Men's Table Tennis Jang Woojin Falls in Quarterfinals... Stumbled by Brazil's Nemesis [Paris Olympics]

Jang Woo-jin (ranked 13th), considered the ace of South Korean men's table tennis, failed to advance past the quarterfinals in the men's singles at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

On the 1st (local time), at the South Paris Arena in France, Jang lost 0-4 (4-11, 7-11, 5-11, 6-11) to his "nemesis" Hugo Calderano (ranked 6th, Brazil) in the men's singles quarterfinals.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Previously, Jang also failed to overcome Calderano in the round of 16 at his first Olympics, the 2021 Tokyo Games. His head-to-head record against Calderano now stands at 1 win and 5 losses, putting him at a disadvantage.

When the draw was split in half, world No. 1 Wang Chuqin of China was on Jang’s side but was eliminated in the round of 32, increasing Jang’s chances of reaching the final more than ever. However, blocked by his nemesis Calderano, he ultimately could not capitalize on the "luck" of the Chinese player’s early exit.

With Jang’s elimination, South Korea’s men's team’s pursuit of a singles medal has come to an end. Each country can enter a maximum of two players in singles, and earlier, Cho Dae-sung (Samsung Life) was eliminated early in the first round of 64 in men’s singles.

Jang Woo-jin will continue his quest for his first Olympic medal in the men’s team event alongside Lim Jong-hoon (Korea Exchange) and Cho Dae-sung. In women’s singles, Shin Yu-bin (ranked 8th, Korean Air) has survived to the quarterfinals and is set to face Japan’s Hirano Miu (ranked 13th).

The Korean table tennis team succeeded in winning a medal for the first time in 12 years as Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin secured a bronze medal in mixed doubles.

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