Translation result
South Korea’s men’s table tennis team pulled off a shocking upset, knocking off powerhouse China in a result that rocked the sport.
On May 3 (KST) in London, South Korea rallied to beat China 3-1 in the second match of the men’s seeding league at the 2026 World Team Table Tennis Championships. It was Korea’s first team victory over China in 31 years—the last coming at the 1995 Atlanta World Cup.
The defeat ended China’s long unbeaten run in World Championship team events. Since losing to Sweden in the 2000 Kuala Lumpur final, China had not dropped a team match for 26 years—until this weekend, when Korea’s resilience proved decisive.
The breakout star was 19-year-old Oh Jun-seong (Korea Exchange), who stepped up with the team’s ace, Jang Woo-jin, out due to form issues. Oh delivered both of his singles wins and carried Korea to victory.
The match began poorly for Korea. Kim Jang-won, playing first singles, was swept 0-3 by China’s Lin Shidong, giving China an early edge. But Oh answered in the second match, taking down world-class Liang Jingkun 3-1 to level the tie.
Korea built on that momentum. In the third singles, An Jae-hyun fought past China’s Zhou Qihao 3-1. An clinched a dramatic fourth set, edging a marathon 20-18 deuce to swing the match fully in Korea’s favor.
Oh sealed the upset in the fourth singles. Returning to the table, he reversed course against Lin Shidong—the same player who beat Kim—winning 3-1 and confirming one of the biggest team upsets in modern table tennis. The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) called it a historic victory over the defending champions and noted the stunned atmosphere inside the arena.
After an earlier heavy loss to Sweden, Korea’s win over tournament favorite China provides a momentum shift and a real shot at top position in the group. Depending on the result against England, Korea could finish first in the pool and secure a high seed moving forward.
On the women’s side, Korea slipped into a two-match losing streak, falling to Taiwan and Romania amid concerns over ace Shin Yu-bin’s recurring back pain. Shin did not play against Romania, raising fresh worries about her condition.
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