“I watched you play and thought, ‘Yay, wow, oh,’ because you were so good. Last time we lost because we tried to avoid you, but this time we won because we just did our thing.”
Shin Yubin sent infinite affection and trust to her partner Jeon Jeon-hee.
The pair of Shin Yubin and Jeon Jeon-hee defeated China’s Sun Yingxia and Wang Manyu 3-0 (11-7 11-9 11-6) in the women’s doubles semi-finals at the 2023 World Table Tennis Championships in Durban, South Africa. It is the first time in 36 years that Korean table tennis has reached the doubles final at a World Championships since Yang Young-ja and Hyun Jung-hwa won the title in 1987.
It’s a result no one could have predicted. Their opponents in the semi-finals, Sun Yingxia-Wang Manyu, are the world’s number one pairing, and they are also the world’s number one and two singles players. Looking to win their third consecutive title, the world number 12 pair of Shin Yubin and Jeon Jeon-hee opted to go toe-to-toe with Sun Ying-sa and Wang Man-yu.토토사이트
Playing to each other’s strengths and covering each other’s weaknesses, the duo created a “fantastic combo”: while Zheng would hit a forehand that was half a beat faster and packed with power, Shin would play a solid defence that doggedly deflected her opponent’s attacks. The World No.1 Chinese pairing was unstoppable. From the round of 32 to the semi-finals, Shin Yubin and Jeon Jeon-hee did not drop a single game on their way to the final.
Shin Yubin, born in 2004, and Jeon Jeon-hee, born in 1992, are the same age. “It was my dream to reach the final of the World Championships once, and I am very grateful to my partner Shin Yubin,” said Jeon. “I think I played well because I successfully executed the preparations with my sister,” said Shin Yubin.
When Jeon Jeon-hee asked, “Is it because you’re good at eating steak?”, Shin Yubin bragged, “Yesterday, the chairman bought me a steak”. Yoo Seung-min, the president of the Korea Table Tennis Association, had bought them steaks the day before to encourage them. “I think I’m crazy today because of the steaks,” said Jeon Jeon-hee, clapping her hands with her sister, who is the same age as Shin Yubin.
The final will take place at 1:30am KST on the 28th. Their opponents are the world number seven pair of Chen Meng-Wang Yidi, also from China. “It’s great to be able to play the next match,” said Shin Yubin, “I want to play without any pressure and have no regrets.” Jeon Jeon-hee also said, “Since Yubin is next to me, I’m not afraid to trust my partner and have fun,” adding, “It’s the first time for me and Yubin to play on a stage like this, so I hope we can enjoy it without any regrets.”