[Nagoya AG] Baek Hana and Lee Sohee Claim Women's Doubles Gold with Dramatic Comeback after 111-Minute Battle, Ending 24-Year Drought

Defeating China's Top-Ranked Liu Shengshu and Ning Tan
Redeeming the Silver Finish from the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games

The world No. 2 women's doubles team in badminton, Hana Baek and Sohee Lee, reclaimed the Asian Games women's doubles gold medal after 24 years by defeating the world No. 1 Chinese pair, Shenshu Liu and Ning Tan.

On September 29, at the Ichinomiya City Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, Baek Hana and Lee Sohee clinched a dramatic comeback victory over the world No. 1 team of Shenshu Liu and Ning Tan in the women's doubles final of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, winning 2-1 (26-28, 21-18, 21-18) after an intense battle that lasted 1 hour and 51 minutes.

At the 2022 Hangzhou Games, Baek Hana and Lee Sohee had to settle for silver after losing 0-2 (18-21, 17-21) to China's Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan. However, in this tournament, they overcame another Chinese duo to secure the gold medal and washed away the disappointment from four years ago.

This marks the first time in 24 years that Korean badminton has taken the women's doubles gold at the Asian Games since the Ra Kyungmin and Lee Kyungwon pair triumphed at the 2002 Busan Games.

Sohee Lee (back) and Hana Baek are celebrating after securing the gold medal by defeating China's Shenshu Liu and Ning Tan in the women's doubles badminton final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at Ichinomiya City Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on the 29th. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

As expected from a showdown between the world No. 1 and No. 2 teams, the match was a breathtaking contest that kept everyone guessing until the end.

The first game was fiercely contested from the outset. Baek Hana and Lee Sohee trailed early at 2-5 and then 5-8, but tied the score by holding their opponents at 8 points. The two teams exchanged the slimmest of leads, with neither able to gain a clear advantage. Korea reached game point first by scoring two consecutive points from 18-18, but failed to close out the set and allowed the match to go into deuce. Both pairs continued to trade leads through multiple deuces in a tense and nerve-wracking battle, with Shenshu Liu and Ning Tan eventually taking the first game.

In the second game, Shenshu Liu and Ning Tan again surged ahead by 1 to 2 points early on. Trailing, Baek Hana and Lee Sohee managed their first comeback after scoring two consecutive points from 8-9. At 13-13, they scored three straight to build momentum, only to concede three in a row and tie things up at 16-16.

At 17-17, a series of errors by Shenshu Liu on smash shots gave Korea a two-point lead. Although Sohee Lee's service error cost a point, Hana Baek answered with a successful smash, helping the Korean duo again reach 20 points ahead of their opponents, just as in the first game. Unlike earlier, they remained composed, executed their attacks successfully in the closing stages, and leveled the match at one game each.

Sohee Lee (right) and Hana Baek are defending against the attack from China's Liusengsu and Tanning at the women's doubles badminton final of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at Ichinomiya City Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on the 29th. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

The third game saw Baek Hana and Lee Sohee take the early lead. At 8-6, they boosted their momentum with a clever attack by Sohee Lee at the end of a long rally. However, the prowess of the world No. 1 team could not be underestimated, as Shenshu Liu and Ning Tan reeled off five consecutive points to turn the tide.

Refusing to be beaten, Baek Hana and Lee Sohee launched a fresh counterattack. By executing key attacks late in the match, they tied the score at 18-18. During this phase, Shenshu Liu appeared to twist her ankle while defending, and in subsequent rallies she also landed hard on her hip, showing visible discomfort in her leg. In the end, Baek Hana and Lee Sohee took the last three points in a row to close out the match 21-18.

With this result, Baek Hana and Lee Sohee narrowed their all-time head-to-head record against Shenshu Liu and Ning Tan to 8 wins and 11 losses. In recent matchups, they had lost five consecutive times, but have now secured two wins in succession. After straight losses in the finals and semifinals at the Malaysia Open, India Open, All England Open, Singapore Open, and China Open this year, they finally broke the losing streak by winning the World Championships final 2-0 (21-15, 21-15) last August.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.