Shin Yubin (Korean Air) and Jeon Ji-hee (Mirae Asset Securities) secured the bronze medal in the women’s doubles. However, Shin failed to reach the quarterfinals of the highly anticipated women’s singles event.
The duo defeated Sofia Polkanova (AUS) 안전놀이터 and Bernadette Sötz (ROM) 3-0 (11-9 15-13 11-4) in the women’s doubles quarterfinals at the ITTF World Individual Championships 2023 in Durban, South Africa, on Friday. The quarterfinalists, Shin Yubin-Jeon Hee, secured at least a bronze medal. The tournament does not have a third- and fourth-place match, with the losers of the quarterfinals receiving bronze medals.
It has been 12 years since Korean women’s table tennis won a medal in either the singles or women’s doubles at the World Championships, with Kim Kyung-ah and Park Mi-young winning bronze at the 2011 event. Shin Yubin and Jeon Jeon-hee won their first individual World Championship medals.
They will face the winner of the quarterfinal match between the world’s No. 1 pair, Sun Yingxia-Wang Manyu (China), and the No. 4 pair, Zheng Yijing-Li Yujun, on Saturday. Experts expect Sun Yingxia-Wang Manyu to fight for a ticket to the final.
Meanwhile, world No. 26 Xin Yubin fought hard against No. 1 Sun Yingxia in the women’s singles round of 16 earlier in the day, but lost 0-4 (6-11 8-11 8-11 5-11) and failed to reach the quarterfinals. In the men’s doubles, the pair of Jang Woo-jin (Mirae Asset Securities) and Lim Jong-hoon (Korea Exchange) defeated the Hungarian team to join the quarterfinals.