Seung-jae Seo (left) and Won-ho Kim are holding a medal ceremony after winning the men’s doubles final at the World Badminton Federation World Tour Malaysia Open held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the 11th. Kuala Lumpur | Shinhwa Yonhap News
Korean badminton men’s doubles ‘golden duo’ Seung-jae Seo and Won-ho Kim (hereinafter Samsung Life Insurance), who combined for 11 wins last year and set the all-time record for most wins in a single season alongside Ahn Se-young (Samsung Life Insurance), boasted great chemistry and took the top spot in the first tournament of the new year.
Seung-jae Seo and Won-ho Kim, world No. 1 badminton men’s doubles players, defeated Aaron Chia and So Yoo-ik (Malaysia), ranked second in the world on their home court, with a set score of 2-1 (21-15 12-21 21-18) in the men’s doubles final of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Malaysia Open (Super 1000) held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the 11th.
Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae made a mark in men’s doubles history in 2025.
The two, who worked together for the first time in January of last year, started racing with great momentum from the start. Last year, he succeeded in winning a total of 11 competitions, including the World Championships, in 17 international competitions, and along with Ahn Se-young, he tied the record for most wins in a badminton single season set by Kento Momota in 2019. In particular, in the case of Seo Seung-jae, in addition to Kim Won-ho, he teamed up with Jin Yong (Yonex) to win one more time, achieving the feat of winning for the 12th time.
Kim Won-ho (left) is receiving an attack from his opponent in the men’s doubles final of the World Badminton Federation World Tour Malaysia Open held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the 11th. Kuala Lumpur | Shinhwa Yonhap News
Even in the first competition of the year, their performance did not decrease at all.
Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae, who won the first set at 5-5 with four consecutive points, continued the momentum and easily won the first set at 21-15. However, the atmosphere took a sharp turn in the second set. Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae, who were pushed back by the opponent’s calm offensive, continued to be dragged around without any chance of catching up, and eventually lost the set by 9 points, 12-21.
Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae showed their strength again in the third set, which was the watershed that decided the win or loss. Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae, who entered the interval with an 11-5 lead, faced a crisis at the end of the set when their opponent allowed them to chase down to 19-18, but they did not waver any longer and kept their lead until the end, confirming the win with 21-18.
Kim Won-ho (left) and Seo Seung-jae are roaring after winning the men’s doubles final at the World Badminton Federation World Tour Malaysia Open held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the 11th. Kuala Lumpur | AFP Yonhap News
