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 came from behind to defeat 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 victory, 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. This also marks a rare defeat in the history of Chinese table tennis. 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. The achievement is even more significant as it was accomplished while both teams' aces, Jang Woo-jin (Seah) and world No. 1 Wang Chuqin (China), rested due to poor form.

The match began with uncertainty. Kim Jang-won, who competed 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, started his counterattack with a 3-1 (6-11, 11-4, 11-9, 11-9) comeback victory against Liang Jingkun, ranked world No. 21, in the second singles.

Following this, Ahn Jae-hyun (Korea Exchange) secured a hard-fought 3-1 (11-9, 11-9, 8-11, 20-18) victory over Zhou Chihao in the third singles, laying the foundation for a historic win. Oh Jun-seong, who returned to the fourth singles, completed the upset by defeating Lin Shidong, who had started the first set, 3-1 (11-9, 5-11, 12-10, 11-9).

The team completely washed away 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.

Eight countries in Groups 1 and 2 of this tournament have already secured their spots in the round of 32 and are currently playing seed-determination matches in the preliminary round. The top teams in Groups 1 and 2 will be placed at the very edges 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, the team 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 and was unable to compete in the match against Romania.

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*This content was translated by AI.