‘Fantasy doubles team’ Seo Seung-jae and Chae Yu-jeong, “As a player, the goal is of course the gold medal… If you have fun, you will achieve your goal.”
The team of Seo Seung-jae (26, Samsung Life Insurance) and Chae Yu-jeong (28, Incheon International Airport), the leading figures of Korean badminton mixed doubles, made a golden return.
Seo Seung-jae and Chae Yu-jeong won the gold medal in the mixed doubles at the China Open of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Super 1000 Tournament, which ended at the Changzhou Olympic Center in China on the 10th. They won the ‘surprise’ title at the World Championships last month and even conquered the China Open, winning two consecutive competitions.
Seo Seung-jae and Chae Yu-jeong reached the top for the first time in the Super 1000 competition, the highest level among the BWF World Tour. They reached the finals of both the 2020 Super 1000 Thailand Open and this year’s All England Open, but had to be satisfied with second place.
In addition, Lee Yong-dae and Lee Hyo-jeong won the mixed doubles title twice in a row in 2008 and 2009, reclaiming the top spot for the first time in 14 years.
On the 11th, Seo Seung-jae and Chae Yu-jeong returned to Korea through Incheon International Airport with their national team colleagues. Seo Seung-jae, who met reporters at the airport, said, “It is true that I gained confidence by winning the World Championships. I thought that winning was in the past and tried to improve further. There were difficult times, but I overcame them well and was able to win two competitions in a row.” He expressed his feelings.
The biggest challenge of this tournament was the quarterfinals. Seo Seung-jae and Chae Yu-jeong met at the threshold of the semifinals in the world’s No. 1 group, Zheng Si-wei and Huang Ya-chong (China). The pair of Seo Seung-jae and Chae Yu-jeong dramatically won the gold medal by defeating Zheng Si-wei and Huang Ya-chong in the final of the World Championships.메이저놀이터
In enemy territory, Changzhou, China, Seo Seung-jae and Chae Yu-jeong met Zheng Si-wei and Huang Ya-chong once again. Seo Seung-jae and Chae Yu-jeong, who had a close battle throughout, achieved a thrilling comeback victory with 2-1 (17-21 21-13 21-17).
Chae Yu-jeong said, “We met the Chinese players again in the quarterfinals, but honestly, I didn’t think we would win one more time. I decided not to fall down easily.” She went on to explain, “I ran comfortably and achieved good results. There was a lot of wind in the gym, so we decided to take advantage of it, and since we had nothing to lose, we were able to relax and win again.”
Seo Seung-jae said, “Because I won once, I was confident that I could win even if we met a second or third time.”
This match was decided at the end of the second set. At 19-19, Chae Yu-jeong’s bold attack led to a score. Chae Yu-jeong, who had made unfortunate mistakes in the past, has grown several levels since the World Championships.
Chae Yoo-jeong said with a smile, “She’s lost a lot in the past, so she was wondering how she could win.” She continued, “I did a lot of image training, and more than anything, I thought, ‘(Seo) Seungjae is behind me, so what can’t the people in front of me do?’ We trusted each other and (played), so we got good results.”
Seo Seung-jae, who conquered the men’s doubles and mixed doubles at the World Championships, has emerged as a new powerhouse in doubles. He, who has already become a top doubles player, said, “It is still difficult to say that I am top class. I have to maintain and develop this and become number one in the world to become a top class player.”
He is also compared to Kim Dong-moon and Lee Yong-dae, the ‘legends’ of Korean doubles. Seungjae Seo said, “Professor Kim Dong-moon and Lee Yong-dae have been ranked number one in the world and achieved good results since they were young. However, I only recently won the world championship. I think there is still a long way to go, and I want to work harder to become a player who will succeed the Korean doubles industry.” revealed.
Regarding her goal for the upcoming Hangzhou Asian Games, Chae Yoo-jeong said, “As an athlete, of course I want to challenge for the gold medal. I will approach it with this mindset. If I communicate well with the coaching staff and Seung-jae so that I don’t get injured and my tension doesn’t drop, I will be able to reach the height I want.” “I think so,” he said.
Seo Seung-jae expressed his determination, saying, “There are about two weeks left, but I will prepare in the best condition. If I enjoy playing as much as I can rather than feeling pressured, I will achieve my desired goal at the Asian Games.”
