From 'Group Stage Elimination' to 'First Title': The Dramatic Comeback of 21-Year-Old Military Service Athlete Gil Min-seok! Defeats Jo Dae-sung to Dominate KTTP Pro League Men's Singles, Saying "Thank You, Dad, and I Love You, Mom"

*This content was translated by AI.

Gil Min-seok (21, National COLONY Corps) defeated Jo Dae-sung (24, Hwaseong City Corporation) to claim the top spot in the Pro Table Tennis League Men's Singles. It was a valuable victory achieved in his first individual singles final on the senior circuit.

Gil Min-seok defeated Jo Dae-sung by a game score of 3-1 (11-8, 11-9, 7-11, 14-12) in the Men's Singles final of the '2026 ILC Pro Table Tennis League SERIES 4 IN Jeju Si Jochon Eup,' held at the Jeju Jochen Gymnasium on the 5th. Gil Min-seok, who made his first appearance in the Pro League upon enlisting in the National COLONY Corps this season, rose to become champion on his third attempt.

The scales tipped in favor of Jo Dae-sung before the final. Former national team member Jo Dae-sung is a top domestic player who stood atop the 2022 All-Around Championships. He also finished as runner-up in the immediately preceding Series 3 and had consecutively defeated strong opponents, including the defending champion, at this tournament. He was aiming for a double crown after previously winning the Men's Doubles title.

However, Gil Min-seok's tenacity shone in the final. Gil Min-seok took the first game 11-8 with bold attacks that did not discriminate between backhand and forehand, and he reversed the momentum in the second game with powerful forehand topspins to win 11-9. Jo Dae-sung did not yield easily either. In the third game, he began to read Gil Min-seok's attacking lines and regained accuracy in his mid-level topspins and backhand attacks, counterattacking to win 11-7.

The fourth game was the decisive moment. As both players persistently targeted each other's forehand side, they engaged in a seesaw battle, with Jo Dae-sung reaching game point first at 10-8. However, Gil Min-seok scored consecutive points to force a deuce. At 12-12, Jo Dae-sung's attack went out of bounds, giving Gil Min-seok match point, and after a time-out, he secured the final point to end the match 14-12.

This victory marked a meaningful turnaround for Gil Min-seok. Gil Min-seok had generated expectations by joining Korea Exchange early before graduating from high school, but he experienced ups and downs during his adaptation to the senior circuit. After enlisting in the National COLONY Corps this year, he made his first appearance in the Pro League, but failed to pass the preliminary rounds in both Series 2 and Series 3.

This time was different. In Series 4, where all matches were played as a tournament, he continued winning streaks from the early stages and won full-game battles in both the quarterfinals and semifinals. In the final, he even overcame Jo Dae-sung, who held the advantage in objective evaluations.

After his victory, Gil Min-seok expressed joy, saying, "By doing my best in every match, I was able to reach this point." He also conveyed gratitude to Kim Jae-ho, the match captain of Korea University, and Coach Im Jong-man and senior staff who helped him perform well since joining the National COLONY Corps.

Reflecting on the situation where he had lost three games and been pushed to deuce in the fourth game, he said, "I felt I was at a significant disadvantage against Jo Dae-sung, so I tried to do everything I had without regret." Finally, he conveyed a special message of gratitude, saying, "Thank you always, Dad, and I love you, Mom."

Gil Min-seok is also well known as the son of Gil Jun-bang, currently a coach at Daejeon Dongmun Elementary School, and Lee Ju-yeon, a former foreign exchange bank player, both of whom are elite table tennis athletes. Following in his parents' footsteps on the path of an athlete, Gil Min-seok achieved his first individual singles title in the Pro League after repeated challenges on the senior circuit.

Meanwhile, in the Women's Singles, Lee Da-eun (21, Korea Racing Authority), the inaugural champion of the Pro League, won a close five-game match to reach the top for the second time in her career. The winners of the Men's and Women's Singles were each awarded a prize money of 3 million won. With the conclusion of the awards ceremony that day, the Pro Table Tennis League Series 4 held in Jeju also completed all its schedules.

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*This content was translated by AI.