(Xports News Reporter Na Seung-woo) Seo Seung-jae, the world’s No. 1 badminton men’s doubles player, made a surprise appearance in the Chinese Super League mixed doubles.
As a representative of Zhejiang Province, Seo Seung-jae participated in the mixed doubles competition in Suzhou in the second round of the 2025-2026 Chinese Badminton Club Super League with Huang Ya-chong, the mixed doubles gold medalist at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.
On the 13th (Korean time), in a face-to-face match between Liaoning Province representatives Guo Xin and Liu Shengsu, they unfortunately lost 1-2 after a close full set. However, it was a great match in which the attack and defense tempo were maximized and a fierce rally continued in the game.
Seo Seung-jae, who worked with Huang Ya-chong, who is also a mixed doubles gold medalist at the Chinese National Sports Festival, received a lot of attention even before the game.
Just as Shin Yu-bin played as a mercenary in the Chinese table tennis league, mercenaries are allowed to play in the Chinese badminton league, and Seo Seung-jae was paired with Huang Ya-chong, the best star in Chinese mixed doubles.
When the two players appeared on the court, there was enthusiastic cheers and attention from the audience.
In this tournament, which was held with a 15-point 3-set system, Seo Seung-jae showed strong pressure in front of the net worthy of the world’s No. 1 men’s doubles player. Hwangya Chong also maintained their unique tight grip on the net and quickly won the first game 15-8 with perfect coordination.
However, things faltered from the second game onwards. Guo Xin and Ryu Seong-su showed signs of gradually adapting to the rhythm of the 15-point Super League game, and with smoother half-half connection and concentration at important points, they won 15-13 and brought the game back to square one.
In the last three games, when the tension was at its peak, communication problems in the hastily created Seo Seung-jae and Hwang Ya-chong group were revealed. After conceding a series of goals at important points, they eventually lost 13-15 to the team of Guo Xin and Ryu Seong-su.
After the game, Seo Seung-jae said, “It was an honor to be able to compete on the same court with so many top players. I was able to play as a member of the save team. Today’s result is disappointing, but I will continue to do my best for the team.”
Huang Yachong is the most famous female player in Chinese badminton. Korea’s badminton emperor and China’s badminton empress formed a mixed doubles team. Regarding his chemistry with Seo Seung-jae, Hwang Ya-chong said, “Because it was the first game, there were some overlaps in the rotation at times. The actual flow of the game was okay,” and “However, communication at the last important point was a failure. This is a task that needs to be improved in the future.”
Seo Seung-jae will move to nearby Hangzhou and participate with Kim Won-ho in the men’s doubles at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Finals, which will be held from the 17th. This year, he will challenge to win the ‘King of Kings’ personality contest.
Photo = CBSL / Xports News DB / Hwangyagun SNS
Reporter Na Seung-woo winright95@xportsnews.com
