"Confident" Shin Yubin Advances to Korea's First Women's Singles Table Tennis Semifinals in 20 Years (Comprehensive) [Paris Olympics]

Facing a comeback defeat at 3-0, victory through mental strength
Expecting first singles medal in 20 years since 2004
Epic battle with Tokyo gold medalist Tian Meng at 8:30 on the 2nd

Shin Yu-bin (20, Korean Air) cried, and so did Hirano Miu. Shin Yu-bin advanced to the Olympic table tennis women's singles semifinals for the first time in 20 years for a Korean player.

On the 1st (local time), Shin Yubin shed tears of joy in front of coach Oh Gwangheon after a hard-fought victory against Japan's Hirano Miu in the women's singles quarterfinals of the 2024 Paris Olympic table tennis event held at South Paris Arena in Paris, France.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 1st (Korean time), at the South Paris Arena in France, Shin Yu-bin won a close battle lasting nearly 1 hour and 30 minutes against world No. 13 Japanese player Hirano Miu in the quarterfinals of the women's singles table tennis event at the 2024 Paris Olympics, with a 4-3 victory (11-4 11-7 11-5 7-11 8-11 9-11 13-11).

The match was tense as Shin Yu-bin took the lead but was caught up, making it impossible to relax. Moreover, Hirano was the player who defeated Shin Yu-bin in the women's team semifinals at last year's Hangzhou Asian Games. At that time, Shin Yu-bin lost both the first and fourth singles matches against Japan, and especially in the fourth singles, she was defeated by Hirano, which dashed her hopes of reaching the final. She avenged that disappointment in this match.

On the 31st, Shin Yu-bin won a bronze medal in the mixed doubles event with Lim Jong-hoon (Korea Exchange) at this tournament, and if she wins one more match in the women's singles, she will add her second Olympic medal in her career.

The last time Korean table tennis won an Olympic singles medal was at the 2004 Athens Olympics, when Yoo Seung-min (President of the Korea Table Tennis Association) won the men's singles gold and Kim Kyung-ah won the women's singles bronze at the same event. Since then, Korean players have not reached the semifinals in either men's or women's singles at the Olympics.

Shin Yu-bin's opponent in the semifinals is world No. 4, China's Chen Meng. The Chinese table tennis team, with Sun Yingsha, Wang Manyu, Wang Yidi, and Chen Meng ranked 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th respectively in the women's singles world rankings, is dominant. After skipping 5th-ranked Hayata Hana (Japan), 6th is Chen Xingtong. The Chinese team, featuring top-ranked players, has Sun Yingsha and Chen Meng competing in the women's singles at this tournament.

On the 1st (local time), at the South Paris Arena in Paris, France, during the women's singles quarterfinals of table tennis at the 2024 Paris Olympics, South Korea's Shin Yubin faced Japan's Hirano Miu.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Chen Meng easily defeated world No. 23 Austria's Sofia Polcanova 4-0 (11-5 11-3 11-0 11-8) in the quarterfinals and will face Shin Yu-bin in the semifinals. Although Chen Meng is currently ranked 4th after ceding the top spot to Sun Yingsha, she was one of the leading Chinese women's table tennis players who dominated the world in the mid to late 2010s, winning both the women's singles and team events at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, achieving a double crown.

Shin Yu-bin previously faced Chen Meng once in the quarterfinals of the World Table Tennis (WTT) Singapore Smash in March, losing 1-4. Given Shin Yu-bin's tendency to struggle against Chinese players, a tough match is expected, but considering her rising form in this tournament, a close contest is anticipated.

Shin Yu-bin also experienced a narrow 2-4 defeat in the mixed doubles semifinals with Lim Jong-hoon against the Wang Chuqin?Sun Yingsha pair, putting up a strong fight by taking two sets.

The atmosphere predicted Shin Yu-bin's victory in today's match.

Chinese national team player Chen Meng. [Photo by Yonhap News]

From the start, Shin Yu-bin aggressively attacked and dominated Hirano, winning the first three games consecutively, making it seem like the match was tilting in her favor. Hirano's highest score in the first three games was only 7 points in the second game.

However, Hirano changed clothes and launched a comeback from the fourth game, persistently closing the gap and turning the match around. Shin Yu-bin's unforced errors increased, and Hirano's attacking rhythm revived, allowing her to take the 4th, 5th, and 6th games consecutively, leveling the match.

The match reached a climax in the seventh game with a fierce battle. Shin Yu-bin led early 5-1, but Hirano kept up and eventually brought the score to 10-10 deuce. They exchanged points to reach a second deuce at 11-11, creating a tense atmosphere in the arena.

At that moment, the goddess of fortune smiled on Shin Yu-bin. Hirano's last two shots consecutively hit the net, confirming Shin Yu-bin's advancement to the semifinals.

Both players maintained a poker face throughout the 1 hour and 30 minutes of intense play but showed tears simultaneously after the match ended. Upon confirming her defeat, Hirano sat down and wept, while Shin Yu-bin wiped tears of relief and joy with a towel.

Shin Yu-bin needs to win only one of the remaining two matches to secure a medal in the women's singles. The likely matchup is between world No. 1 Sun Yingsha and Japanese ace Hayata. However, the North Korean table tennis player Byun Song-gyong, who has emerged as a surprise in this tournament, might become a variable after a close match against Hayata.

The women's singles semifinal between Shin Yu-bin and Chen Meng will be held at 8:30 PM Korean time on the 2nd.