Even their defeated opponents had to acknowledge it. The pair Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee once again made Hangzhou, China, their territory.
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) said on the 22nd (Korean time) on its official website that "Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee reached the pinnacle at the season's final moment. The two defended their title at the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2025 and finished the year in style," it highlighted.
The world No. 7 pair Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee defeated Fukushima Yuki and Matsumoto Mayu (Japan) 2-0 (21-17, 21-11) in the women's doubles final at the tournament held in Hangzhou, China, on the 21st, the previous day, to claim the title.
With this victory, Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee achieved back-to-back titles at the event following last year's win. The two left some regrets after winning only the Denmark Open this year, but they shook off their slump by lifting the trophy at the season's final and the de facto championship of champions, the World Tour Finals 2025.
Thanks to that, Korean badminton won titles in every category it entered, with Ahn Se-young winning women's singles and Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae winning men's doubles. The BWF also emphasized, "In particular, Seo Seung-jae has won 12 times personally. He also won one title with another partner, Jin Yong. With this, Korea won three titles at the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2025 and enjoyed a memorable evening."
The BWF also noted that "Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee had a somewhat inconsistent year, but they won the first game against Fukushima and Matsumoto in a marathon rally. One rally even continued for 156 shots. The Japanese players, who lost the first game by a narrow margin, held their balance for a while in the second game but collapsed under the Koreans' sustained pressure in the middle, losing 21-17, 21-11," it pointed out.
That shows the exceptional concentration of the Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee pairing. When they trailed 8-9 in the first game, they traded enormous rallies with the Japanese players. The shuttlecock went back and forth 156 times over 2 minutes and 40 seconds. But Lee So-hee produced successive powerful smashes to take a precious point, rode that momentum, and secured the victory.
After the match Baek Ha-na said, "We reached the final of the World Tour Finals for three consecutive years and won the title two years in a row. So this city, Hangzhou, seems to have a special chemistry with us. It might be a lucky city for us." She added, "Because we played a long match yesterday, we focused on eating well and resting well to recover. We had to endure a difficult match."
Older sister Lee So-hee even gave her younger teammate Baek Ha-na an 'eobu-ba' celebration by carrying her on her back. She recalled, "In the first game we had many long rallies. We barely managed to win. In short, this year was a year of hard-earned victories. We achieved success through difficult wins."
Fukushima, who was stopped by Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee, bowed her head and said, "The Korean players were physically stronger. That affected how we were able to place the shuttlecock." The BWF reported that "the defeated Japanese players acknowledged that the Koreans' outstanding fitness made the difference."
Meanwhile, Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee returned home on the 22nd through Incheon International Airport with gold medals around their necks. According to Newsis and others, Baek Ha-na pledged, "I will prepare well from early next year so I won't be as sluggish as this year. I ask for a lot of support," and Lee So-hee also said, "This year's slump was long and difficult, but we finished the last tournament well. I will carry the momentum into next year and perform well from the start of the season."
[Photos] BWF, Badminton Korea Association social media, Badmintonphoto
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