Their world ranking is still No. 1. But it has been a long time since news of a title reached them. South Korea’s flagship men’s doubles pair Seo Seung-jae–Kim Won-ho (both Samsung Life Insurance) again failed to win a title. This time they did not even reach the semifinals.
Seo Seung-jae–Kim Won-ho lost on the 24th (Korean time) in Paris, France, at Arena Grand Paris in the 2026 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour French Open (Super 750) men’s doubles quarterfinals to Malaysia’s Goh Je Fai–Nur Izdin by a game score of 0-2 (15-21, 18-21).
The match lasted only 36 minutes. It was a defeat unworthy of their No. 1 world ranking.
They struggled with the opponent’s fast and precise net play. After dropping the first game 15-21, Seo Seung-jae–Kim Won-ho tried to rally in the second game but could not turn the momentum. When they trailed 18-20, misfortune compounded as an opponent smash hit the net and crossed over.
They ultimately lost the second game 18-21 and were eliminated from the tournament.
A week earlier at the Denmark Open they had also been eliminated in the semifinals. At this French Open they packed up one round earlier. Most worrisome is that these results do not appear to be a temporary slump.
They have now failed to win in nine consecutive tournaments.
Last year Seo Seung-jae–Kim Won-ho reigned as the absolute power in world men’s doubles. The two players, who reunited in early 2025, reached the top from their first tournament together at the Malaysia Open. They then swept major events including the All England Open, the Indonesia Open, the world championships, the French Open and the BWF World Tour Finals.
They won an astonishing 11 tournaments last year. They also held the No. 1 world ranking.
Their momentum continued into early this year. They were still regarded as the world’s best after winning the Malaysia Open, the All England Open and the Asian Championships.
The situation changed starting in May. In the Singapore Open semifinals they lost 0-2 to India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy–Chirag Shetty. Then in the Indonesia Open semifinals they bowed to the Goh Je Fai–Nur Izdin pair that eliminated them at this French Open.
They had no further titles after that. In July they reached consecutive finals at the Japan Open and the China Open but lost both times to Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian–Muhammad Rian. They reached the final stage yet could not clear the last hurdle.
At the world championships in August they lost in the semifinals to Malaysia’s Soh Wooi Yik–Aaron Chia and had to settle for bronze.
Their slump became more pronounced in September. At the China Masters they lost 0-2 from the first round to Indonesia’s Leo Gardano–Danielle Martin, who were ranked 59th in the world at the time. It was a shocking result for the world No. 1 to be eliminated in their opening match.
The situation did not change at the Aichi–Nagoya Asian Games. They met the Gardano–Martin pair again in the semifinals but again lost 0-2. They had been beaten consecutively by the same opponents.
On the 17th at the Denmark Open semifinals they lost 0-2 to Soh Wooi Yik–Aaron Chia. Then at this French Open they again failed to overcome the Malaysian pair, leaving them with nine consecutive tournaments without a title.
The problem is not simply that they have not won.
In the last nine tournaments Seo Seung-jae–Kim Won-ho recorded two runner-up finishes and five third-place finishes. Their results have not completely collapsed. It means they have maintained competitiveness to remain consistently near the top.
The problem is that they repeatedly lose to the same type of opponents at critical moments when competing for titles.
Their weakness is especially evident in matchups against Southeast Asian players. They have repeatedly failed to cross the title threshold after successive losses to Indonesian and Malaysian pairs.
It is hard to avoid criticism that they are not properly responding to fast net play, unorthodox attacks and sudden changes of pace.
An interesting point is that during the same period they recorded perfect scores against Chinese and Japanese players. They still possess the competitiveness befitting the world No. 1, but when facing certain opponents they struggle to find solutions.
The French Open quarterfinals were no different. The Goh Je Fai–Nur Izdin pair had already beaten Seo Seung-jae–Kim Won-ho at the Indonesia Open in June.
They met again after about four months, but the result did not change. On the contrary, they lost both games in 36 minutes and suffered a complete defeat.
Given their No. 1 world ranking, the disappointment is inevitable.
Of course being world No. 1 does not mean they must win every tournament. In men’s doubles the skill gap among top players is small, and results can vary depending on an opponent’s tactics or performance on the day.
A pair that won 11 tournaments last year has now gone nine tournaments without a title this year. The winless stretch is becoming too long to dismiss as a simple temporary slump.
Moreover, the opponents handing them defeats keep recurring. It shows that maintaining the world No. 1 ranking and beating key rivals to win titles are separate matters.
Seo Seung-jae–Kim Won-ho are still considered major medal contenders for South Korea at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. But if the current trend continues, a gold medal challenge looks difficult to predict optimistically.
Going forward, the important thing is not preserving the No. 1 ranking number. It is to analyze the causes of repeated losses and show new solutions to the rivals targeting them.
Seo Seung-jae–Kim Won-ho swept the world stage last year. They are still world No. 1, but their recent results do not match that status.
Nine consecutive tournaments without a title. Now is the time to prove themselves again with results rather than ranking.
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