Table Tennis National Team Faces Tough Draw in Team Event... Possible Clash with Top China in Semifinals

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Our table tennis national team has received a challenging draw for the Tokyo Olympics.

According to the Korea Table Tennis Association on the 22nd, the draw for the team and mixed doubles events held on the evening of the 21st at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium in Japan showed that both the men's and women's teams are likely to face the 'strongest' China in the semifinals.

The men's team, consisting of Lee Sang-su (Samsung Life), Jeong Young-sik, and Jang Woo-jin (both from Mirae Asset Securities), received the 4th seed and will compete on the side of the 1st seed China rather than the 2nd seed Germany.

The men's team's first match in the round of 16 (August 1) will be against Slovenia, which is participating in the Olympic men's team event for the first time. This will be the first time our team and Slovenia face each other in an international men's team competition. If they defeat Slovenia, they will compete on the 2nd for a place in the semifinals against the winner of the Serbia-Brazil match.

China's first opponent is Egypt, and if they win there, they will compete for a semifinal spot against the winner of the Hong Kong-France match. The men's team and China have met twenty-six times in international men's team competitions, with China winning 25 times. On the Olympic stage, China holds a perfect record of three wins.

The women's team, composed of Shin Yu-bin (Korean Air), Jeon Ji-hee (POSCO Energy), and Choi Hyo-joo (Samsung Life), is in a relatively better position. The women's team, seeded 7th, avoided facing the 1st seed China or 2nd seed Japan in the quarterfinals.

Their first match in the round of 16 (August 1) will be against Poland, against whom the women's team holds a perfect 3-0 record in international competitions. If they defeat Poland, they will compete for a semifinal spot against the winner of the Australia-Germany match.

China will play Austria first and then face the winner of the France-Singapore match in the quarterfinals. The women's team holds a 3-14 record against China in international competitions. They met once in the Olympics at the 2012 London Games semifinals, where they lost.

The mixed doubles pair of Lee Sang-su and Jeon Ji-hee will play against Egypt's Omar Assar and Dina Meshref in the round of 16 on the 24th. The Lee Sang-su-Jeon Ji-hee pair avoided matches against China and Japan before the semifinals.

They will meet Jun Mizutani and Mima Ito (Japan) only if they reach the semifinals. If they advance to the finals, they are likely to face Xu Xin and Liu Shiwen (China).