Elusive Victory: Seo Seung-jae and Kim Won-ho Say 'This Is Part of the Process'

World No. 1 men's doubles badminton pair Seo Seung-jae and Kim Won-ho (both of Samsung Life Insurance), currently experiencing a dip in momentum, looked to the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games as a stage for resurgence.

However, their path to the final was thwarted once again in this tournament, ultimately falling short of extending their streak of consecutive tournament titles to seven.

Met in the mixed zone after a comprehensive defeat in the semifinals, Seo and Kim expressed regret but echoed that they "identified areas that need improvement" and would hone their skills toward the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics further down the road.

Men's doubles world No. 1 Seo Seung-jae and Kim Won-ho lost 0 to 2 in just 32 minutes to Indonesia's Daniel Marthin and Leo Rolly Carnando pair in the men's doubles badminton semifinals of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held today at the Ichinomiya City Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

It was a one-sided match with deep disappointment in terms of gameplay as well.

Without even mounting a proper counterattack, Seo and Kim surrendered the first game by a 10-point margin just 15 minutes into the match, and rapidly collapsed by conceding six consecutive points early in the second game.

Seo pinpointed the cause of the defeat, saying, "We fell too far behind in net play, and because the opponent's serves and returns came in so well, we couldn't handle them properly and failed to execute the game we had planned."

Although they wrap up this tournament with a bittersweet bronze medal, the two players accepted their current slump as part of the process they must go through to bounce back.

Seo stated, "I think we need to talk with Won-ho and fill in the missing pieces starting from this Asian Games. Immediate tournaments are important, but since we also need to prepare well for the LA Olympics two years from now, we will refine our skills further."

Kim Won-ho also vowed, "We have confirmed our shortcomings once again. We will continue to work hard by filling in those gaps."

Having teamed up early last year, Seo Seung-jae and Kim Won-ho are the world's strongest pair who combined for 11 championship trophies in their debut year, tying the record for the most wins in a single season.

Amid a somewhat sluggish recent trend, they aimed to restore their honor in this tournament, but unfortunately fell short of their goal.

Seo explained, "I think opposing players have figured out our playstyle much more compared to last year. We are also going through the process of overcoming that check."

He added, "Amid fierce competition where anyone could win, we will become a bit more solid in this aspect and make sure to show a game that overcomes it next time."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.