▲ Jeon Ji-hee (left) and Shin Yu-bin cheering after making it to the women’s doubles final at the 2023 ITTF World Table Tennis Championships ⓒ Korea Table Tennis Association[SportTV News = Reporter Jo Young-Jun/Video Reporter Kim Han-Lim] “I still can’t believe it and I don’t know what the situation is like, it’s like a dream. It was my dream to go to the final once. First of all, I really appreciate my partner (Shin Yu-bin) and those who helped me.”
Jeon Ji-hee (31, Mirae Asset Securities), who defeated Sun Ying-xia and Wang Man-yu (China), the world’s strongest table tennis women’s doubles team, thanked Shin Yu-bin (19, Korean Air) for advancing to the final together.
In response, Shin Yu-bin was thrilled, saying, “The things I prepared with her sister (Jun Ji-hee) came out in the game, and I did well with them, and good results came out.”
Shin Yu-bin and Jeon Ji-hee of the ‘clothing duo of the same age’ got the job done. They met Sun Yingxia and Wang Manwei, who were expected to be difficult to beat, on the 26th (Korean time) 3-0 (11-7 11-9) in the women’s doubles semifinals at the 2023 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Individual World Championships held in Durban, South Africa. 11-6).
Shin Yu-bin and Jeon Ji-hee are ranked 12th in the women’s doubles world rankings. Those who secured the bronze medal by advancing to the semifinals of this event met the world No. 1 Sun Ying-xia and Wang Man-yu on the way to the final.
▲ Shin Yu-bin (right) and Jeon Ji-hee are playing in the women’s doubles semi-final of the 2023 ITTF World Table Tennis Championships. ⓒ Korea Table Tennis AssociationFrom the first game, they faced the world’s strongest group with aggressive attacks, and they captured the first game. Sun Ying-xia and Wang Man-yu, who were somewhat embarrassed, aimed to turn the atmosphere around by leading 4-0 in the first two games. However, Jeon Ji-hee’s bold attack following Shin Yu-bin’s serve led to consecutive goals. Sun Ying-xia and Wang Man-yu, whose defense collapsed in the attack of Shin Yu-bin and Jeon Ji-hee, who showed more than 100% of their skills, failed to advance to the finals.
Shin Yu-bin and Jeon Ji-hee, who succeeded in advancing to the finals of the World Championships, had an extraordinary ordeal before this tournament. Two years ago at the World Championships in Houston, Texas, Yubin Shin suffered a stress fracture in her right wrist. In the end, she had to swallow the regret that she couldn’t finish the competition until the end. After that, she underwent a lengthy rehabilitation period on the operating table. He couldn’t stand on the court when he was growing up. He was full of passion to the point of being ‘greedy for table tennis’ more than anyone else, but he was unable to properly realize his dream.
However, at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Contenders in November last year, she reached the top in the mixed doubles and women’s singles match with Lim Jong-hoon (26, Korea Exchange). At the Hangzhou Asian Games representative selection held in March, it took first place in the women’s division and solidified its position as a new signboard of women’s table tennis.
▲ Jeon Ji-hee (right) and Shin Yu-bin cheering after advancing to the women’s doubles final at the 2023 ITTF World Table Tennis Championships ⓒ Korea Table Tennis AssociationAnd at this World Championship, he finally proved the potential of the ‘table tennis prodigy’ he had heard of since childhood. Shin Yu-bin was eliminated in the round of 16 in women’s singles and in the quarterfinals in mixed doubles. She was expected to medal, but she was disappointed to be eliminated in the mixed doubles, but she vomited spirits by reaching the final in the women’s doubles.
Jeon Ji-hee, who had long been a leading figure in Korean women’s table tennis until her last year, also achieved her best results after her naturalization. Jeon Ji-hee, who played for the Chinese youth national team, was naturalized as a Korean in 2011. Since then, she has maintained the highest world ranking among Korean female players, and she has been an ‘ace’.
However, she was not particularly strong when facing Chinese players. She participated in the WTT Finals, the ‘Wangjungwangjeon’ of table tennis individual competition, as a Korean women’s table tennis representative, but she did not perform well.
Jeon Ji-hee, who teamed up with Shin Yu-bin again at the World Championships, went on a winning streak. In particular, in the semi-final match where she faced Sun Yingxia-Wangman Wei Zhao, she helped her cross the Great Wall with her bold attack.
After she finished the match, Jeon Ji-hee told her co-op team, “She honestly was amazed that I (the attack) went in. I think she went in so well from the start,” she said. “I thought we had to take the point-by-point opportunity when it came, because we had to stay focused while we were playing,” she said.
▲ Jeon Ji-hee (right) and Shin Yu-bin, who succeeded in advancing to the women’s doubles final at the 2023 ITTF World Table Tennis Championships ⓒKorea Table Tennis AssociationShin Yu-bin couldn’t hide her excitement, saying, “I was excited when I saw my sister (attack)!”
In this World Championship, one of Korea’s tasks was to ‘cross the Great Wall’. This is because in order to achieve the goal of entering the medal table, they have to beat the ‘world’s strongest’ Chinese players.
Shin Yu-bin said, “Rather than confidence, Chinese players are good players, so we have to prepare diligently and make good content as we prepared for this match.”
Shin Yu-bin and Jeon Ji-hee advanced to the women’s doubles final at the World Championships after Hyun Jeong-hwa and Yang Young-ja won the championship in 1987. They will challenge for the first time in 36 years in the final held at dawn on the 28th, Korean time.
Shin Yu-bin said, “As this is her last match, she wants to play a match without regrets with her sister.” Jeon Ji-hee also agreed, saying, “I think so too.”
▲ From left: Jeon Ji-hee, Shin Yu-bin, Ryu Seung-min, president of the Korea Table Tennis Association ⓒ Korea Table Tennis AssociationShin Yu-bin and Jeon Ji-hee will face off against World No. 7 Wang Yi-di and Chen Meng Joe in the women’s doubles final of this tournament.
Meanwhile, TV channels SPOTV and SPOTV ON, and sports OTT service SPOTV NOW will broadcast the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships men’s doubles and women’s doubles finals live from satellite. It will also be broadcast live on SPOTV ASIA (Spotv Asia). Sporty Asia is a channel broadcasting to 13 countries in Southeast Asia and broadcasts tennis grand slam tournaments such as Wimbledon and US Open, men’s professional tennis ATP tour, motorcycle racing competition MotoGP (GP), WTT (World Table Tennis) table tennis competition, and BWF ( World Badminton Federation) badminton competition, International Sports Climbing (IFSC), Sports Climbing World Cup, etc. are provided.
