Despite failing to cross the ‘Great Wall of China’, Korean men’s table tennis ‘one-two punch’ Jang Woo-jin (27) and Lim Jong-hoon (26-Korea Exchange) are still ‘hopeful’.Jang Woo-jin and Lim Jong-hoon had to settle for bronze after losing 1-3 (11-6 5-11 8-11 7-11) to Marong-Wang Chuqin (China – unranked) in the men’s doubles semi-final at the Pyeongchang Asian Championships 2023 at the Pyeongchang Dome in Gangwon Province on 9 September.A very disappointing result for Korean table tennis fans.The pair have been the mainstay of Korean men’s table tennis in singles. In doubles, they have also been strong in international competitions, as they are currently ranked number one in the world.They also have good memories of the last Asian Championships in Doha in 2021, when China did not compete due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), winning a silver medal.Expectations were high for the South Korean pair of Jang Woo-jin and Lim Jong-hoon after they were “wiped out” in the round of 16 in the men’s and women’s singles.Speaking to reporters after the match, Jang Woo-jin and Lim Jong-hoon didn’t hang their heads in shame, but took the result in stride.”The Chinese have both offence and defence,” said Lim Jong-hoon. You can’t beat them with ‘Dak Gong’ alone. “In the past, they would panic if we pushed them hard, but nowadays they are not afraid of us at all. We have to play cleverly and not make mistakes,” he added.While China is getting stronger, Lim Jong-hoon and Zhang Wu-jin are also getting stronger. Im Jong-hoon said that the “gap” between them and China seems to be closing.”In terms of physical strength, we are not behind China. It’s time to upgrade my skills,” he said, adding, “If I used to lose to China 3-7, I think I’m only losing to them 4.5-5.5.”Zhang Wujin, a year older, agreed.”(Lim) Jong-hoon did a good job to get this far,” he said, “but it was the most satisfying match I’ve played against Chinese players recently in terms of content.”World number three Marung is recognised as the ‘GOAT’ of table tennis. Wang Chuqin is regarded as the next ace of Chinese men’s table tennis after Marong and Fan Zhendong (No. 1).That the South Korean lost to them in the semi-finals of a major tournament is not surprising.However, the singles collapse in the round of 16 is a different story.In the men’s singles round of 16 the previous day, Jang Woo-jin was eliminated by Hong Kong’s 50th-ranked veteran Wong Chun-ting, while Lim Jong-hoon lost to Japan’s 73rd-ranked Yuta Tanaka.At the upcoming Hangzhou Asian Games, they will need to perform flawlessly and without mistakes against the lower-ranked players from Asian countries other than China.Only then will they have a ‘chance’ to beat China.”It’s a fact that table tennis in Asia has levelled out,” said Lim Jong-hoon, “and we need to keep improving.””One or two players from each country have the ability to play well against anyone,” said Zhang Wujin, adding, “The most important game is against China, but we also 온라인카지노 need to be wary of Japan, Taiwan and other countries.”