The only previous time Kim Hye Jeong and Kong Hee Yong played a Singapore Open, they fell short in the final against a Japanese pair.

Now reunited since November after five years with different partners, the Koreans are back in the KFF Singapore Open 2025 title match – with a shot at rewriting the ending.

Their opponents? As fate would have it, another Japanese duo: Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi, who dispatched top seeds Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning in straight games (21-13 21-13) to book their own place in the final.

For Kim and Kong, the road to Sunday’s showdown included a gutsy 21-12 12-21 21-17 semifinal win over Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian. It’s the third time the Koreans have faced the Chinese pair in a semifinal this season and the third time they’ve triumphed. They went on to win the Indonesia Masters and the Orleans Masters on the previous two occasions.

“If the same mystical power pushes us to victory, we’d be delighted,” said Kim, smiling. “I hope the magic works again in the final.”

While memories of 2019 still linger, Kong insists they are more of a motivation than a burden.

“We are very happy now. We will carry the pleasant memories into the final but of course we want a better outcome this time,” she said.

Personal redemption aside, there’s also the small matter of ending a 34-year drought. Korea have not claimed the women’s doubles title at the tournament after Chung Myung Hee and Chung So Young triumphed in 1991. Since then, none of the seven Korean pairs that reached the final have managed to lift the trophy.

Having looked every bit the title contenders all week – and with momentum and ‘magic’ on their side – Kim and Kong may just be the ones to buck the trend.

→ Results (Semifinals)

→ Order of play (Finals)

WHAT OTHERS SAID

“To make the final two weeks in a row is definitely an affirmation of my performance and a sign that I’m becoming more and more consistent.” – Wang Zhi Yi, winner last week at Malaysia Masters, after beating Akane Yamaguchi

“Because this is my fourth final this year. I’m very happy. I’ve already won three but I still have a lot to learn. If I don’t, I can’t be a top player.” – Kunlavut Vitdsarn explains his celebration with coach Patapol Ngernsrisuk

“Unfortunately the road is ending here for me but I can take a lot of confidence from not dropping a single game until the semifinals. I can see my game evolving and getting more consistent.” – Christo Popov following his 15-21 21-8 15-21 loss to Lu Guang Zu

“It’s been a positive week. Despite not being at our best, we beat a few good pairs. And hats off to Chirag. He’s been through a tough few months. I’ve seen him working day and night (to recover from injury). I know he’s having pain now too but he’s not telling me.” – Satwiksairaj Rankireddy after he and Chirag Shetty lost to Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik