South Korea's men's table tennis team defeats China for the first time in 31 years! '20-year-old ace' Oh Jun-seong secures two solo victories against Chinese opponents

*This content was translated by AI.

The South Korean men's table tennis national team has brought down the Great Wall of China for the first time in 31 years.

On the 3rd (Korean time), South Korea staged a comeback victory over China 3-1 in the second round of the men's group stage at the 2026 London World Table Tennis Championships held in London, UK, to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).

With this win, South Korea has defeated China on the international stage for the first time since the 1995 Table Tennis World Cup held in Atlanta, USA, 31 years ago. China also recorded a rare defeat in its table tennis history. Chinese table tennis suffered its first loss in 26 years after falling to Sweden in the team final at the 2000 World Table Tennis Championships in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This achievement is even more meaningful as both teams' aces, Jang Woo-jin (Seah) and world No. 1 Wang Chuqin (China), rested due to poor physical condition.

The match began with uncertainty. Kim Jang-won, competing in the first singles, suffered a complete defeat 0-3 (10-12, 5-11, 2-11) against Lin Shidong, the world No. 6. However, Oh Jun-seong (20, Korea Exchange), the youngest member of the Nam Ja (CEO) team, turned the tide. Oh Jun-seong, ranked world No. 30, staged a comeback victory 3-1 (6-11, 11-4, 11-9, 11-9) against Liang Jingkun, ranked world No. 21, in the second singles, marking the start of their counterattack.

Following this, Ahn Jae-hyun (Korea Exchange) secured a hard-fought victory 3-1 (11-9, 11-9, 8-11, 20-18) against Zhou Chi-hao in the third singles, laying the foundation for a historic win. Oh Jun-seong, competing again in the fourth singles, defeated Lin Shidong, who had started the first set, 3-1 (11-9, 5-11, 12-10, 11-9), completing the turnaround.

The team completely erased the pain of a 0-3 defeat against Sweden in the first round and ignited the battle for first place in the group. The Nam Ja (CEO) team can also expect to secure the top seed depending on the outcome of the remaining match against England.

In this tournament, the eight countries in Groups 1 and 2 have already secured their spots in the round of 32 and are now competing in seeding matches during the preliminary round. The top teams in Groups 1 and 2 will be placed at the far ends of the round of 32 tournament bracket and will not meet until the final. The two second-place teams will also be prioritized in the draw to avoid facing the top-seeded teams until the semifinals.

Meanwhile, the Yeo Ja (CEO) team faces a difficult situation as Shin Yu-bin (21, Korean Air) is unable to compete due to injury. After losing 1-3 to Taiwan in the first round, they also fell 2-3 to Romania in the second round after a full-match battle.

According to the Korea Table Tennis Association, Shin Yu-bin reportedly suffered a recurrence of back pain while preparing for the match against Taiwan. She was unable to compete in the match against Romania.

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*This content was translated by AI.