Shin Yu-bin, who grew up as an ace from a table tennis prodigy, succeeded in advancing to the third round after defeating Luxembourg's Ni Shiian in the second round of women's singles held at the Tokyo Metro Gymnasium yesterday (25th) with a set score of 4-3 and a full set match.

This match caused a lot of buzz.

The reason was the age of the two players.



Shin Yubin was born in 2004 and is 17 years old this year, and Ni Shiian was born in 1963 and is 58 years old this year. The age difference between the two players is 41 years.

She is 9 years older than Shin Yubin's mother.

Shin Yu-bin has a confrontation with a senior who is a 'big aunt'.

Ni Shiian broke the record for the oldest Olympic table tennis player ever at the Tokyo Olympics.

The two players faced each other once in Sweden in 2017.

At that time, 13-year-old Shin Yu-bin was defeated by Ni Sian.




Ni Shiian, a former Chinese national, acquired Luxembourg citizenship in 1991, and is a veteran who competes for the fifth time from the 2000 Sydney Games to this Tokyo Games. He also had experience winning the team event at the 1983 World Championships when he was representing China. It is known that pitching is difficult due to the use of 'Ijil Rubber' (pimple) in a left-handed penholder style that is difficult to find these days. Shin Yu-bin's early struggle was expected, but he also lost the first set 11-2. Ni Shiian rubbed the ball on his uniform and continued to serve with a strong spin, and Shin Yubin had a hard time receiving.



Shin Yubin confronted the veteran with strength and ambition. He blew a strong drive and stole the timing of the Ni-Cyan. When the attack was successful, he shouted "Hey!" and led the atmosphere (Korean fans even mentioned that the chick 'beeps' while watching Shin Yubin's appearance). Shin Yubin did not back down easily. After a whopping 8 deuce battles in 2 sets, they won 19-17, turning the game back to the beginning. A Taiwanese reporter who watched the match between the two was enough to put out his tongue.



The match was fiercely contested. When Ni Shiian, who plays skillfully with barely moving his feet, took the 3rd set, Shin Yubin gained strength again at the beginning of the 4th set. They attacked in succession and took a 3-0 lead, at which time Ni Shiian stopped the game and began to appeal to the umpires. When he placed the ping-pong ball on the table, he pointed to the ball rolling by itself and complained that it was difficult to play because of the wind from the air conditioner located behind him.It was a skillful play that tried to break the flow of Shin Yu-bin, who was on the rise.




Shin Yu-bin did not waver. After winning the 4th set, the 5th set was on the verge of victory. Nei Cyanide just didn't back down. He took 6 sets and led the game to the final 7 sets. However, Shin Yubin's 'youth' shined here. Based on his strong stamina, he pushed Ni Shiian to the end, completing an exhilarating comeback victory with a complete win in 7 sets. It was a match that literally made you sweat.



After the match, Shin Yubin said, "At first, I was in a hurry and didn't have much time, but as I played, I got more and more relaxed and got used to it, so it was a difficult opponent, but I think it was a good match. I played against Sweden once in 2017, but I lost. It was a very difficult game then. I remembered what I did, but I stuck with it again and thought, 'Oh, you're still doing it. I still need to learn a lot,' and I worked hard."



Shin Yu-bin couldn't easily answer the question to pick the winner.




"First of all, in the first set, I was too hasty and my opponent liked it. So, because I couldn't match the time of the ball at all, I made a lot of mistakes. I think I kept passing the ball slowly, thinking that we should continue slow from the receive. In the second set, I was winning. Even though I went earlier, I couldn’t easily score those two points in a row. So I thought I could win by taking it a little slower and more leisurely, so I thought I could win. I really didn’t think I was going to win until the very end. A variable that doesn’t know when or how it will change I don't think I ever thought of 'won' until the end."



Shin Yubin showed respect for the challenge of Ni Sian.


"You're older than my mother... When I first met you in Sweden, when I heard your age, I was like, 'How are you?'

But he said he just won a gold medal at the world championships, and it was in 1983. So, I thought, 'You must have been very good before, you must have a lot of experience because of your age.' It won't be easy, but if we play together again, we can easily win. He’s also a non-existent opponent, and I think the only thing that comes out of it is that he’s amazing.”


Shin Yubin's next opponent is Hong Kong's Du Hoi Kem.

He said he was determined to continue the current upward trend.



“Now that we have passed one hurdle, there are still difficult opponents next time, but I want the game to come out as I practiced. Please support the team a lot. Mom, Dad, I'm going to work hard here, so let's eat marshmallows when we go to Korea!"



Ni Shiian, who had a wonderful match with Shin Yu-bin, showed tremendous popularity when she received an interview request from CCTV in China, NHK in Japan, and public broadcasting in Sweden, her husband's home country.

SBS reporters also asked for an interview, and they gladly accepted it.

And he did not spare praise for Shin Yu-bin.


"Shin Yubin played a really great game. We met again after 4 years, and I think we are stronger mentally. Shin Yubin is a new star. He will definitely become a new star. He has good skills and I think the future is bright. "


The scene of drinking Coke instead of water during breaks became a huge issue for domestic fans.

When he said that the skill of forgetting his age caused a big sensation in Korea, he laughed and delivered a message like a senior in life.


"Today's me is younger than tomorrow's me. Keep challenging yourself. Really, don't forget to do it while having fun."


(Photo = Yonhap News)