*This content was translated by AI.
The world's strongest mixed doubles duo Lim Jong-hoon (29, Korea Exchange) and Shin Yoo-bin (22, Korean Air) struggled to shake off the strong challenges of domestic players.
Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yoo-bin advanced to the mixed doubles final of the 79th Korean Air National Men's and Women's Table Tennis Championships held at Jecheon Gymnasium in Chungcheongbuk-do on the 25th.
It is the first Korean stage since winning the World Table Tennis (WTT) Finals last year. It wasn't easy until the final. From the first match of the round of 16, Kim Woo-jin and Choi Hae-eun (Hwaseong City Corporation) rushed to the brink and revived. First, he gave up two games and then swept his chest with a come-from-behind victory of winning three games down. In the following quarterfinals, Park Chan-hyuk and Lee Da-eun of the Korean Racing Authority won 3-1 (11-7, 11-9, 11-13, 11-5), and there was no shutdown again this time.
Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yoo-bin played a tough match in the semifinals against Park Kang-hyun and Lee Da-eun (Mirae Asset Securities) in the afternoon of the 25th. Left-handed Park Kang-hyun's power and Lee Da-eun's sharp fastball plagued Im Jong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin throughout. After giving up the first game first, they played a close game of deuce in the second and third games in a row. In games 4 and 5, he revived his unique breathing and won 3-2 (9-11, 13-11, 10-12, 11-5, 11-5).
And Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin have to fight a stronger opponent in the final match scheduled for the 26th. It is Cho Seung-min and Joo Chun-hee of Samsung Life Insurance. The opponent, paired with left-handed Cho Seung-min and right-handed Joo Chun-hee, is the defending champion, who achieved an overwhelming victory in the previous all-around championship, where they worked together for the first time. In particular, Cho Seung-min is a veteran who has already won four times, changing partners only in the mixed doubles of the general competition. This tournament is also showing off its strong performance, winning 3-0 (11-6, 11-9, 11-7) against Oh Joon-sung (Korea Exchange) and Yoo Han-na (Posco International) group, who were considered opponents in the semifinals.
The mixed doubles final between the defending champions of the all-around championship and the WTT Finals winning pair is scheduled for around 2 p.m. on the 26th.
In this mixed doubles final, the physical strength of both partners can be a variable. In addition, the results of the individual doubles semifinals and the singles quarterfinals are intertwined. In men's doubles, Im Jong-hoon and Ahn Jae-hyun's group (Korea Exchange) and Woo Hyung-kyu and Choi Ji-wook's group (Korea Racing Authority) reached the final. Im Jong-hoon is continuing his challenge by reaching the semifinals in singles as well. In the women's doubles, Joo Chun-hee and Kim Sung-jin (Samsung Life Insurance) and Lee Da-eun and Lee Chae-yeon (Korea Racing Authority) reached the final. Joo Chun-hee and Kim Sung-jin are also the winners of the previous year's tournament. Joo Chun-hee, who is aiming for her second consecutive win in both mixed doubles and women's doubles, is also continuing her challenge in the singles semifinals. The individual competition, which is in the midst of last-minute ranking competition, is expected to ultimately determine success or failure depending on who maintains his concentration until the end.
Meanwhile, on the fifth day of the championship, the men's and women's team semifinals were held as the final match of the championship on Saturday. Seah and the Korea Exchange in the men's category and Korean Air and POSCO International in the women's category will compete for the final championship. The men's final structure was narrowed down to a match between emerging strong players seeking to win the first championship of the overall championship, and the women's team against traditional strong players seeking to regain the top.
The All-round Table Tennis Championships are the most prestigious championships in Korea that settle Korean table tennis for a year. The competition will end with men's and women's doubles and mixed doubles on the 26th, men's singles and women's team events, and women's singles and men's team finals on the 27th, the last day. MBC SPORTS+ broadcasts major games, and you can watch the game in real time through the official YouTube channel (KTA TV) of the Korea Table Tennis Association.
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*This content was translated by AI.
