The Se Ah WTT Youth Contender Gangneung 2025 international table tennis tournament concluded all its schedules on the 22nd after finishing the matches. On the final day of the six singles finals, U19 men's Hong Jingkai (Taiwan), women's Su Tzung (Hong Kong), U15 men's Cheng Kaicheng (Taiwan), women's Miku Matsushima (Japan), U11 men's Ju Ji-won (South Korea), and women's Yuri Nishio (Japan) each won championships. South Korea advanced Lee Jeong-mok (Daejeon Dongsan High School) and Jeong Ye-in (Hwaseong City Corporation) to the U19 men's and women's singles finals, raising expectations, but ultimately came up short and finished as runners-up.

The tournament, held from the 19th to the 22nd for four days, is an international tour competition for youth athletes hosted by the World Table Tennis (WTT), an organization under the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF). It was the third WTT youth series hosted by South Korea since the tournament in Cheongyang in August 2023 and the tournament in Gangneung in May last year. The Gangneung Arena, one of the venues for the Winter Olympics, provided an excellent stage once again, and the tournament, with participation from over 400 players from 19 countries, successfully concluded.

Gangneung is also the host of the 2026 World Table Tennis Masters Championship. Since acquiring the Masters tournament, efforts have continued to create a ‘table tennis boom’. This tournament was seen as a part of that effort. During the tournament, Gangneung Mayor Kim Hong-kyu, who is also the co-chairman of the organizing committee for the 2026 Gangneung World Table Tennis Masters Championship, visited the venue to encourage young players and engage in discussions with tournament officials, showing deep interest. This tournament was presented by Se Ah, organized by the Korea Table Tennis Association (Chairman Lee Tae-sung), and supported by Gangwon Province, Gangneung City, Axiom, Mizuno, and others.

However, despite the smooth operation of the tournament, the players' performances left some disappointments. South Korea won only two titles in the U19 mixed doubles (Lee Seong-min - Lee Da-hye) and U11 men's singles (Ju Ji-won) out of a total of twelve events. The two events won were predominantly composed of South Korean players. As a result, while the event operated successfully, the achievements of foreign promising players kept turning back just before reaching the goals, contrasting with the performance of our players, who fell short and left a missing 2%.

In particular, the absence of aces was felt significantly in the final day's matches. Male cadet ace Lee Seung-soo (Daejeon Dongsan Middle School), who was the U15 singles champion last year, and junior strong players Kwon Hyuk (Daejeon Dongsan High School), Choi Ji-wook (Daegwang High School), as well as ace female players Kim Eun-seo (Pyeongpyeongchang Club) and Heo Ye-rim (Hwaseong City Corporation) were unable to participate in this tournament due to competing in a youth series in South America, Argentina, and injuries during the same period. While the remaining promising players did their best to fill the gaps, the results were not satisfactory.

The standout players on the final day were Hong Jingkai (Taiwan) and Su Tzung (Hong Kong), who won the U19 men's and women's singles. Hong Jingkai defeated South Korea's Lee Jeong-mok (Daejeon Dongsan High School), continuing the achievement of his compatriot, Chen Yuan, who won in the same event last year. South Korea's Choi Ho-jun (Jungwon High School) also reached the semifinals but lost to Hong Jingkai. Taiwan also claimed victory in the U15 men's singles with Cheng Kaicheng. The women's champion, Su Tzung, rose to two titles after winning the previously held U17 women's singles. Notably, both finals featured a turnabout where both South Korea's Choi Seo-yeon (Mirae Asset Securities) and Jeong Ye-in lost the first two games but won three straight, capturing attention. In the U15 women’s singles, Japan's promising player Miku Matsushima, who is under intensive training, won.

South Korean players finished with the following final rankings: 1st in U19 mixed doubles (Jeong Dae-young - Moon Cho-won), 2nd in men's singles (Lee Jeong-mok), 3rd (Choi Ho-jun), 2nd in women's singles (Jeong Ye-in), 3rd (Lee Seung-eun, Korean Air), 2nd in U17 women's singles (Choi Seo-yeon), 3rd (Choi Na-hyun), 3rd in men's singles (Lee Seong-min), 3rd in U15 men's singles (Lee Hyun-ho (Daejeon Dongsan Middle School)), 3rd in mixed doubles (Lee Hyun-ho - Lee Hye-rin), and 3rd in U13 women's singles (Go Min-seo), 1st in U11 men's singles (Ju Ji-won), 2nd (Lee Seung-yun), 3rd (Kim Yoon-ho, Ju Do-ha), 2nd in women's singles (Lee Bom), 3rd (Kim Ah-hyun).

Kim Won-geun, the coach of the future national team, who watched the players' matches on site from beginning to end, noted, “The results are not satisfactory, but the players fought their best, and there are some aspects I would like to praise. It is indeed true that the absence of aces had a substantial impact on the results. Many shortcomings revealed through this tournament will not solely be the players’ responsibility to fill. It would be great if table tennis community members, centered around the association, could show more consideration and support.”

The ‘Se Ah WTT Youth Contender Gangneung 2025’, which was held over a tight schedule featuring twelve events, has been wrapped up once again with praise from WTT officials in terms of tournament operations. It is encouraging to see the performance of Gangneung City, which aims to be a 'table tennis city,' demonstrate its capability to host international competitions. The remaining task is to ensure that such capabilities translate into improved performance from the players. South Korean youth representatives will now turn their attention to the 2025 Asian Youth Championships to be held in Uzbekistan in June.

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