On Lee Sang-soo's spring day, the world's sixth-ranked Lin Gao Yuan also beat him!Secured to advance to the semifinals
Apr 05, 2025
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Lee Sang-soo reached the semifinals with a 4-2 victory over the "Chinese ace" Linga Oyuan (6th in the world) in the quarterfinals of the men's singles 'WTT Champions Incheon 2025' held at Incheon Inspire Arena on the afternoon of the 5th.
It was a tight battle from the first game. Lee Sang-soo led 4-1 against Lin Gao Yuan, the 'Chinese ace'. However, he made a series of mistakes and allowed a 4-4 tie. A series of strong fore drives led 5-4, 7-5, 8-6. Lingao Yuan came from behind 8-8, 8-9, but it was tied again 9-9 due to a serve mistake. Lee Sang-soo's serve was followed by Edge's luck, and he entered the 10-10 deuce game. Lingao Yuan's mistake caught the game point, and Lee Sang-soo caught the first game 12-10, with a back drive faster than the light.
The second game also led 2-0 by drawing the opponent's receiving mistakes. There was a chant of `Lee Sang-soo!' in the match between 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, and a defeat in the previous match. He gave up a 5-7 lead with prolonged receptions, but he followed 7-8 and 8-9 with a full-throated foredrive and made it 9-9 with fantastic receptions. The eldest brother's fighting spirit to protect the pride of Korean table tennis was brilliant. Lingao Yuan's mistakes, 10-9, and Lee Sang-soo caught the game point first, and Lingao Yuan's receiving rose high and also caught two games at 11-9.
Lee Sang-soo was not behind in three games, a rally that followed a 2-2 tie. He overwhelmed his opponent with a foredrive. The flow, which was tight at 4-4, led 7-4 with Lingao Yuan scoring three consecutive points, but Lee Sang-soo did not give up. I chased it 7-5. Lingao Yuan grabbed 10-5, game point, but chased 7-10 until the end. In a desperate moment, the struggling Lingaoyuan took three games to 11-7 and entered four games.
Four games, Lee Sang-soo's unique unbeatable mentality shone. He was the player who won the most against the strongest China and the ace who was the strongest on the international stage. A series of powerful fore drives without fear were fired up. 2-2, 3-3, this time, seesaw games continued. "Lee Sang-soo, fighting!" Cheers poured in. The opponent took a lead 5-3, 6-4, 7-5 with a solid reception and a hot drive shaking. However, Lingao Yuan was also persistent. He scored three points and turned the game around 8-7. With the score tied at 8-10, Lee Sang-soo's strike hit the ground running. Down two points and 10-10, the Dashi deuce game began. A sharp diagonal back drive hit the opponent's table. Won the rally 12-10, overwhelming the opponent. Game Score 3-1.
Five games, Lingao Yuan's fast beat pushed him to 0-5, but he shook his opponent by chasing by one point to 4-6, 5-7, 6-7. The Chinese bench, in crisis, shouted a timeout. However, Lee Sang-soo brought the ensuing rally to a 7-7 tie. However, Lingao Yuan in crisis won 11-8, taking five games. Game Score 3-2.
Six games, Lee Sang-soo led 6-3. Confident foredrive led by 7-3, 4 points. There was an outpouring of cheers. Samsung Life Insurance coach Lee Chul-seung wrote his first timeout with a 7-4 lead. "You're doing well enough with confidence."," he said, exerting confidence. 9-4, Lee Sang-soo took the lead.
Since 2017, Lee Sang-soo has returned Lingaoyuan, who has been a great ace of the Great Wall, including a singles silver medal at the 2018 Jakarta Palembang Asian Games, a team gold medal, a team gold medal at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, a Halmstad in 2018 and a gold medal at the 2022 Chengdu World Championships. Lee Sang-soo's attack produced a scene in which Linga Oyuan could not even reach a racket. Coach Lee Chul-seung cheered with a raised fist. 11-4. Game score won by 4 to 2.
Lee Sang-soo said, `I'm happy to beat strong players one after another. All the players here are stronger than me. I will focus more on my play and show a good game in the semifinals. I'll focus on the next game," he said, expressing his willingness to advance to the finals.
Lee Sang-soo caused a stir in the round of 32 this tournament by turning the world's 6th place 'France Top Ranker'Felix LeBrugn 3-2 after a close game, and he was the only Korean male player to reach the quarterfinals by turning Danish ace Anders Lind in the round of 16. Dusseldorf World Championship bronze medallist Lee Sang-soo is the most prolific Korean player in China with the nickname of `Dakgong' with his powerful drive. In the mixed doubles at the 2013 Paris World Championships, he won a silver medal with his current wife, Park Young-sook, and a gold medal at the Busan World Championships, and won a gold medal in men's singles at the 2021 Doha Asian Championships. Despite consistently maintaining his best skills on international stages such as the Busan World Championship and leading the podium in Korean men's table tennis, he returned the Taegeuk mark himself to grow his juniors late last year, but kept the pride of Korean table tennis with a rusty 'Dakgong'. In this competition, which may be the last dance, he proved his ability again 'World Class'.
Lee Sang-soo will compete in the semifinals on the last day of the tournament on the 6th against `Taiwan ace' Lin Yun-ju. It's Lee Sang-soo's spring day back.
Reporter Jeon Young-ji sky4us@sportschosun.com
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
