Shin Yubin (Photo ITTF)
Shin Yubin made history as Sora Matsuhima defied all expectations at the ITTF Men’s and Women’s World Cup Macao. The story of the day and the tournament so far undoubtedly came from Korea’s Yubin.
In a performance that will be talked about for years to come, the Korean defeated world number three Chen Xingtong 11-8, 9-11, 12-10, 11-0, 11-9 to become the first ever woman from Korea to guarantee herself a medal at the women’s World Cup.
Yubin had faced Xingtong four times previously without a win, their most recent encounter coming in last year’s Round of 16 right here in Macao, China The fifth meeting proved to be the charm, and the manner of the victory underlined just how completely she controlled the match when it mattered most. The Galaxy Arena erupted, and rightly so, it was a moment of pure history.
Yubin now faces China’s Wang Manyu in the semifinals, who came through a gruelling 8-11, 11-8, 13-11, 8-11, 11-5, 11-9 win over Japan’s Honoka Hashimoto. Hashimoto’s defensive style made every rally a battle, pushing Wang deep into each exchange in a match that lasted one hour and twenty-five minutes, the second longest of the entire event.
“I actually didn’t know that I am the first female player from Korea to reach the semifinals here! I am just so happy that I was able to put in such a great performance in today’s match. For the rest of the tournament, my goal is to just stay in the moment and enjoy each match,” said Yubin.
“Tomorrow, I will face the winner of Wang Manyu and Honoka Hashimoto. Both of them are very strong players, so I don’t have any specific, targeted preparations in mind yet. My plan is to just rest well and eat well—hopefully, I can continue to do my best in tomorrow’s match. To my fans in Korea, thank you so much for the support. I am very happy!”
Germany’s Sabine Winter continued one of the most remarkable stories this tournament has ever produced. The European Cup winner defeated China’s Wang Yidi 11-7, 11-9, 11-9, 11-8 in a display of composure and precision.
In doing so, Winter became the first European woman to secure a medal at the women’s singles World Cup since her German teammate Petrissa Solja achieved the feat back in 2015. Fuelled by her recent Singapore Smash win over Wang and carrying the confidence of a player who is playing at the peak of her career, Winter was in complete control from start to finish.
“I feel great! It feels like a dream that I am in the World Cup semifinals. I’m just trying to enjoy this moment. To my fans, thank you so much for all your support; it really means a lot to me and it keeps me going. I also want to send greetings to Petrissa Solja. She is a very good friend, and as I’ve said before, I am so happy to be the first German woman to medal at this event since she did it,” said Winter.
Top seed Sun Yingsha was made to work harder today than the audience expected. Africa Cup winner Hana Goda pushed the defending champion to the absolute brink in a match that lasted one hour and twenty-eight minutes, the longest of the entire tournament, and had the Galaxy Arena completely transfixed.
Goda saved nothing, playing the match of her life and forcing Sun to save two match points in the deciding game before the Chinese star finally came through 13-11, 11-8, 14-16, 5-11, 10-12, 11-3, 13-11.
Yingsha advances, but the crowd’s admiration for Goda was unmistakable. She leaves Macao, China having made history for African table tennis and having shown the world exactly what she is capable of at only 18 years old.
“It wasn’t easy to have won eventually. Hana Goda played incredibly well. I went up 2–0, then led 10–6 in the third game, but she fought back and took the third game. After that, she was completely unleashed in terms of her form and the variation of her shots. She’s already made history for Africa and I knew that she came from behind yesterday to reach the quarterfinals. I have already expected a tough, tight match today, and it was!” said Yingsha.
Honestly, I’m still a bit stunned. Seven full games, and the final one was decided by just two points. At that time, we were both calculating every shot and kept thinking. Our rallies were also excellent. Even when I was down 6–2 in the last game, I didn’t give up. Coach Ma, President Wang, Coach Qin, Coach Qiu, and my teammates kept encouraging me and I tried to fight for each point. It was truly a hard‑fought battle!”
Yingsha and Winter now meet in the semifinals, the Asian Cup winner against the European Cup winner, in what promises to be one of the matches of the tournament. Sun leads their head-to-head 2-0, but after everything Winter has produced this week, that statistic feels like it means very little.
In the men’s singles, Japan’s Sora Matsushima set the tone in the morning session, delivering a stunning straight sets 11-7, 11-7, 11-8, 11-1 demolition of second seed Truls Moregard.
With the win, Matsushima secured his first ever men’s World Cup medal, and will now face Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yun-Ju in the semifinals, a player who knows what it takes to stand on this podium, having claimed bronze at the 2019 Men’s World Cup in Chengdu.
Top seed and China’s sole remaining hope in the Men’s draw, Wang Chuqin was taken to the edge by Slovenia’s Darko Jorgic in one of the day’s most gripping contests.
Trailing 1-3 and staring at a quarterfinal exit, Chuqin dug in and fought back with everything he had, clawing his way back to level before eventually claiming the match 11-4, 9-11, 7-11, 9-11, 12-10, 11-6, 11-8 in a display of will and resilience that had the packed Galaxy Arena on its feet.
Chuqin now faces a rematch of last year’s Men’s World Cup semifinal against reigning champion Hugo Calderano — a tie that carries enormous weight given what is at stake for both the players.
“It was a very lucky win. Darko played well again—he didn’t give me much room to turn things around. In the fifth game, he had some ups and downs mentally. Winning those two points put me in a good headspace as well. Really happy to have survived until the last day. Hope I can go further than last time,” said Chuqin.
Calderano, the American Cup winner, closed out the evening in commanding fashion, defeating France’s Alexis Lebrun, the European Cup winner, in straight sets 11-8, 11-7, 11-9, 11-8 to confirm his semifinal spot. The Brazilian has been building throughout the week, and arrives in the last four looking every bit like a player determined to defend his title.
“I’m feeling great, especially knowing I’ve secured a medal here once again. It’s really special. Coming here as the defending champion, I knew it wasn’t going to be easy to reach the podium again because the competition is so huge. I’m very happy to be in the semifinals and to have a medal guaranteed, and of course, I’ll try my best tomorrow to go for even more. Wang Chuqin is going to be the favourite, as he is against everyone else, but it’s great to play big matches like this. I’m very happy that I am consistently reaching the podium at these big events. I’ll just enjoy the moment and give it my all,” said Calderano.
QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS
Men’s singles: Wang Chuqin (Chn) bt Darko Jorgic (Slo) 11-4, 9-11, 7-11, 9-11, 12-10, 11-6, 11-8; Sora Matsushima (Jpn) bt Truls Moregaard (Swe) 11-7, 11-7, 11-8, 11-1; Lin Yun-Ju (Tpe) bt Tomokazu Harimoto (Jpn) 12-14, 11-5, 11-7, 11-9, 11-4; Hugo Calderano (Bra) bt Alexis Lebrun (Fra) 11-8, 11-7, 11-9, 11-8
Women’s singles: Wang Manyu (Chn) bt Honoka Hashimoto (Jpn) 8-11, 11-8, 13-11, 8-11, 11-5, 11-9; Shin Yubin (Chn) bt Chen Xingtong (Chn) 11-8, 9-11, 12-10, 11-0, 11-9; Sun Yingsha (Chn) bt Hana Goda (Egy) 13-11, 11-8, 14-16, 5-11, 10-12, 11-3, 13-11; Sabine Winter (Ger) bt Wang Yidi (Chn) 11-7, 11-9, 11-9, 11-8
