World No. 1 men's doubles pair Seungjae Seo and Wonho Kim of Samsung Life Insurance have advanced to the semifinals of the Asian Games, fending off a strong challenge from Japan. Despite a shaky start that saw them lose the first game, they continued their pursuit of a gold medal for the first time in 24 years.
Seo and Kim faced Japan's Hiroki Nishii and Kakeru Kumagai in the quarterfinals on September 27 at the Ichinomiya City Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, winning 2-1 (15-21, 21-17, 21-15).
The match did not start smoothly for the Korean duo. They struggled to find their rhythm against the Japanese pair's quick attacks and resilient defense, ultimately losing the first game 15-21.
However, the world champions regained their form in the second game, taking an early lead of 13-5. Although they allowed their opponents to close the gap to 14-13, Kim's net play helped them maintain control, and they secured the game 21-17, forcing a decisive third game.
The final game was tightly contested. Seo and Kim reached the interval trailing 10-11 and fell behind 12-13, but they raised their intensity at crucial moments. They scored five consecutive points to take the lead and finished the match with a score of 21-15.
With this victory, Seo and Kim have secured a medal in the tournament. Kim, who won a silver medal with Solkyu Choi at the 2022 Hangzhou Games, has now earned medals in consecutive Asian Games. This is the first time Seo and Kim have secured a medal in the Asian Games as a pair.
Looking ahead, the focus is on winning gold. The last time South Korea claimed the men's doubles gold medal in badminton at the Asian Games was in 2002, when the pair of Idong Soo and Yongseong Yoo triumphed. If Seo and Kim win, they will end a 24-year drought in this event.
Meanwhile, another South Korean men's doubles team, Kidoong Joo from Incheon International Airport and Minhyuk Kang from the Army Sports Corps, were eliminated in the quarterfinals after losing to Indonesia's Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri 1-2 (14-21, 22-20, 14-21). After dropping the first game, they fought back to win the second in a deuce but could not recover from an early deficit in the final game.
Joo and Kang had previously defeated the same Indonesian pair 2-1 in the semifinals of the Asian Championships in April, but this time they could not secure a victory, ending their medal hopes in the quarterfinals.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.