BHUBANESWAR, India – The South Korean women's table tennis team has secured its place in the semi-finals of the 2025 Asian Table Tennis Championships, relying on a stellar performance from ace Shin Yu-bin (Korean Air) to defeat Hong Kong, China, 3-1 in a tense quarter-final showdown on October 12 (local time) at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.
The victory propels South Korea into a highly anticipated semi-final match against the reigning world powerhouse, China.
World No. 13 Shin Yu-bin was instrumental in the win, delivering two crucial victories in the team format. She set the tone in the first game, dominating Hsu Chi-tung (world No. 79) with a decisive 3-0 (11-6, 13-11, 14-12) sweep to give Korea the early lead.
Kim Na-young (POSCO International, world No. 36) extended the advantage by overcoming Doo Hoi Kem (world No. 123) in a four-game battle, winning 3-1 (11-4, 11-8, 10-12, 13-11). Hong Kong briefly mounted a comeback in the third game as Lee Eun-hye (Korean Air, world No. 40) was shut out 0-3 (11-13, 4-11, 10-12) by Ng Wing Lam (world No. 88), narrowing the team score to 2-1.
However, Shin Yu-bin stepped up once more in the decisive fourth game, crushing Doo Hoi Kem 3-0 (12-10, 11-4, 11-1) to seal the 3-1 victory for South Korea and punch their ticket to the semi-finals.
The 2025 tournament is the first edition of the Asian Championships to be dedicated solely to the team event, serving as a critical qualifier for the 2026 ITTF World Team Championships Finals. South Korea has already secured its World Championship berth by finishing in the top six at the previous edition.
In other quarter-final action, North Korea put up a fierce fight against Japan but ultimately lost 2-3, ending their semi-final hopes. Meanwhile, the South Korean men’s team suffered a disappointing 1-3 defeat to Japan in their own quarter-final, marking the first time the men's team has failed to reach the Asian Championships semi-finals since 2009, a 16-year gap.
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