S. Korean table tennis legends impressed with country’s near upset of China at worlds

BUSAN, Three of the greatest table tennis players in South Korean history almost witnessed history Saturday, as their country came close to shocking China at the men's world championships on home soil. South Korea fell short of a monumental victory in the semifinals at the International Table Tennis Federation World Team Table Tennis Championships, losing to world No. 1 China 3-2 after grabbing two of the first three matches in the southeastern city of Busan. Ryu Seung-min, co-head of the event's organizing committee and 2004 Olympic men's singles gold medalist, said he was taken back in time to 2001, when he and Kim Taek-soo, now secretary-general of the committee, pushed China hard. That team also lost by the score of 3-2 in the semifinals. "I remember Kim Taek-soo gave China such a big scare then," Ryu said. "I think this was the first close match we played against China since that." Kim, a two-time Olympic bronze medalist, said the near-upset was an important confidence boost for South Korea. "In r ecent years, we lost to China without putting up much of a fight. And I think today's match should give players confidence that they can beat China at some point down the road," Kim said. "It's a little bittersweet that we have to settle for a moral victory, despite such a strong performance. But I am also hopeful that our players will leave here with a lot more confidence." Hyun Jung-hwa, the 1988 Olympic women's doubles gold medalist, said she thought South Korea could get it down when the home team took a 2-1 lead. China won the final two matches, though, to foil the upset bid. "I can't think of any other country that played China this tough over the last 10 or so years," Hyun gushed. "I thought for a moment we were ready to rewrite history. I was almost overcome with emotions then." Ryu, also head of the Korea Table Tennis Association, gave credit where it's due. "It gave me chills when I thought about how these Chinese players remained so unflappable even when we pushed them really hard," Ryu said. " But they still have areas that we can exploit. We will sit down with the coaching staff for some in-depth discussions on how to go about that." Source: Yonhap News Agency