World No. 3 pair Jang Woo-jin and Lim Jong-hoon have secured a bronze medal in the men’s doubles at the World Table Tennis Championships.
Jang Woo-jin and Lim Jong-hoon advanced to the semifinals with a 3-0 (11-4 12-10 11-7) victory over Nándor Eseki-Adam Sudi (Hungary) in the Men’s Doubles Quarterfinals at the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships 2023 at the International Convention Center in Durban, South Africa, on Friday.
Jang Woo-jin and Lim Jong-hoon took the first game comfortably, 11-4.
The next two games were tense. Down three points at 7-7 and facing game point, Jang and Lim converted three points for a deuce. The duo tied up their opponent’s errors to win the game.
At the end of the third game, Jang Woo-jin and Lim Jong-hoon reached match point thanks to an unforced error. Jang Woo-jin’s attack was successful and the match was over.
Thus, Jang Woo-jin and Lim Jong-hoon secured the men’s doubles bronze medal. The bronze medal was awarded to the loser of the quarterfinal match as there was no third or fourth place match at the tournament. Earlier, the women’s doubles team of Jeon Jeon-hee and Shin Yubin secured the bronze medal after winning their quarterfinal match.
The pair of Jang Woo-jin and Lim Jong-hoon secured at least a bronze medal after winning silver at the previous edition in Houston, USA, in 2021. 스포츠토토 The silver medal in Houston was South Korea’s best result in men’s doubles at a World Championships.
“We made it to the quarterfinals, which was our first goal,” said Jang Woo-jin in his post-match interview, “We had a rough patch in the second set, but I think it was because we trusted each other and had the support of the Korean community that we were able to win easily.” “I thought I would definitely win a medal in doubles, but there were a lot of difficulties, but I think I am a little happier that Woojin was able to win by playing with him,” said Lim Jong-hoon. “Rather than feeling like I did it alone, when I was anxious, Woojin scored a lot of points for me, and it felt good to win by playing with him and trusting him.”
“We are a left-handed-right-handed combination, while England and Germany are right-handed, so I think we have an advantage in this kind of movement,” Jang Woo-jin said of his quarterfinal opponent, adding, “I think we have to pay attention to that because the players from both countries have good hands. We have never played against them before, so we will have to prepare thoroughly.” Lim Jong-hoon added, “Even though they say they don’t play Chinese players, they are definitely top-ranked and good players. I think Woo Jin will have to talk to his brother and analyze it.”
The pair also talked about their preparations for the men’s singles round of 16. “I was supposed to play against a top-ranked player, but I was lucky,” said Jang, who will face World No. 180 Anders Lind (DEN). “He’s good, too, which is why he made it this far, but I don’t think I need to think too much about it and just play with the idea that it’s one singles match.” “I’ve seen him play in the past and it’s definitely a little different at the World Championships,” said Lim Jong-hoon, who faces world number three Marung (CHN). “If you’re going in scared, you might as well quit playing table tennis. Even if I lose 0-4, I’m going to play until the end, even if I have to squeeze and bite.”