Lim Jong-hoon (26, Korea Exchange먹튀검증), left-handed ace of the Korean men’s table tennis team. He, ranked 13th in the world, will clash with Pan Zhendong (26) of China, the world’s strongest, on the threshold of the final.
In the 2023 World Table Tennis (WTT) men’s singles quarterfinals held in Xinxiang, Henan Province, China on the afternoon of the 13th (local time), Lim Jong-hoon defeated 22nd ranked French ace Alexis Lebrun (20) 3-1 (11-6, 13-11, 7-11, 11-8).
In the round of 16, Lim Jong-hoon, who was a Japanese star, caught Tomokazu Harimoto (20, Japan), the world’s third-ranked player, with a score of 3-1 (4-11, 11-8, 11-5, 12-10), and continued to make a sensation.
Lim Jong-hoon reached the quarterfinals in men’s singles at the ‘2022 WTT Champions’ held in Budapest, Hungary in July last year. This semifinal advance is his best performance in the WTT Champions.
In the quarterfinals on this day, Pan Zhendong finished with Lin Si-dong (17), the world’s 15th-ranked ‘Shinseong’ of the same country, 3-2 (11-9, 6-11, 8-11, 13-11, 11-8). won
Commentator Seo Bong-guk of SPOTV, which broadcasts the tournament live, commented on Lim Jong-hoon’s quarterfinal match, saying, “It was a complete victory that overwhelmed the opponent in terms of power and skill. His main weapon, the backhand, was perfect, and he blocked Lebrun’s preemptive attack with a varied service.”
Regarding the clash with Pan Zhendong, he predicted, “As much as you have to face the world’s strongest right-handed backhand, you have to take the initiative even if it is difficult, and use your specialty service and backhand well to win.”
In the other semifinals, 10th place Lin Yun-ju (21, Taiwan) and 7th place Liang Jing-kun (26, China) clash.
World number 34 Shin Yu-bin (19, Korean Air), who had high expectations that day, was eliminated in the women’s singles quarterfinals by a complete defeat by China’s Wang Yi-di (26), who ranked third, 0-3 (3-11, 10-12, 5-11). did.
It was analyzed that the loss was due to the lack of diversity in the serve and the inability to attack properly due to the weak forehand. Wang Yidi was definitely one step above.