Lin Yun-ju loses to world No. 1 Chinese rival at table tennis Asian Cup

Taipei, Feb. 24 (CNA) Taiwan's top male paddler Lin Yun-ju (林昀儒) lost 4-0 on Sunday to Chinese Lin Shidong (林詩棟), ranked the world No. 1 player, in the men's singles third-place match at the Asian Cup Table Tennis Tournament in China.

Lin's bid for a medal in the tournament ended with a 1-9, 11-6, 11-6, 11-4 defeat in the match, which lasted 35 minutes and was his seventh consecutive loss to the 19-year-old Chinese player in seven tries.

Despite his loss, Lin's fourth-place finish was a personal best in the Asian Cup and earned him a ticket to the Table Tennis World Cup tournament in April.

The two players engaged in a seesaw battle early on, going 9-9 at one point in the first game, before Lin Shidong pulled ahead to win 11-9.

From there, Lin Yun-ju seemed to lose momentum, losing a second game punctuated by errors and falling behind 9-1 at the start of the third.

After saving three game points as he tried to mount a comeback, Lin Yun-ju ultimately dropped the third game 11-6, followed by an 11-4 loss in the fourth game to seal the match.

In the tournament's title match, meanwhile, China's Wang Chuqin (王楚钦), who beat Lin Yun-ju in the semifinals earlier in the day, defeated his compatriot Liang Jingkun (梁靖崑) to take the gold medal.

The 2025 Asian Cup Table Tennis Tournament was held Feb. 19-23 at China's Shenzhen Universiade Sports Center.