Shin Yu-bin beats Hina Hayata to reach WTT China Smash quarterfinals, mixed doubles final
In short
South Korea's Shin Yu-bin beat Japan's Hina Hayata 3-2 in the women's singles round of 16 at WTT China Smash in Beijing on October 8, her first win over Hayata, and will face world No. 2 Wang Manyu in the quarterfinals. Shin and Lim Jong-hoon also beat Japan's Sora Matsushima and Miwa Harimoto 3-1 to reach the mixed doubles final.
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South Korea's Shin Yu-bin defeated Japan's Hina Hayata 3-2 (10-12, 13-11, 12-10, 6-11, 11-9) in the women's singles round of 16 at World Table Tennis (WTT) China Smash in Beijing on October 8, coming from behind to reach the quarterfinals, Dong-A Ilbo and Chosun Ilbo reported. Shin is ranked 12th in the world and Hayata sixth. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The match was Shin's first win over Hayata. According to WTT, as cited by Dong-A Ilbo and Chosun Ilbo, Shin had lost all nine of their previous meetings and won at the tenth. A Sports Chosun report carried by Chosun Ilbo instead said the two had met 10 times in international events without a Shin win before this match. That report said WTT ran the headline "Shin Yu-bin finally beat Hayata Hina" on its homepage, and gave Shin's age as 22 and Hayata's as 26. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Shin, who plays for Korean Air, beat Annett Kaufmann of Germany, ranked 42nd, in the round of 64 and Lee Eun-hye (이은혜) of Korean Air, ranked 53rd, in the round of 32. She is scheduled to face world No. 2 Wang Manyu of China in the quarterfinals at 6 p.m. on October 9. [ 2 , 3 ]
In mixed doubles, Shin and Lim Jong-hoon of Korea Exchange, ranked No. 1 in the world as a pair, beat Japan's Sora Matsushima and Miwa Harimoto, ranked 10th, 3-1 (11-7, 13-11, 11-13, 11-7) in the semifinals. They will meet Taiwan's Lin Yun-ju and Cheng I-ching (린원루-정이징), ranked eighth, in the final at 8:15 p.m. on October 9. The reports describe Lim as Shin's bronze medal partner at the 2024 Paris Olympics; the pair are seeking their third title of the season after Star Contender Ljubljana in June and US Smash in July. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Shin entered the event without a break after the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, where she won two bronze medals, in the women's team event and mixed doubles. A Newsis photo caption said Lim and Shin lost the Asian Games mixed doubles semifinal to China's Lin Shidong and Kuai Man 2-4 (11-9, 8-11, 11-7, 9-11, 10-12, 3-11), taking bronze. Dong-A Ilbo and Chosun Ilbo noted that the Korean pair had beaten a Taiwanese pair in the Asian Games mixed doubles quarterfinals. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
According to WTT, Shin had lost all her previous meetings with the higher-ranked Hayata. The tournament comes right after the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, where Shin won two bronze medals, and the mixed doubles pair are seeking their third title of the season.
Key facts
- Shin Yu-bin, ranked 12th in the world, beat sixth-ranked Hina Hayata 3-2 (10-12, 13-11, 12-10, 6-11, 11-9) in the women's singles round of 16 at WTT China Smash in Beijing on October 8. [ 2 , 3 ]
- According to WTT, Shin had lost all nine previous meetings with Hayata and won at the tenth. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Shin is scheduled to play world No. 2 Wang Manyu of China in the quarterfinals at 6 p.m. on October 9. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Lim Jong-hoon and Shin, ranked No. 1 as a mixed doubles pair, beat Japan's Sora Matsushima and Miwa Harimoto 3-1 (11-7, 13-11, 11-13, 11-7) in the semifinals. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The mixed doubles final against Taiwan's Lin Yun-ju and Cheng I-ching (린원루-정이징), ranked eighth, is set for 8:15 p.m. on October 9. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Shin won two bronze medals, in the women's team event and mixed doubles, at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. [ 2 , 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Nothing is confirmed by two independent outlets yet.
Still unclear
- How many times Shin and Hayata had met before this match. Dong-A Ilbo and Chosun Ilbo, citing WTT, say Shin was 0-9 and won at the tenth meeting, while the Sports Chosun report says they had met 10 times without a Shin win.
- The results of the quarterfinal against Wang Manyu and the mixed doubles final. Both matches were scheduled for October 9 and no document reports their outcome.
- The time zone of the scheduled match times. The reports give 6 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. without saying whether these are Beijing or Korean times.
- Shin Yu-bin beat Hina Hayata 3-2 to reach the women's singles quarterfinals of WTT China Smash in Beijing. Reported by a single source so far
- Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin beat Sora Matsushima and Miwa Harimoto 3-1 to reach the mixed doubles final. Reported by a single source so far
- Shin will face Wang Manyu in the quarterfinals on October 9. Reported by a single source so far
- The win was Shin's first against Hayata. Reported by a single source so far
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- October 8: Newsis publishes its report on Shin's win over Hayata and the mixed doubles final. [ 1 ]
- October 9: Dong-A Ilbo reports the round of 16 win and the mixed doubles semifinal result. [ 2 ]
- October 9: Sports Chosun report on WTT's headline about the win is published by Chosun Ilbo. [ 4 ]
- October 9: Shin's quarterfinal against Wang Manyu is scheduled. [ 2 , 3 ]
- October 9: Mixed doubles final against Lin Yun-ju and Cheng I-ching is scheduled. [ 2 , 3 ]