World No. 1 Seo Seung-jae and Kim Won-ho Finish as Runners-up at Japan Open, Bid for Back-to-Back Titles Falls Short

The bid for a second consecutive Japan Open title by world No. 1 men's doubles pair Seo Seung-jae and Kim Won-ho has unfortunately fallen short.

Seo and Kim were defeated 2-0 by world No. 2 Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri of Indonesia in the men's doubles final of the 2026 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Japan Open, held in Tokyo.

Having reached the top of the podium at this tournament last year, Seo and Kim aimed for a repeat victory but were unable to clear the final hurdle, finishing the tournament as runners-up.

Seo and Kim, who swept 11 titles last year and tied the record for the most wins in a single season alongside An Se-young, had faced disappointment with consecutive semifinal exits at the Singapore Open and Indonesia Open last June.

After a break of about a month, they returned to competition and showed improved form by reaching the final, but they ultimately fell just short of the championship.

The match was a tight contest, befitting a clash between the world's top two ranked pairs.

In the first game, despite initially holding the initiative, the Korean pair could not pull away. At 16-16, they conceded three consecutive points and were quickly overtaken. Although they maintained their focus to close the gap to 20-19, they ultimately conceded the final point and lost the first game.

The second game saw the Korean pair trailing from the start. After holding a narrow 8-7 lead, they gave up three straight points to enter the interval trailing 11-8.

After the interval, the Korean pair rallied to tie the score, leading to a fierce back-and-forth battle. However, their focus wavered at the crucial moment.

Tied at 13-13, they conceded three consecutive points, losing the momentum. Seo and Kim dug deep to erase a 17-14 deficit and tie the game at 17-17, but they ultimately conceded four straight points to the Indonesian pair in the final moments and were defeated.

While the men's doubles title slipped away, the women's doubles final earlier in the day provided a dramatic gold medal, offering some consolation to the Korean team.

World No. 6 Kim Hye-jeong and Kong Hee-yong defeated the world No. 2 Chinese pair of Chen Qingchen and Zhang Shuxian 2-1 in a grueling 1-hour and 39-minute battle to secure a thrilling come-from-behind victory.

After being dominated and losing the first game, the Korean pair seized control early in the second game and did not allow a single lead change, leveling the match.

The third game was a nerve-wracking contest. It featured 20 ties and went to deuce 10 times in an extreme battle of endurance.

Finally, with the score at 29-29, the regulation limit, Korea secured the precious final point to put an end to the marathon match.

Having concluded their schedule at the Japan Open, the Korean national badminton team will immediately travel to China to compete in the China Open, which begins on the 21st, to hunt for more medals.

Meanwhile, world-leading women's singles player An Se-young withdrew from the tournament after passing the round of 32 due to a foot injury and returned home early for a detailed medical examination.

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