Korea gets second in team table tennis

Korean national table tennis teams were runners-up in the finals yesterday for the 17th Asian Table Tennis Championships, held on Jeju Island.
In the men's competition final, the Korean team, consisting of Ryu Seung-min, Oh Sang-eun and Lee Jung-woo, lost 3-0 to the Chinese team, led by the world’s top-ranked player, Wang Liqin
The Korean team had a shaky start, after Ryu, who ranks sixth in the world and was a 2004 Athens Olympic gold medallist, lost 2-3 despite winning the first two sets. In the match, Ryu played Wang Hao (ranked No. 4), his opponent in the 2004 final in Athens. In the second match, Oh lost 3-1 to Wang Liqin, and the left-handed Lee was beaten 3-1 by Chen Qi, ranked seventh worldwide.
The women's team beat Singapore in the quarterfinals, 3-0, and triumphed over the world's strongest team, China, in the semifinal on Sunday, but then lost steam and bowed out to Hong Kong, 3-0, yesterday.
Commentators noted that the women's team was suffering from fatigue after struggling to beat China on Sunday. The win was the team’s first in 14 years, when a North-South team defeated China in the world championships.
Athens Olympic bronze medallist Kim Kyung-ah lost 3-2 to Lin Ling, ranked 15th worldwide, while Kim Bok-rae was defeated by Tie Yana, 3-1. Moon Hyun-jung, who has beaten many Chinese players, gave in to Lau Sui Fei, 3-0.
Singles and doubles competitions for men and women start today. A total of 366 players from 32 countries are participating in the event.

by Chung Jeh-won, Limb Jae-un