(Asiad) Defending champion S. Korea reaches semifinals in women's badminton team event

NAGOYA, Japan, Sept. 22 (Yonhap) -- Led by world No. 1 An Se-young, defending champion South Korea advanced to the semifinals of the women's badminton team event at the Asian Games on Tuesday.

South Korea defeated Malaysia 3-1, after two singles and two doubles matches at Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium in Ichinomiya, just northwest of the main host city, Nagoya, Japan.

An, the reigning Olympic and world champion in the women's singles, led things off by beating Letshanaa Karupathevan 2-0 (21-12, 21-8).

In the next doubles match, though, world No. 2 tandem of Lee So-hee and Baek Hana lost to fifth-ranked team, Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan by 2-0 (22-20, 21-17).

But South Korea won the next two matches to grab its ticket to the semifinals.

Kim Ga-eun took care of Wong Ling Ching 2-0 (21-12, 21-18), before Jeong Na-eun and Kim Hye-jeong beat Cheng Su Yin and Low Zi Yu 2-1 (18-21, 21-11, 24-22).

An said afterward she enjoys the team event because she is surrounded by supportive teammates on the court -- something she never gets to enjoy during singles matches.

"It is fun to hear my teammates cheer me on and this setting gets me fired up even more," she said. "I am just happy I was able to help the team. Since it is early in the tournament, I felt some nerves. I want to shake off fears of failure and play the way I want to play out there."

Up next will be Japan in the semifinals scheduled for Wednesday morning. The Japanese team features Akane Yamaguchi, a longtime rival of An ranked world No. 3 in the women's singles.