Shin Yubin directly shook the pride of world-dominant Chinese table tennis. It was not a simple victory; the shocking score added to the stir among local reactions.
Shin Yubin (Korean Air Lines·world No. 13) advanced to the semifinals by defeating world No. 3 Chen Xingtong 4-1 in games (11-8 9-11 12-10 11-0 11-9) in the women's singles quarterfinals of the 2026 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Cup held in Macau, China, on the 4th (Korea time).
The flow before the match was completely different. Shin Yubin trailed 0-4 in head-to-head matches against Chen Xingtong and showed a clear disadvantage in most matches. Naturally, the Chinese player's dominance was expected in this matchup as well.
But the result was the complete opposite. From the start, Shin Yubin led the match with aggressive offense and stable defense. After seizing the initiative 11-8 in the first set and wavering briefly after dropping the second set, she regained momentum in the third set. After a deuce battle, she won 12-10 and completely turned the atmosphere around.
The turning point came in the fourth set. Shin Yubin raised her concentration and delivered a flawless performance, not allowing a single point, taking the set with a lopsided 11-0 score. It was an overwhelming result against the world No. 3.
Riding the momentum, Shin Yubin remained unshaken in the fifth set. With steady play she closed the match with an 11-9 win, ultimately advancing to the semifinals with a decisive 4-1 set score.
This victory means more than simply reaching the semifinals. Through this tournament, Shin Yubin secured the first World Cup medal for a Korean women's player. Because the ITTF World Cup has no third-place match, advancing to the semifinals guarantees a medal.
The International Table Tennis Federation also highly praised Shin Yubin's performance. "Today's World Cup protagonist is Shin Yubin. Shin Yubin, who produced a match that will be talked about for a long time, defeated world No. 3 Chen Xingtong 4-1 and secured a medal for Korea for the first time in the women's World Cup," it said. It added, "Shin Yubin had faced Chen Xingtong four times previously but never won; in the fifth matchup she finally seized victory," and said, "It was a wonderful win that showed how perfectly she dominated the match at the decisive moment. The Galaxy Arena turned into a frenzy of excitement, and rightly so. It was truly a historic moment."
After the match, Shin Yubin calmly expressed her thoughts. "To be honest, I did not know that I was the first Korean woman to reach the World Cup semifinals," she said. "I am very happy to have shown a good performance in today's match. I will focus on and enjoy every match for the rest of the tournament to the best of my ability," she added.
By contrast, the reaction in China was one of shock. Responses were especially strong to the 0-11 fourth set result. Sina Sports reported, "Chen Xingtong lost 0-11 to Shin Yubin, which is a rare margin," and said, "I can't believe a result like this? It's the first time I've seen a Chinese table tennis player lose so badly."
Some fans even reacted harshly. "The defeat was truly devastating, and 0-11 was a humiliating score. Retirement might be the best option," "the worst match today," "was this match-fixing? China's main sports are table tennis and diving, so such a complete defeat makes no sense," were among the reactions.
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