At the fourth match of the third group match of the men’s team preliminary round of the BNK Busan World Table Tennis Championship held at BEXCO, Haeundae, Busan on Sunday, Korea won the match score of 3-0 (3-0, 3-0, 3-1). Korean men’s coach Joo Se-hyuk overwhelmed India by banking on Jang Woo-jin (28, ranked 14th in the world), Im Jong-hoon (26, Korea Exchange (18th) and Lee Sang-soo (33, Samsung Life Insurance 27th). Backed by home fans’ support, Korea secured eight points and won all four group matches, securing a ticket to advance to the round of 16 teams, which is given only to top teams in the same group, irrespective of other teams’ matches. This year’s event was held in Korea for the first time ever.
“Ace” Jang Woo-jin, who played in the first game, defeated Harmeet Desai (world No. 67) with a game score of 3-0 (11-4, 12-10, 11-8), the highest ranking among the opponents, and took the lead. Jang Woo-jin, who had a particularly light movement, avenged Harmeet with his aggressive reception and top spin forehand. Jang Woo-jin had been eliminated in the round of 16 of the “WTT Contender Lagos 2023” in Lagos, Nigeria, in June 2023, with a 0-3 match score against Harmeet.
In the second match, left-handed Lim Jong-hoon faced off against Satyan Gnanasekaran (world No. 104). Satyan was wary of men’s national team coach Joo Se-hyuk by mentioning his name in person after the match against Chile on Saturday. However, Satyan, who has been weak against left-handed players, struggled against Lim who has various attack patterns. Lim Jong-hoon played “perfect game” in which he never lost a single game, 11-5, 11-7, 11-7.
Lee Sang-soo, the third runner in the singles, faced veteran Sharad Kamal Achanta (No. 95). They have a long relationship, with a total of six matches so far. Leading Achanta by five wins and one loss in history, Lee secured one match 11-9. He lost two games 8-11, but won three games 11-6, and four games 11-5. The score is 3-1. Thus, Korea presented its home fans with a cool victory with a match score of 3-0.
BY: 토토