Tied record for most wins in a season with 11… “I couldn’t have achieved it if I had just looked at the records.”
‘King of Kings 2nd consecutive loss’ Baek Hana and Lee Sohee “We will do well from the beginning of the season next year”
Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae, who won the King of Kings Battle held in Hangzhou, China, returned to Korea through Incheon International Airport on the 22nd.
Like Ahn Se-young (Samsung Life Insurance), the men’s doubles world No. 1 pair of Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae also took home the championship trophy by winning all five matches in this tournament.
In an interview with reporters after returning to Korea, Kim Won-ho said, “I am so honored to be able to finish the last competition of the year with a win. I finished the season without any injuries.”
Seo Seung-jae said, “I feel really good because I won the last competition of the year. There were a lot of difficult situations, but I feel good that I finished well with Wonho.”
Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae took the top spot at this year’s World Championships, as well as the All England Open, Indonesia Open, Malaysia Open (Super 1000), Japan Open, China Masters, French Open (Super 750), Korea Open, Japan Masters (Super 500), and German Open (Super 300).
Including the victory in the World Tour Finals, a blitzkrieg competition, it is 11 wins for the season. This record is tied with the most wins (11 wins) in a single season achieved by Ahn Se-young in women’s singles this year and Kento Momota (Japan) in men’s singles in 2019.
Seo Seung-jae said, “I am happy that I achieved such good results this year. Next year, I want to repay the fans with better performance by improving the areas where I can grow. I will prepare well and work hard next year as well.”
Kim Won-ho said, “We have to bear the burden,” and “The most important thing is to play the game without injury. I will do my best as I always have.”
In particular, Seo Seung-jae set a new record for the most wins by an individual in a season with 12 wins, including winning the Thailand Masters (Super 300) with Jin Yong (Yonex).
He said, “It is such a great honor. I have been working hard since January, and it is very meaningful to win the championship. I will do my best in every game next year as well.”
When asked about challenging the doubles team’s record of 12 wins next season, Seo Seung-jae said, “I didn’t play for the record, and if I had only hoped to achieve the record, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve it. If I do my best starting next year, I will have the opportunity to challenge once more. I will prepare well and avoid injuries.”
Before the King of Kings Tournament, the two suffered a slump in 14 tournaments this year, winning only the Denmark Open, but signaled a revival by lifting the trophy at the World Tour Finals, the last tournament of the season.
Baek Hana said, “I never imagined we would win two games in a row. I feel so good and I’m just happy,” and Sohee Lee said, “I also never imagined we would win two games in a row. I feel good because we got a good result.”
Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee attracted attention by showing a ‘Purchase’ ceremony after their victory was confirmed. Younger sister Baek Hana was happy to ride on older sister Lee Sohee’s back.
Lee So-hee looked back and said, “When I did the piggyback ceremony last year, other people liked it, so I thought it would be meaningful to win this time and do it again. Hana naturally carried me on my back and a good picture came out.”
Baek Hana, who showed signs of a rebound by winning the King of Kings, said, “I will prepare well from the beginning of next year so that I will not be as sluggish as I was this year. Please support me a lot.” Lee So-hee said, “It was difficult because of the long slump this year, but I finished the last competition on a good note. I will continue the momentum until next year and do well from the beginning of the season.”
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