A stunning upset at the China Open has put an end to the historic “Super Slam” dreams of men’s doubles world No. 1s Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae. The formidable Korean duo, who had already claimed titles at the Malaysia Open, All England, and Indonesia Open this season, were seeking to become the first-ever pair to sweep all four BWF World Tour Super 1000 tournaments. However, their quest was halted by an impromptu Indonesian pairing.
Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri, who were playing together for the first time just last week at the Japan Open, delivered a surprising straight-games defeat to the top seeds. Alfian and Fikri demonstrated sharp play at the end of a tight first game and maintained control throughout the second, securing a 21-19, 21-14 victory.
“This No. 1 pair is extraordinary,” said Alfian after the match. “I lost to them at the Indonesia Open with Rian (Ardianto) so I wanted to try again, even though I’m with an impromptu partner. I’m satisfied with the performance this time. We could keep up, and our rotation was very good.”
Fikri added, “Because we both are front-court players, we had to adapt, otherwise it could get difficult.”
The Indonesians will now face home favorites Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang in the next round. Meanwhile, in the other half of the draw, second seeds Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik will battle Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty.
While Kim/Seo’s historic run came to an end, the dream is still alive for their compatriot, An Se-young. The women’s singles world No. 1 is also in pursuit of the same history-making feat. An Se-young leveled her career record against No. 5 seed Chen Yufei to 13-all with a 21-18, 21-19 victory. She will now face another Chinese player, Han Yue, who defeated Gregoria Mariska Tunjung in straight games.
In other tournament highlights:
- Men’s singles top seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn suffered a tame defeat to veteran Chou Tien-chen. The 35-year-old handed the world champion a 21-17, 21-11 rout and will next face home favorite Shi Yuqi.
- The Popov brothers, Christo and Toma Junior, both exited the tournament. Christo succumbed to Chinese youngster Wang Zhengxing, while Toma Junior was stopped by second seed Anders Antonsen.