Superb win: South Korea’s Seo Seung-jae (left) and Kim Won-ho in action during the men’s doubles match during the Malaysian Open at Axiata Arena Bukit Jalil. — FAIHAN GHANI/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: Doubles ace Seo Seung-jae got it right with new partner Kim Won-ho by upstaging China's world No. 2 Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang to reach Malaysian Open quarter-finals.
The 27-year-old Seung-jae proved his versatility when he combined brilliantly with Won-ho to stun Weikeng-Wang Chang 21-17, 21-16 at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil yesterday.
Seung-jae, who was playing for the first time with Won-ho since partnering the latter briefly in 2019, put in a commanding performance from start to finish to send the defending champions home.
Seung-jae holds a 2-1 advantage over Weikeng-Wang Chang in the head-to-head records with 2023 World Championships winning partner Kang Min-hyuk and was delighted to continue his positive record with Won-ho.
“I have played the Chinese pair before with Min-hyuk but this is the first time with another partner,” said Seung-jae.
“We utilized our strengths which are our fast play and defense and I’m happy that we managed to win.
