Baek Ha-na / Lee So-hee
- Ranking
- No. 2
- Nation
- KOR
- Born
- 2000 / 1994
- Titles listed
- 8
Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee lost a 28-26 first game in the Asian Games final on 29 September, then won the next two 21-18, 21-18 against the world No. 1s, Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning. A month earlier they had beaten the same pair for the world title. On the BWF list of 27 October 2026 they are No. 2, behind the Chinese pair, who have played and won more of the tour.
Who they are
Lee So-hee, born on 14 June 1994 in Ulsan, is the senior partner by six years. Most of her career was spent with Shin Seung-chan, with whom she won World Championships bronze in 2014 and silver in 2021 and finished fourth at the Tokyo Olympics. Baek Ha-na, born on 22 September 2000 in Gimcheon, won the 2017 World Junior girls’ doubles title with Lee Yu-lim and reached No. 10 with Jung Kyung-eun before joining Lee.
They have played together since October 2022. The first big titles came in 2023 (Indonesia Open) and 2024 (All England, a second Indonesia Open and the World Tour Finals), and they first reached No. 1 on 29 October 2024. They defended the World Tour Finals title in December 2025, beating Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto 21-17, 21-11.
How they play
Lee has been at the top of women’s doubles for more than a decade, through three partnerships and three Olympics; Baek is six years younger. Korean women’s doubles has a long tradition of patient defence, and this pair are at their most dangerous in long matches, where a lead does not frighten them and a deficit does not either.
The 2026 finals against Liu and Tan show both sides. In New Delhi they never let the Chinese pair settle, scoring the first five points and winning 21-15, 21-15 in 51 minutes. At the Asian Games they came back from losing a first game that went to 28-26.
The lesson for a club player is the defensive return. A good defensive pair does not just survive the smash; it sends the block or the drive somewhere that makes the attacker’s next shot harder. Watch where Baek and Lee aim their defence, not only whether they get it back.
2026 so far
- Malaysia Open, Kuala Lumpur, 6 to 11 January (Super 1000): final, lost to Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning 18-21, 12-21.
- All England Open, Birmingham, 3 to 8 March (Super 1000): final, lost to Liu and Tan 18-21, 12-21.
- World Championships, New Delhi, 17 to 23 August: gold, beating Liu and Tan 21-15, 21-15 on 23 August. Korea’s first women’s doubles world title since Gil Young-ah and Jang Hye-ock in 1995.
- Asian Games, Aichi-Nagoya, 29 September: gold, beating Liu and Tan 26-28, 21-18, 21-18. Korea’s first Asian Games women’s doubles gold since Ra Kyung-min and Lee Kyung-won in 2002.
- Denmark and French Opens (October): not played.
Two lost finals in the first quarter, both to the same pair, and then two wins over that pair in the matches that count most.
Titles
| Title | Level | Year |
|---|---|---|
| World Championships | World | 2026 |
| Asian Games | Multi-sport | 2026 |
| BWF World Tour Finals | Finals | 2025 |
| Denmark Open | Super 750 | 2025 |
| BWF World Tour Finals | Finals | 2024 |
| All England Open | Super 1000 | 2024 |
| Indonesia Open | Super 1000 | 2024 |
| Indonesia Open | Super 1000 | 2023 |
Other medals as a pair: Asian Games silver (2022) and World Tour Finals runner-up (2023). Lee also won the 2020 World Tour Finals with Shin Seung-chan.
What to watch for
The World Tour Finals in Hangzhou in December, where they have won the last two editions. A third in a row on top of the world and Asian titles would make 2026 the best season of Lee’s career.
Their No. 2 ranking reflects the calendar more than the head-to-head: they did not play the Denmark or French Opens.
Aim your defence. A block to the net corner away from the smasher is worth more than a high lift back to where the attack came from.