S. Korean players proud of proving doubters wrong in hard-fought ping pong loss to China

BUSAN, Not all losses in sports are created equal. For the South Korean men's national table tennis team, falling to the mighty China at the world championships at home Saturday meant more than just another defeat against the world No. 1 team. It was a perception-altering occasion, something that forced skeptics to view South Korea, a perennial underdog against China, in a different light. South Korea lost to China 3-2 in the semifinals at the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Team Table Tennis Championships in Busan. The home team won two of the first three matches, before dropping the final two matches and coming up just short of slaying the biggest giant in international ping pong. Jang Woo-jin, who opened the proceedings with a 3-1 (11-7, 2-11, 13-11, 11-6) victory over world No. 2 Wang Chuqin, said he was happy to have proved doubters wrong. "Since this was the first world championships held in South Korea, we all feel very happy to have played such a great match," Jang said. "For q uite a while, we've lost to China without putting up much of a fight. I think a lot of people must have felt we wouldn't have any chance against China, but I think we played well enough today to have chanced that perception." Jang admitted he felt some pressure leading off the match against such a big favorite, but his nerves soon gave way to growing confidence. "As the match progressed, I got the sense that I could win this match," Jang said. "I think Wang made more mistakes than usual because it was our home. I was lucky that he didn't play as well as he normally does." Lim Jong-hoon lost the second match to world No. 1 Fan Zhendong, but then Lee Sang-su defeated third-ranked Ma Long in the third singles match, pushing South Korea to the brink of a humongous upset. "I went in thinking I was going to win that match no matter what," Lee said. "Given my style of play, I think I am capable of beating anyone when I am on the top of my game. And Chinese players are human, too." Lee had earlier defeated Ma in a singles match 12 years ago. He said this victory felt even sweeter because it came in a team match and put South Korea in position to advance to the final. "This match is one of the two or three best matches I've played in my career," the 33-year-old Lee said. "It's not often we get to play in front of so many home fans. This was a special experience, and I am taking away some special memories." Lim, who lost both of his matches, including the deciding one against Wang, thanked his teammates and fans for their support. "My teammates battled really hard, and they really inspired me," Lim said. "It was a close call. I will try to prepare better for future matches so I won't have regrets like I do today." Source: Yonhap News Agency