They did it even without Shin Yu-bin, Lim Jong-hoon, and Jang Woo-jin! South Korea's men's table tennis team wins silver at the Asian Championships for the first time in seven years... Defeats world No. 1 Japan, falls to China

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The Korean Nam Ja-tak-gu (CEO) team, missing its key players, won the silver medal at the Asian Championship for the first time in seven years. The team pulled off an upset by defeating Japan, which fields world-class players, but was unable to overcome China in the final.

The Korean Nam Ja-tak-gu (CEO) team lost to China with a match score of 0-3 in the men's team final of the 29th International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) - Asian Table Tennis Union (ATTU) Asian Table Tennis Championships held on the 22nd (Korean time) in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

With this result, South Korea has won the silver medal in the men's team event at the Asian Championships for the sixth time overall, marking its first such finish in seven years since the 2019 tournament held in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The team had claimed the title at the 2021 event in Doha, Qatar, but top-ranked China did not participate on that occasion.

The value of this silver medal lies even more in the composition of the Lee Yu-neun (CEO) team. South Korea assembled its national squad centered on players who were next in line after the May selection trials, as key players such as Jang Woo-jin (Saea) and Im Jong-hoon (Korea Exchange), who are set to compete at events including the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, were absent.

Although the players who earned the national team badge had relatively limited experience in international competitions, the results exceeded expectations. South Korea not only defeated India 3-0 in the quarterfinals but also beat Japan 3-1 in the semifinals, despite the Japanese team fielding world-class players. Notably, Japan was the men's team champion at the previous Asian Games and was considered a strong contender for the title at this tournament as well.

Defender Kang Dong-soo (Samsung Life) was at the center of the victory. In the quarterfinals against India, Kang defeated Manav Takar in a comeback win. In the semifinals against Japan, he consecutively beat Shinozuka Hiroto and Harimoto Tomokazu. Park Gyu-hyun (Mirae Asset Securities) also caused an upset by completely defeating Matsushima Sora, ranked No. 1 in the world from Japan, with a game score of 3-0. Led by the performances of Kang Dong-soo and Park Gyu-hyun, Korea swept away the regret of losing to Japan in the quarterfinals of the same tournament last year.

However, China proved to be a step ahead in the final. Kang Dong-soo, who took the court as the first player, put up a tenacious defense and launched counterattacks against Zhou Chihao, but fell 1-3 (8-11, 5-11, 11-9, 9-11). After dropping the first two games, Kang won the third to mount a comeback, but was edged out 9-11 in the fourth game.

The second player, Park Gyu-hyun, faced Lin Shidong. He took the first game point in the opening match but was overtaken after a deuce battle, losing 11-13. He then dropped the following two games as well, falling 0-3 (11-13, 8-11, 6-11). The final player, Park Kang-hyun (Mirae Asset Securities), also managed to salvage one game against Xiang Feng but lost 1-3 (12-14, 7-11, 11-9, 7-11), securing South Korea's runner-up finish.

The Yeo Ja (CEO) team also succeeded in winning a medal. The Korean Yeo Ja (CEO) team defeated India 3-0 in the quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals. However, they lost 0-3 to China in the semifinal, securing a bronze medal for the second consecutive year following last year's result.

First player Lee Da-eun (Korea Racing Authority) lost to Kwai Man, followed by Park Ga-hyun (Korean Air), who also fell to Wang Yi-di. Finally, Lee Eun-hee (Korean Air) engaged in a close full-game battle against Tian but was unable to secure a victory.

Having secured one silver and one bronze medal in the mixed team event, South Korea now turns its attention to pursuing medals in the individual events. In the men's singles, all five competing players—Lim Yu-no (Samsung Life), Kim Min-hyuk (Korea Water Resources Corporation), Park Kang-hyun, Park Gyu-hyun, and Kang Dong-su—advanced past their first matches to reach the Round of 64. In the women's singles, Lee Si-on (Hwaseong City Public Works Corporation), Lee Eun-hye, Park Ga-hyun, and Lee Da-eun advanced to the Round of 32. Yoo Si-woo (Hwaseong City Public Works Corporation) was eliminated after losing to Hong Kong's Sze Tung in the Round of 64.

Competition continues in the doubles events as well. The men's doubles pair of Kim Min-hyuk and Park Gyu-hyun, along with the women's doubles pairs of Lee Si-on and Yoo Si-woo, and Lee Da-eun and Park Ga-hyun, advanced to the round of 16. The men's doubles pair of Kang Dong-soo and Lim Yu-no was eliminated in the round of 32 after losing to China's Lin Shidong and Huang Youzheng pair. In mixed doubles, the pairs of Park Gyu-hyun and Park Ga-hyun, as well as Park Gang-hyun and Lee Da-eun, both advanced to the quarterfinals. Both pairs need just one more victory to secure a bronze medal.

The individual events at this tournament also carry qualification spots for the 2027 World Table Tennis Championships. The 29th Asian Table Tennis Championships will continue in Tashkent through the 25th.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original