South Korea’s men’s doubles team of Jang Woo-jin and Lim Jong-hoon have reached the final of the World Championships for the second consecutive time. The pair will be looking to become the first men’s doubles team to win gold at the World Championships after settling for silver at the last event.

Photo: Korea Table Tennis Association
The Korean pair of Jang Woo-jin and Lim Jong-hoon came from behind to defeat Germany’s Dmitry Opcharov and Patrick Franziska 3-2 (11-7 5-11 8-11 11-9 11-5) in the men’s doubles quarterfinals of the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships 2023 at the Durban International Convention Center (DICC) in Durban, South Africa, on Saturday (26 June). They will play China’s Fan Zhendong and Wang Chuqin in the final on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. local time (9:30 p.m. ET).

The pair took the first game with ease, but dropped the next two games to come from behind. In game two, they dropped seven consecutive points after scoring the first point. In game three, we took a 5-3 lead, tied it up, and battled back to 8-8 before dropping three points.

With just one more game to go, the pair of Jang Woo-jin and Lim Jong-hoon fought back. With the score tied at 2-2, the opponent’s attacker was out, making it 3-2. Jang Woo-jin then hit a drive into the net to make it 4-2. Lim Jong-hoon made it 토토사이트6-2 with a clever surprise attack and the opponent’s ball hitting the net. Jang Woo-jin and Lim Jong-hoon maintained the gap and made it 10-6, but their attacks were hit into the net and their receptions were out, leaving them trailing 10-9. The Koreans used a timeout to break the unfavorable trend, and the opponent’s attack after receiving Lim Jong-hoon’s reception was out, tying the game at 2-2.

Photo courtesy of the Korea Table Tennis Association
In the final game with a spot in the finals on the line, both teams were evenly matched from the start. After conceding the first point, Germany fought back with a net error and a successful attack by Lim Jong-hoon to tie the score at 4-4.

However, Korea’s back row was stronger. A powerful attack from Lim Jong-hoon, followed by a missed serve and a sharp backhand from Jang Woo-jin, quickly extended the lead to 10-4. Despite being down by one point, Im Jong-hoon scored the final point to secure his place in the final.

After securing the victory, Lim threw his arms in the air in celebration, while Jang Woo-jin pumped his fists in the air and roared. After the match, Jang Woo-jin said, “It means a lot to be in the finals for the second time in a row,” adding, “It was a very difficult match, but we managed to get over the hump by trusting and relying on each other.” “It’s good to win, but it would have been easier if I played a little better in the beginning,” said Lim Jong-hoon, “and it’s a shame that I didn’t, because Woo-jin told me that my brother was fine, so I was able to play more confidently.”