World No. 1 badminton men's doubles pair Seo Seung-jae and Kim Won-ho (both of Samsung Life Insurance) have missed out on a spot in the Asian Games final.

Speaking in the mixed zone after suffering a 2-0 defeat in the semifinals, Seo and Kim expressed their disappointment while agreeing that they have identified areas for improvement, vowing to refine their skills for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics further down the road.

Seo and Kim lost 0-2 (11-21, 14-21) in 32 minutes to Indonesia's Daniel Marthin and Leo Rolly Carnando in the men's doubles semifinals of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at the Ichinomiya City Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on September 28.

Analyzing the defeat, Seo said, "We were overwhelmed in the play at the net, and because their serves and returns were so strong, we failed to handle them properly and could not execute the game plan we had in mind."

Unable to mount a proper counterattack, Seo and Kim dropped the first game by a 10-point margin just 15 minutes into the match and conceded six consecutive points at the start of the second game.

Although the tournament ends with a bittersweet bronze medal, the two players accepted their current slump as part of the process required to bounce back.

Seo stated, "I think we need to use this Asian Games as an opportunity to talk with Won-ho and address our shortcomings. While upcoming tournaments are important, we also need to prepare well for the LA Olympics two years from now, so we will work on refining our skills."

Kim also resolved, "We have once again confirmed our weaknesses. We will continue to work on addressing them and put in our best effort."

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

Despite aiming to restore their pride in this tournament following a somewhat sluggish recent trend, they unfortunately fell short of their goal.

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

He added firmly, "In a fierce competition where anyone could win, we will become mentally tougher and definitely show a style of play that overcomes this next time."

(Photo: Yonhap News)