*This content was translated by AI.
South Korean table tennis star Oh Jun-sung (20, Korea Exchange) defeated his former doubles partner Park Kyu-hyun (21, Mirae Asset Securities) to regain the men's singles title at the general championship for the first time in two years.
Oh Jun-sung defeated Park Kyu-hyun 3-2 (6-11, 11-7, 15-13, 5-11, 12-10) in the men's singles final of the 79th Korean Air National Men's and Women's Table Tennis Championships held at Jecheon Gymnasium in Chungcheongbuk-do on the 26th.
In the previous semifinal, Oh Jun-sung defeated his senior Lim Jong-hoon 3-1 (11-13, 11-7, 11-4, 11-5), and Park Kyu-hyun defeated Kim Min-hyuk, the ace of the Korea Water Resources Corporation, 3-2 (12-10, 8-11, 11-3), after a fierce battle. In the meantime, the matchup of the men's singles final at the 77th event in 2023 was reproduced in Jecheon. The confrontation between the two, who were junior aces who entered the job market early at the time, was recorded as a sign of a change in the men's table tennis generation. At that time, Oh Jun-sung came from behind to beat Park Kyu-hyun 3-2 (8-11, 4-11, 11-6, 13-11, 11-3), breaking the record of the youngest ever winning men's singles at the age of 17.
It was also a face-off between partners who knew each other well. Park Kyu-hyun and Oh Jun-sung were "pairs" who won the men's doubles three times in a row from 2022 to 2024, when they were on the same team. He won the doubles first in 2022, when he first met in business, and showed off his strongest doubles team power by winning in 2023 when Oh Jun-sung won the singles title and 2024, the previous competition. The two, who have changed their affiliation this season, were eliminated early in the doubles at this tournament, where they competed with their new pair.
As much as I knew the opponent well, the game was not easy. If Park Kyu-hyun took the lead, there was a close game where Oh Jun-sung followed. Park Kyu-hyun's left-handed diagonal top pin and Oh Jun-sung's unique backhand straight push faced each crisis. In the third game, Oh Jun-sung turned the game over after a deuce, and in the fourth game, Park Kyu-hyun balanced it again. It was fierce until the final five games. Like the first final match two years ago, the full-game match was held again, and the winner was not reversed.
Oh Jun-sung and Park Kyu-hyun changed their teams due to Oh Jun-sung's transfer last year. Even after their separation, the two continued to show their presence in their respective teams. Park Kyu-hyun emerged as a "star" last year as he made remarkable performances in each series in the Korean Professional Table Tennis Federation (KTTP) professional league. Oh Jun-sung, who did not participate in the professional league, has elevated his world ranking by steadily participating in the World Table Tennis (WTT) Tour. According to the automatic participation rule of the world ranking of the top 50, he has already been automatically selected for the national team.
Oh Jun-sung is also the second son of South Korean men's table tennis legend Oh Sang-eun (49). Coach Oh Sang-eun won the overall championship six times when he was active, holding the record for the most wins, followed by his son.
Immediately after the game, Oh Jun-sung said, "The more championship titles, the better. I feel better because I missed the previous tournament and won again. The final was tough. I also want to thank (Park) Kyu-hyun for his hard work. I won this time, but next time, you don't know who will win. I want to say let's continue to work hard as we do now.He said, "I told you how I felt about winning the championship.
"I've always said my goal is to break my father's record since the beginning. Now that I've filled two times, I have to do it at least four more times in the future," he said with a bright smile.
Oh Jun-sung, who ended the 2025 settlement competition in a good mood, is already automatically selected for the national team as the world ranking. In other words, the priority selection rights given to the winners of the general championship were given to other players. He said, "This year's world competition and Asian Games are important competitions. I will challenge the international stage in a good mood after winning the general competition," he said.
The 79th Korean Air National Men's and Women's Table Tennis Championships, which have completed both the doubles and men's singles schedules, now only have the men's and women's team events and the final singles matches left. On the 27th, the last day, the women's singles and men's team finals will be held one after another. 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.
<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>
*This content was translated by AI.
