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| Photo courtesy=KTTP |
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| Photo courtesy=KTTP |
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| Photo courtesy=KTTP |
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"I think my experience playing in front of many fans will help me in a big competition."
Lee Da-eun (20, Korea Racing Authority), the first champion of the women's singles in the 2025 Dunamu Pro Table Tennis League Series 1, talked about the power of '10,000 audience'.
Lee Da-eun won the women's singles final of the tournament held at the IVEX Studio Special Stadium in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi-do on the 15th by beating Lee Seung-eun (Korean Air) by a game score of 3-0. After winning the championship, Lee Da-eun delivered her dream of becoming a member of the national team at the Aichi and Nagoya Asian Games next year. "I was very nervous when I appeared on the stage, but I was not nervous during the game. I only tried to focus on myself. I've never had so many fans in Korea, and I think this experience will help me a lot in a big competition."
Except for international competitions such as the World Championships and WTT competitions, it was the first such hot competition for players and business teams who have always played their own leagues, which are like spectators in Korea. Some teams, including the Korea Exchange, POSCO International, Samsung Life Insurance, and Korea Water Resources Corporation, were absent due to circumstances, which was feared to be a box office hit, but it was unfortunate. For three days from the 13th to the 15th, 250 seats, including the best match from the quarterfinals to the final, were sold out in a row. Hot games and hot cheering matches continued day after day. From the quarterfinals of this tournament, all matches were held while maintaining high tension over a table on a special stage with colorful lights and large LED screens as much as the WTT tournament. The quality of the game was also high. Players who appeared on stage with the name of a professional MC staged a fiery rally. The final match between Park Kyu-hyun (20) and Woo Hyung-kyu (23, Mirae Asset Securities) in men's singles was a full game. After Woo Hyung-kyu won two games first, Park Kyu-hyun followed the two games, and Park Kyu-hyun won the last five games to become the champion. The battle between Lee Da-eun and Lee Seung-eun's spear and shield was also exciting. Fans cheered and cheered on the stage where they could hear the players' breaths and the unrelenting quirky techniques. Various fan bases from all over the country, including men and women of all ages and family fans, gathered. Ahn Kook-hee, secretary-general of the Pro Table Tennis Federation, said "Many people turned away from the site as online reservations closed. Many students from college table tennis clubs and middle and high school clubs came as well as living table tennis lovers. After watching the game on the first day, many fans continued to come on the second and third day." The male and female winners of the tournament were given 18 million won each, the runner-up was given 10 million won each, and the semifinalists were given 5 million won each, the largest prize money ever. It was a happy competition for both players and fans.
Hyun Jung-hwa, chairman of the Pro Table Tennis Federation, said "It was always a shame that our players were working really hard and had great performance, but there was no stage to show their value. As a table tennis senior, I was sorry and upset that the players needed a stage to enjoy the game with their fans, but there were no fans to watch. I tried it for the first time this time, and many fans were with me. Looking at the players who reached the quarterfinals, I was proud to see other players saying, `I want to play on that stage, too.' Chairman Hyun then said "The game was also really good. "I was confident that I would be able to improve the performance of Korean table tennis through this tournament as I saw young players not shaking and valuing each ball." "All the players who made it to the finals are in their late teens and early 20s. This is the future of Korean table tennis. Through this stage, players will grow, stars will come out, and fan bases will be created," he said, expressing his satisfaction.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
