Shin Yu-bin, Lim Jong-hoon Beat Taiwan to Secure Mixed Doubles Bronze [Nagoya AG]

[Financial News] South Korean table tennis players Shin Yu-bin (Korean Air) and Lim Jong-hoon (Korea Exchange (KRX)) defeated a Taiwanese pair in the mixed doubles quarterfinals at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, advancing to the semifinals and securing a bronze medal.
The Lim Jong-hoon-Shin Yu-bin pair, ranked No. 1 in the world, defeated Taiwan's No. 10-ranked Lin Yun-ju and Cheng I-ching 3-2 (11-7, 10-12, 11-7, 5-11, 12-10) in a five-game battle at the mixed doubles quarterfinals held at Sky Hall Toyota in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on the 25th.
Asian Games table tennis does not hold a separate bronze-medal match. Instead, both semifinal losers receive bronze medals. The Lim Jong-hoon-Shin Yu-bin pair, considered South Korea's strongest gold-medal contender in table tennis at these Games, has secured a medal for now.
Their semifinal opponents will be China's Lin Shidong and Kuai Man, ranked No. 6 in the world. South Korea trails 1-3 in their head-to-head record, but won their most recent meeting 3-1 in the semifinals of the WTT Finals Hong Kong last December.
At the time, Lin Shidong and Kuai Man were ranked No. 1 in the world, while Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin were No. 2. South Korea went on to defeat China's Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha in the final and win the title. The Chinese pair was ranked No. 3 at the time and consisted of leading singles players.
The Wang Chuqin-Sun Yingsha pair, currently ranked No. 2 in the world, has also advanced to the semifinals on the opposite side of the draw.
The quarterfinal was far from easy. Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin had led Lin Yun-ju and Cheng I-ching 2-1 in their head-to-head record before the match, but this time the contest went all the way to the final game.
The pattern repeatedly saw Taiwan rally whenever South Korea took the lead. In the fifth and final game, Lim Jong-hoon's bold attacks succeeded one after another, helping South Korea pull ahead 5-2. However, mistake-prone play allowed Taiwan to force a 10-10 deuce.
South Korea's focus shone through at the decisive moment. Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin continued their rallies without wavering, while Taiwan's shots repeatedly hit the net. South Korea won the final two points to seal its place in the semifinals.
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