On September 23, Taiwan’s team lost 0–3 to China in the semifinals of the men’s team table tennis event at the Nagoya Asian Games.
Although the defeat kept Taiwan from reaching the final, Taiwan received a bronze medal alongside South Korea, recording its 4th consecutive bronze medal in the men’s team event.
The clearest moment of the semifinal was Lin Yun-ru’s battle against China’s Wang Chuqin, which went all the way to the final 5th game in the opening singles match.
3-Line Summary
1. Taiwan wins bronze in the men’s team table tennis event for the 4th consecutive time
2. Taiwan lost 0–3 to China in the semifinal
3. Lin Yun-ru lost the opening singles match 13–15
Lin Yun-ru’s Rally Could Not Change the Team’s Defeat
Taiwan’s ace Lin Yun-ru faced China’s Wang Chuqin in the opening singles match. After losing the first two games, Lin Yun-ru won the 3rd and 4th games, taking the match to the deciding game. In the final game, he even reached deuce and created match points, but lost 13–15.
This match was recorded as a 2–3 defeat, but in the team event, the winner is determined by combining the results of three matches. After narrowly losing the opening match, Taiwan was unable to create a turnaround in the following two matches. Feng Yixin lost 0–3 to Lin Shidong, while 17-year-old player Guo Guan-hong took the first game 14–12 against Wang Ruibo but ultimately lost 1–3.
In the end, Taiwan lost all three matches and fell 0–3 to China. The semifinal defeat meant that Taiwan failed to advance to the final, but in Asian Games men’s team table tennis, teams that lose in the semifinals receive bronze medals.
A Team with Many New Faces Continues the Bronze-Medal Record
The only player on Taiwan’s men’s national team who had experience competing at the Asian Games was Lin Yun-ru. Feng Yixin, Guo Guan-hong, Hong Jing-kai, and Xu Xian-zhe were all reported to be making their Asian Games debuts at this tournament.
Therefore, this bronze medal was not simply the continuation of a consecutive medal record. It also represents a team with few experienced players reaching the podium after facing China in the semifinals. With this bronze medal, Taiwan secured bronze medals in 4 consecutive tournaments in the men’s team event.
After the match, Lin Yun-ru said that the result was disappointing, but that he had tried to narrow the score without giving up even when he was falling behind. He did not believe the tactical choices themselves were wrong, but assessed that their execution was not good enough.
The Meaning of the Bronze Medal, According to Lin Yun-ru
Lin Yun-ru said that winning a bronze medal with his young teammates could help raise their confidence for future tournaments. His comments conveyed that simply reaching the podium was meaningful and that the players had fought hard.
His words were the player’s own expectation, not a confirmed future achievement. Still, the result is clear: a team with many debuting players played three matches against China in the semifinals and earned a bronze medal. Taiwan’s men’s team failed to reach the final, but maintained its consecutive medal record amid a generational transition.
References
Tags #AsianGames #TableTennis #MensTeamTableTennis #TaiwanTableTennis #ChinaTableTennis #LinYunru #WangChuqin #FengYixin #GuoGuanhong #NagoyaAsianGames #AsianGamesBronze #TableTennisSemifinal