▲ Badminton men's doubles pair Seo Seo-jae and Kim Won-ho
World No. 1 Seo Seo-jae and Kim Won-ho (both of Samsung Life Insurance), who reigned as the absolute powerhouses in men's doubles last season, have failed to break their recent slump after suffering a shocking defeat in the first round of the China Masters.
Seo Seo-jae and Kim Won-ho lost 0-2 to world No. 58 Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Mar틴 (Indonesia) in the Round of 32 of the 2026 Badminton World Federation (BWF) China Masters held in Changzhou on the afternoon of September 1.
Excluding retirements due to injury, this is the first time they have been eliminated in the Round of 32 since forming their doubles partnership in January of last year.
Right after forming their partnership, the two players showed exceptional chemistry and quickly emerged as leading star players representing South Korean badminton alongside women's singles world No. 1 An Se-young (Samsung Life Insurance).
Last year, alongside An Se-young, they lifted 11 championship trophies—tying the record for the most wins in a single season—dominating the court, and they have firmly maintained the world No. 1 ranking for 59 consecutive weeks.
However, their momentum has appeared somewhat subdued recently.
Their last victory dates back to the Asian Championships held in April.
In the five tournaments they entered afterward, they consistently reached the podium with two silver medals and three bronze medals, but they were tripped up right at the first hurdle in this tournament.
A lack of concentration in the closing moments proved painful.
Although the South Korean pair maintained their lead despite allowing several ties in the first game, they collapsed after giving up five consecutive points to their opponents due to successive unforced errors while leading 19-16.
Failing to secure early momentum, the South Korean pair engaged in a much tighter battle in the second game.
Trailing 11-12, they appeared to take the lead with four unanswered points, but immediately conceded five straight points, ultimately failing to turn the match around and bowing their heads.
Meanwhile, An Se-young, who headed to the China Masters right after winning the World Championships, defeated Lin Hsiang-ti (Taiwan) 2-0 in just 33 minutes in the Round of 32.
Displaying overwhelming form by restricting her opponent to just 3 points in the second game, An Se-young secured her spot in the Round of 16 and sparked her drive toward a third consecutive tournament title.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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