[Nagoya AG] Women's Table Tennis Suffers 0-3 Defeat to Japan... Bronze Medal in Team Event for Third Consecutive Time

South Korea's women's table tennis team fell to Japan, failing to reach the Asian Games team final for the first time in 36 years since the 1990 Beijing Games.

The women's table tennis national team was defeated by Japan with a match score of 0-3 in the semifinals of the women's team event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, held at Sky Hall Toyota in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on the 23rd.

Previously, the men's national team was also defeated by Japan 0-3 at the same venue, failing to advance to the final for the first time in 44 years since the 1982 New Delhi Games. Following this, the women's team was also unable to overcome Japan's challenge.

Shin Yubin is waiting for Hina Hayata's serve during the women's team semifinal table tennis match against Japan at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held on the 23rd at Sky Hall in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Photo by Yonhap News

South Korea's women's table tennis team won gold in the team event at the 1986 Seoul Games and took silver at the 1990 Beijing Games, but has not reached the final since. This time, they secured a bronze medal. In the team table tennis event, both teams defeated in the semifinals are awarded bronze medals without a separate playoff.

Japan showcased superior strength with world No. 3 Harimoto Miwa and No. 6 Hayata Hina leading the way. Despite fielding Shin Yubin (No. 11), Joo Cheonhui (No. 14), and Kim Nayoung (No. 31), the South Korean side did not manage to win a single game against Japan, which also included No. 18 Nagasaki Miyu in its lineup.

Ace Shin Yubin lost to Hayata in just 24 minutes with a score of 0-3 (6-11, 7-11, 4-11).

Shin Yubin struggled from the outset. She conceded five consecutive points at the start of the match and, after her first point, gave up another streak, falling behind 1-8. She eventually lost the first game 6-11 and was unable to mount a meaningful comeback throughout the rest of the match.

World No. 14 Joo Cheonhui, who played the second singles match, was also unable to get past Japan's ace Harimoto, losing 0-3 (7-11, 8-11, 9-11).

World No. 31 Kim Nayoung put up a fight against Nagasaki but ultimately lost 0-3 (8-11, 9-11, 7-11). Kim narrowly lost the first game 8-11 and, though she led 7-4 in the second game and had an opportunity to fight back, she could not maintain her lead and allowed a turnaround.

With this result, South Korea's women's table tennis team has now claimed the bronze medal in the team event at three consecutive Asian Games: 2018 Jakarta-Palembang, 2022 Hangzhou, and 2026 Aichi-Nagoya.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.