South Korean table tennis has secured three medals at the 2023 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Championships for the first time in 20 years.

The world No. 11 pair of Lee Sang-soo and Cho Dae-sung (Samsung Life Insurance) defeated defending champions Christian Karlsson and Matthias Falk (No. 7) of Sweden 3-1 (11-8 11-6 8-11 11-9) in the men’s doubles quarterfinals on Saturday morning (June 26) in Durban, South Africa. The tournament does not have a third- and fourth-place playoff, instead awarding bronze medals to both semifinal losers.메이저사이트

Earlier in the day, the men’s doubles pair of Jang Woo-jin (Mirae Asset) and Lim Jong-hoon (Korea Exchange), ranked third, defeated Eseki Nandor and Szudi Adam (Hungary, ranked 13th) to reach the semifinals. Jang Woo-jin and Lim Jong-hoon were silver medalists at Houston 2021. In the women’s doubles, Shin Yubin (Korean Air) and Jeon Jeon-hee (Mirae Asset), ranked 12th, also advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating Sofia Polkanova (Austria) and Bernadette Schötz (Romania), ranked third. In the men’s and women’s singles, Korean players were eliminated in the round of 16.

This is the first time since 2003 that Korea has won three medals at the World Championships, with a silver in the men’s singles and bronze in the men’s and women’s doubles. The women’s doubles medal came 12 years after Kim Kyung-ah-Park Mi-young’s bronze.

Lee Sang-soo and Cho Dae-sung will face the world No. 1 pair of Pan Zheng-dong and Wang Chu-chin in the semifinals. In the semifinals, Shin Yubin-Jeon Hee will face the world’s top-ranked women’s doubles pair of Sun Yingxia-Wang Manyu (CHN), while Jang Woo Jin-Lim Jong Hoon will play Dmitry Ovcharov-Patrik Franziska (GER) in the final. After the match, Lee Sang-soo said, “They were the No. 1 doubles team in Houston last year, so we prepared thoroughly. I thought they were unbeatable, but it feels good to have a good result.” Cho Dae-seong said, “They are strong players, but they are still undefeated for almost a year. I will try to continue my winning streak this time.”