World No. 1 Seo Seung-jae-Kim Won-ho Stretch Title Drought to Nine After French Open Loss to Malaysians

South Korea's world number one men's doubles pair Seo Seung-jae and Kim Won-ho have now gone nine tournaments without a title after a quarter-final defeat at the French Open Super 750 in Paris. Malaysia's Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani beat them in straight games, 21-15, 21-18, in just 36 minutes at the Grand Arena Paris.

The Malaysians controlled the front of the court with quick, accurate net play, and the Koreans never found a way back. Trailing 18-20 in the second game, Seo and Kim lost the decisive point when a smash clipped the net tape and dropped over onto their side.

It continues a worrying slide for a pair who dominated the men's doubles circuit last year after reuniting in early 2025. A week earlier they went out in the Denmark Open semi-finals, and in Paris they fell a round sooner. For Sze Fei-Izzuddin, the win was a key step on their run to an all-Malaysian final.

Source: Chosunbiz (translated and summarised from Korean)