"Once she gets a hold of it, she never lets go" — Even Japan's world No. 3 pair was left speechless... Kim Hye-jung and Lee Yeon-woo seize the No. 1 seed in Japan's home turf, then advance to the semifinals the very next day

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Kim Hye-jung and Lee Yeon-woo (both of Samsung Life Insurance), who caused an upset by defeating a world No. 3 pair on Japanese home soil, also emerged victorious in the quarterfinals the following day, which featured a matchup between two Korean teams.

The Kim Hye-jung-Lee Yeon-woo pair defeated the Kim Yu-jung-Lee Yu-rim pair 2-0 (21-14, 21-14) in the women's doubles quarterfinals of the 2026 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Kumamoto Masters (Super 500), held on the 13th at the Kumamoto Prefectural General Gymnasium in Japan.

In the quarterfinals, sisters stood on opposite sides of the net. Kim Hye-jung and Kim Yu-jung are the daughters of Jung So-young, the women's doubles gold medalist at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Kim Hye-jung is the elder sister. The two, who usually wear the same Samsung Life Insurance uniform, competed against each other on this day with their respective partners for a single semifinal berth.

In the sisters' showdown, "older sister" Kim Hye-jung came out on top. Playing in tandem with Lee Yeon-woo, she won both games by a margin of seven points.

The Kim Hye-jung-Lee Yeon-woo pair drew significant attention from local Japanese audiences in the round of 16 held the previous day. This was because the duo, ranked No. 141 in the world, defeated Fukushima Yuki and Matsumoto Mayu (Japan), who received the tournament's No. 1 seed, 2-0 (21-19, 21-18). The ranking gap between the Japanese pair, ranked No. 3 in the world, and the Korean duo was a staggering 138 spots.

After the match, what the Japanese players mentioned in unison was Kim Hye-jung, who guarded the net. According to Matsumoto, as reported by the Japanese badminton specialist media outlet Badminton Spirit, "I expected it to be a long rally and thought it would come down to who could endure better." She added, shaking her head in admiration, "Once Kim Hye-jung gets a hold of it, she never lets go until the end."

Matsumoto aimed for the back of the court to prevent Kim Hye-jung from intercepting shuttles at the net, but things did not go as planned. Matsumoto reflected, "I wanted to play in a way that would keep Kim Hye-jung from touching the shuttle at the net as much as possible. However, there were many shots that went past the back of the court in the first game. That was disappointing."

Fukushima also spoke highly of Kim Hye-jung. She stated, "In particular, Kim Hye-jung's returns at the net are tricky. We tried to prevent her from touching the shuttle as much as possible."

She continued, "We collapsed due to our own errors. The opponents held on, but we could not. We had opportunities, but it is frustrating that we failed to convert them into a victory."

The Kim Hye-jung-Lee Yeon-woo pair has not yet dropped a single game in this tournament. After defeating Canada's Jackie Dent-Crystal Lai pair 2-0 (21-10, 21-8) in the round of 32, they beat Japan's No. 1 seed pair in the round of 16 and concluded their match against Korean teammates in two games in the quarterfinals.

Another Korea-Japan matchup awaits on the path to the final. Kim Hye-jung and Lee Yeon-woo will face Iwanaga Rin and Nakanishi Kie (Japan), who received the tournament's No. 3 seed, on the afternoon of the 14th.

The Iwanaga-Nakanishi pair has also not dropped a single game in this tournament. After defeating an American pair in the round of 32, the duo crushed India's Trisha Jolly-Gayatri Gophichand Pulella pair 2-0 (21-14, 21-14) in just 37 minutes in the round of 16.

In the quarterfinals, they defeated Indonesia's Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma-Melisa Trias Puspitari pair, who held the No. 8 seed, 2-0 (21-18, 21-18) in 48 minutes. The two pairs, who have both recorded consecutive 2-0 victories in three matches, will face off for a spot in the final.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original