South Korea beats Japan 3-1 to reach Asian TT final, then loses 0-3 to China
In short
South Korea's men's table tennis team beat Japan 3-1 in the semifinal of the Asian Table Tennis Championships team event in Tashkent on 22 October, reaching the final for the first time in five years. They then lost the final 0-3 to China and took silver. The Korean women's team lost to China in the semifinal and won bronze.
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South Korea's men's table tennis team reached the final of the 29th Asian Table Tennis Championships team event in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, but lost it 0-3 to China, Newsis and Dong-A Ilbo reported. The two outlets said Korea beat India 3-0 in the quarterfinal and Japan 3-1 in the semifinal before the final, its first in five years. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
In the semifinal on 22 October, Kang Dong-su (강동수, 158th in the rankings) opened with a 3-0 win over Shinozuka Hiroto (20th). Park Kang-hyun (박강현, 46th) lost 0-3 to Harimoto Tomokazu (3rd), described as Japan's ace. Park Gyu-hyun (박규현, 80th) then beat Matsushima Sora, the world number one, 3-0. Kang returned for the fourth match and beat Harimoto 3-1 (11-2, 12-14, 11-0, 11-8) to put Korea in the final. Yonhap said Harimoto was thrown by Kang's unpredictable unorthodox play and that Kang did not concede a point in the third game. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Yonhap, Newsis and Chosun Ilbo noted that the men's squad was built without Jang Woo-jin (장우진) and Lim Jong-hoon (임종훈), who played at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games; Yonhap called it virtually a second-string team. Chosun Ilbo said Japan fielded Matsushima and Harimoto, and that Korea had lost 0-3 to Japan in the Asian Games men's team semifinal a month earlier and took bronze. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The three outlets recalled that Korea last reached this final in 2021, when China did not enter because of the Covid-19 pandemic and Korea beat Taiwan to win. Yonhap and Newsis said the final against China was due to start at 21:45 on 22 October. Chosun Ilbo said China had beaten Taiwan 3-1 in the semifinal. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
In the final, Kang lost 1-3 (8-11, 5-11, 11-9, 9-11) to Zhou Qihao (13th). Park Gyu-hyun lost 0-3 to Lin Shidong (9th). Park Kang-hyun, the highest-ranked Korean player at the event, lost 1-3 (12-14, 7-11, 11-9, 7-11) to Xiang Peng (33rd), which settled the 0-3 result. Newsis and Dong-A Ilbo described the silver as a valuable result for a squad without Jang and Lim. [ 4 , 5 ]
The Korean women's team lost to China in the semifinal and took bronze. Lee Da-eun lost 0-3 to Kuai Man (5th) and Park Ga-hyun lost 0-3 to Wang Yidi (4th). Lee Eun-hye then lost 2-3 to Chen Yi (10th) in five games, confirming the defeat. Yonhap said the women also competed without Shin Yu-bin. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 ]
Why it matters
Korean outlets presented the silver as a notable result because the men's squad left out Jang Woo-jin and Lim Jong-hoon, who played at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. The documents give no wider consequences beyond the result itself.
Key facts
- On 22 October in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, South Korea beat Japan 3-1 in the men's team semifinal of the 29th Asian Table Tennis Championships. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Kang Dong-su (158th) beat Harimoto Tomokazu (3rd) 3-1 in the fourth match, including an 11-0 third game, to seal the win. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Park Gyu-hyun (80th) beat Matsushima Sora, the world number one, 3-0 in the third match. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- South Korea had beaten India 3-0 in the quarterfinal. [ 4 , 5 ]
- In the final South Korea lost 0-3 to China, with Kang Dong-su, Park Gyu-hyun and Park Kang-hyun each losing their match. [ 4 , 5 ]
- The Korean women's team lost to China in the semifinal and took bronze. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- South Korea's men beat Japan 3-1 in the team semifinal in Tashkent on 22 October and reached the final for the first time in five years. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The Korean men's squad did not include Jang Woo-jin and Lim Jong-hoon, who played at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- The Korean women lost to China in the semifinal and took bronze. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 ]
Still unclear
- Whether the final result was reported by outlets beyond the two that carried it. The 0-3 final loss is reported only in the Newsis and Dong-A Ilbo texts, which are worded almost identically.
- China's semifinal win over Taiwan was 3-1. Only Chosun Ilbo gives the score; Yonhap says only that China beat Taiwan.
- Shin Yu-bin did not play for the women's team. Only Yonhap mentions that the women's team competed without Shin Yu-bin.
- South Korea lost the men's team final 0-3 to China and finished second. Reported by a single source so far