'When they meet, Chinese players keep getting eliminated' Kim Yu-jung and Lee Yu-rim defeat three consecutive Chinese pairs... 'Storm' as they advance to Korea Open final

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

The Korean women's doubles pair of Kim Yu-jung and Lee Yu-rim (both from Samsung Life) advanced to the Korea Open final after consecutively defeating Chinese players.

World No. 31 Kim Yu-jung and Lee Yu-rim comprehensively defeated China's Chen Pan Shu Tian and Luo Xu Min (world No. 66) pair 2-0 (21-17, 21-11) in the women's doubles semifinal of the 2026 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Korea Open (Super 500), held on the 7th at Jinnam Gymnasium in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province.

With this, Kim Yu-jung and Lee Yu-rim have secured a chance to challenge for the title at home by advancing to the final scheduled for the 8th.

Chinese local media also reported that their country's players lost to the Korean pair and failed to advance to the final. Chinese sports outlet Zhibo Ba reported, "Chen Pan Shu Tian and Luo Xu Min lost 0-2 to the Korean pair, failing to reach the Korea Open women's doubles final."

Even more surprising is that Chinese women's doubles players have tasted defeat every time they faced Kim Yu-jung and Lee Yu-rim.

At this Korea Open, all four Chinese women's doubles pairs advanced to the round of 16. At that time, China's four pairs—Li Yi Jing and Wang Yi Duo, Luo Yi and Wang Ting Ge, Bao Li Jing and Chao Zi Han, and Chen Pan Shu Tian and Luo Xu Min—all made it into the round of 16.

However, the situation changed completely afterward. Chinese women's doubles players collapsed one after another in front of Kim Yu-jung and Lee Yu-rim.

It started in the round of 16. Kim Yu-jung and Lee Yu-rim defeated China's Luo Yi and Wang Ting Ge pair 2-0 (21-14, 21-17) to advance to the quarterfinals.

Following that, they secured a thrilling comeback victory against the Li Yi Jing and Wang Yi Duo pair in the quarterfinals. Kim Yu-jung and Lee Yu-rim started nervously by losing the first game 17-21, but dominated the second game 21-8 to level the match.

In the final third game, they won 22-20 after a deuce battle, securing their spot in the semifinals.

Zhibo Ba also expressed regret at the time, stating, "Li Yi Jing and Wang Yi Duo lost 1-2 to Korea's Kim Yu-jung and Lee Yu-rim, failing to advance to the semifinals."

Maintaining their momentum, Kim Yu-jung and Lee Yu-rim took down Chen Pan Shu Tian and Luo Xu Min, China's last remaining pair, in the semifinal.

The opponents were no pushovers. Chen Pan Shu Tian and Luo Xu Min had reached the top of the podium at the Malaysia Masters in May and the Arctic Open in October this year, winning twice at Super 500 events.

In the quarterfinals the previous day, they had continued their upward trend by defeating Japan's Iwanaga Rin and Nakaniishi Kie (world No. 5) pair 2-1 (15-21, 21-12, 21-17). However, they could not stop the momentum of Kim Yu-jung and Lee Yu-rim.

In the early stages of the match, the Chinese pair led. Kim Yu-jung and Lee Yu-rim struggled as they trailed 2-6 in the first game. However, they scored five consecutive points from a 5-7 deficit to take a 10-7 lead, and then maintained their advantage to win the first game 21-17.

In the second game, they displayed even more dominant performance. They engaged in a tight battle until 6-6, but subsequently widened the score gap to reach the interval at 11-7. From 15-11, they scored six consecutive points to put an end to the match with a 21-11 victory.

The match lasted only 42 minutes. In the end, a whopping three of the four Chinese women's doubles pairs participating in this tournament lost to Kim Yu-jung and Lee Yu-rim and were eliminated. The remaining Bao Li Jing and Chao Zi Han pair withdrew due to injury while facing China's Chen Pan Shu Tian and Luo Xu Min in the round of 16.

As a result, not a single Chinese women's doubles pair reached the final. On the other hand, Kim Yu-jung and Lee Yu-rim have achieved three consecutive victories against Chinese players, leaving only one win away from the championship.

Kim Yu-jung and Lee Yu-rim are a pair that began playing together anew this year. They reached the top of the podium at the Indonesia International Challenge in August last month and continued their upward trend by winning the Vietnam Open (Super 100) in September.

This time, they achieved the milestone of reaching their first final at a higher-tier Super 500 event. Now, they challenge for the top spot at the Korea Open.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original