*This content was translated by AI.
South Korea's top mixed doubles stars Im Jong-hoon (29, Korea Exchange) and Shin Yu-bin (22, Korean Air) have advanced to the finals of the WTT US Smash.
The Im Jong-hoon-Shin Yu-bin pair secured their spot in the final by defeating China's Wen Ruibo-Kwai Man 3-1 (13-11, 11-6, 5-11, 11-9) in the mixed doubles semifinal held on the 3rd (Korea time) at the Ontario Convention Center in Los Angeles, USA.
Earlier in the quarterfinals, they defeated Germany's Dang Qiu-Sabine Winter 3-0 (11-4, 11-3, 12-10) to reach the semifinals, marking their second consecutive victory over Chinese players. Their opponent in the final is none other than China's Wang Chuqin-Sun Yingsha pair. The Wang Chuqin-Sun Yingsha duo has won three consecutive mixed doubles titles at the World Championships in 2021, 2023, and 2025, and also claimed gold medals at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games and the 2024 Paris Olympics, earning them the title of the world's undisputed strongest doubles pair.
Although Im Jong-hoon-Shin Yu-bin currently hold the number one ranking in mixed doubles, Wang Chuqin-Sun Yingsha have repeatedly blocked their path at major international tournaments. At the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, 2024 Paris Olympics, and 2025 Doha World Championships where Im Jong-hoon-Shin Yu-bin reached the semifinals, the title ultimately went to Wang Chuqin-Sun Yingsha.
The only time Im Jong-hoon-Shin Yu-bin have defeated Wang Chuqin-Sun Yingsha was at the 2025 WTT Finals Hong Kong final held last December. However, it is known that Sun Yingsha was not in peak condition due to a knee injury at the time, making this upcoming matchup even more anticipated.
The Im Jong-hoon-Shin Yu-bin pair have reached the championship title nine times so far, all within the WTT Contender series. Building on their WTT Finals victory last year, they also climbed to the number one spot in the mixed doubles world rankings. However, they have yet to win a Smash tournament. They reached the finals three times at last year's US Smash and European Smash Sweden event, as well as this year's Singapore Smash, but finished as runners-up each time. This tournament marks their fourth appearance in a Smash final. Notably, they have advanced to consecutive finals at the US Smash for the second year running.
Im Jong-hoon-Shin Yu-bin's opponent in last year's US Smash final was Lin Shi-dong-Kwai Man. Although their male partner has changed, they defeated a Chinese pair featuring Kwai Man in this tournament's semifinals to reach the final, thereby gaining momentum. The question remains whether Im Jong-hoon-Shin Yu-bin can overcome their arch-rivals Wang Chuqin-Sun Yingsha and break the Grand Smash final jinx.
Shin Yu-bin has completed all her scheduled events except for mixed doubles. In women's singles, where she was the first Korean player to compete in the round of 16, she lost to China's Kwai Man 0-3 (8-11, 8-11, 11-13). In women's doubles with partner Ju Cheon-hee (Samsung Life), they defeated Taiwan's Chien Tung-chuan-Li Wo-jun 3-0 (11-7, 11-6, 11-9) to reach the semifinals but lost to Japan's Mima Harimoto-Hayata Hina 1-3 (7-11, 8-11, 14-12, 8-11), finishing in a joint third-place position.
Partner Im Jong-hoon also concluded his men's doubles event with partner Oh Jun-seong (Korea Exchange). They lost to Germany's Benedikt Duda-Dang Qiu 0-3 (2-11, 3-11, 8-11) in the quarterfinals. This provides another reason for the Im Jong-hoon-Shin Yu-bin pair to focus intensely on their remaining mixed doubles final.
Meanwhile, in individual singles events, South Korea still has Jang Woo-jin (Seahwa) and Ju Cheon-hee (Samsung Life) with matches remaining. Jang Woo-jin (Seahwa) defeated Germany's Patrick Franziska 3-2 (11-3, 11-7, 8-11, 9-11, 14-12) to advance to the round of 16. His next opponent is Japan's Yukiya Uda. Ju Cheon-hee (Samsung Life) defeated Brazil's Bruna Takahashi 3-1 (4-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-5) to reach the round of 16. Her opponent in the round of 16 is Macau's Zhu Weiling. The singles matches for Jang Woo-jin and Ju Cheon-hee in the round of 16 will be held on the morning of the 4th (Korea time).
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*This content was translated by AI.
