KUALA LUMPUR: Defending champion An Se Young dispatched her "role model" Ratchanok Intanon at the Malaysia Open today to set up a mouthwatering women's singles final against China's Wang Zhi Yi.
The South Korean looked fluid and rarely put a foot wrong as she carved out a 21-14, 21-18 victory over the Thai world No. 16 in the semi-finals at the Axiata Arena.
"It's always an honour to play against Ratchanok. She is my role model, I learned a lot from her when I was a junior," said Se Young.
"Mentally, I was really well prepared and that helped me win the game today."
The Malaysia Open final will pit Se Young, the Olympic champion and world No. 1, against world No. 2 Zhi Yi.
Se Young leads their head-to-head record at 8-4, but Zhi Yi won their last two encounters last year, at the Denmark Open final and the semi-finals of the World Tour Finals in Hangzhou.
Though Se Young, 22, is seen to have the edge, the South Korean said she will have to find an extra gear to get the better of Zhi Yi.
"I think all the players have analysed my game, that is normal. This is the challenge I face. I need to figure out how to overcome this," said Se Young.
Zhi Yi advanced to the final after outclassing Thailand's world No. 44 Pornpicha Choeikeewong 21-16, 21-12 in the last four,
The 24-year-old, however, downplayed her last two wins against Se Young, who she believes was not in the best of form then.
"I feel that her condition has improved a lot since we last played each other," said Zhi Yi.
"I won't assume that I will win tomorrow (final) just because I beat her twice before. I will approach the match with the mindset of a challenger.
"She has the qualities of an excellent athlete, but I also have my own goals and will work hard to achieve them."
Zhi Yi added that her rivalry with Se Young has pushed both players to elevate their games.