Korea’s victory over China in the Uber Cup final marked a landmark achievement for head coach Park Joo Bong, who guided the team to its third title since taking the helm last year. The 3-1 win, featuring decisive points from An Se Young, Kim Ga Eun, and the scratch doubles pair Baek Ha Na/Kim Hye Jeong, thwarted China’s attempt at a record 17th title and bolstered Korea’s confidence ahead of upcoming challenges like the Asian Games.
Reflecting on the triumph, Park revealed the team’s strategy was to secure points through two singles and one doubles, anticipating China’s strength in the first doubles pairing. “An Se Young, of course, [was expected to secure] one point, and the second doubles (Baek Ha Na/Kim Hye Jeong), and then the third singles, Sim Yu Jin against Han Yue. China’s first doubles is very strong, so we had to try the second doubles,” he explained.
A key turning point came in the second singles, where Kim Ga Eun delivered a stunning performance against Chen Yu Fei, despite recent struggles and being left out of the semifinals. “This was very surprising, actually. Kim Ga Eun didn’t play the semifinals; in the group stage her performance wasn’t very good, so we were worried about her. But today was her day. She was very calm… She was one of the reasons for the win,” Park admitted.
On An Se Young’s turnaround since her All England defeat to Wang Zhi Yi, Park credited focused preparation and tactical adjustments: “She worked on changing her game when she went back to Korea and trained hard. At the Badminton Asia Championships in April, she forced Wang Zhi Yi to work a lot while she herself was in control. So we were successful. Today too we planned this way; it wasn’t Wang Zhi Yi’s day, she made a lot of mistakes.”
Park also highlighted the successful gamble in splitting the usual doubles pairings, which paid off in the Uber Cup but not in the Thomas Cup. “In the Uber Cup, it was successful. Our Thomas Cup performance was quite good, actually. In the first match against Denmark we were not there, our men’s singles have always been weak. But this time we had a very good experience, so our future is stronger and we’ll come back.”
Korea’s Uber Cup success under Park Joo Bong underscores a blend of tactical acuity, adaptability, and emerging talent—setting the stage for continued progress on the world badminton stage.
Photo: BWF/Badmintonphoto@Badmintonphoto
