Korea will end a nine-year wait for the men’s doubles title at the Badminton Asia Championships after both their pairs powered into an all-Korean final in Ningbo.
Top seeds Kim Won Ho/Seo Seung Jae continued their dominant run with a composed 21-13, 22-20 win over China’s He Ji Ting/Ren Xiang Yu.
Awaiting them are compatriots Kang Min Hyuk/Ki Dong Ju, who underlined their breakthrough campaign with a hard-fought 21-13, 14-21, 21-16 victory over Indonesia’s fifth seed Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri.
The outcome guarantees Korea their first men’s doubles crown since 2016, while also marking a maiden Asian Championships final for the unseeded Kang/Ki pairing.
WOMEN’S DOUBLES: China assured of women’s doubles title as Liu/Tan eye back-to-back*
China will retain the women’s doubles crown with an all-Chinese final led by defending champions Liu Sheng Shu/Tan Ning. The top seeds eased past Indonesia’s Amalia Cahaya Pratiwi/Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti 21-10, 21-12 to reach a second successive final.
They will face compatriots Li Yi Jing/Luo Xu Min, who maintained their strong run by defeating Japan’s Yuki Fukushima/Mayu Matsumoto 21-17, 21-17.
Liu/Tan hold a commanding head-to-head advantage and will start as clear favourites as they target consecutive Asian titles.
MIXED DOUBLES: Korea claim mixed doubles title after Thai withdrawal
Korea also secured the mixed doubles title, albeit in unfortunate circumstances, after Thailand’s Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Supissara Paewsampran were forced to withdraw from the final due to injury.
The Korean pair Kim Jae Hyeon/Jang Hae Jeong were thus awarded the title, capping a strong campaign that included a straight-games semifinal win over Japan’s Yuta Watanabe/Maya Taguchi.
The triumph marks Korea’s first mixed doubles crown at the championships since 2013.
Thailand had earlier impressed by edging top seeds Feng Yanzhe/Huang Dongping in a thrilling semifinal but were ultimately denied a shot at ending their own long title drought.
Semifinal Results
Men’s Doubles
Kim Won Ho/Seo Seung Jae (KOR) bt He Ji Ting/Ren Xiang Yu (CHN) 21-13, 22-20
Kang Min Hyuk/Ki Dong Ju (KOR) bt Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri (INA) 21-13, 14-21, 21-16
Women’s Doubles
Liu Sheng Shu/Tan Ning (CHN) bt Amalia Cahaya Pratiwi/Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti (INA) 21-10, 21-12
Li Yi Jing/Luo Xu Min (CHN) bt Yuki Fukushima/Mayu Matsumoto (JPN) 21-17, 21-17
Mixed Doubles
Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Supissara Paewsampran (THA) bt Feng Yanzhe/Huang Dongping (CHN) 21-19, 18-21, 22-20
Kim Jae Hyeon/Jang Hae Jeong (KOR) bt Yuta Watanabe/Maya Taguchi (JPN) 21-18, 21-11
Finals
Men’s Doubles:*Kim Won Ho/Seo Seung Jae (KOR) vs Kang Min Hyuk/Ki Dong Ju (KOR)
Women’s Doubles: Liu Sheng Shu/Tan Ning (CHN) vs Li Yi Jing/Luo Xu Min (CHN)
Mixed Doubles: Kim Jae Hyeon/Jang Hae Jeong (KOR) bt Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Supissara Paewsampran (THA) WALKOVER
