Masters 2022, last July.
An Se Young will again be a tough challenge for Gregoria in the 2022 Australian Open final. In addition to winning in world rankings, An Se Young is in control with a 2-0 winning record.
Prior to her victory in the semifinals of the Malaysia Masters 2022, the world number two women's singles also defeated Gregoria in their first meeting in the last 32 of the All England 2022.
An Se Young is arguably a consistent player and has often climbed the main podium. Since appearing in the BWF World Tour tournament in 2018, An has won 11 titles, including three consecutive titles in different tournaments last year, namely the Indonesia Masters 2021, the Indonesia Open 2021, and the BWF World Tour Finals 2021 which were both held centrally in Bali.
In dealing with An, Gregoria said he would only appear determined and not give up easily until he reached the last point.
"Tomorrow I want to push even more. Understandably, he is not an easy opponent. His class opponent is already above me. Tomorrow I must not give up easily. Try to maximize what is there," said Gregoria, who last won at the 2018 Finish Open, in a statement quoted by Antara, Sunday, November 20.
Although the final will be a steep path for Gregoria, his achievements in qualifying for the final are quite good for the women's singles sector, which always has difficulty penetrating to the top party BWF World Tour.
If Gregoria can win over An Se Young in the final match, she will be the fourth women's singles from Indonesia to take home the Australian Open title after Utami Dewi (1975), Susi Susanti (1990), and Maria Febe Kusumastuti (2009).
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