Wang Chuqin stunned by 18-year-old Wu Jaehyun in Asian Games men's singles, exiting in quarterfinals
Chinese table tennis star Wang Chuqin suffered a surprising 1-3 defeat to 18-year-old South Korean player Wu Jaehyun in the men’s singles quarterfinals at the 2024 Asian Games. The loss marks another disappointing result for Wang in a major international competition.
In a stunning upset, Chinese table tennis player Wang Chuqin has been eliminated in the quarterfinals of the men’s singles event at the 2024 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar. The world No. 1 fell 1-3 to unheralded 18-year-old Wu Jaehyun of South Korea, with the match scores 8-11, 11-2, 8-11, 6-11.
Wang entered the tournament as the top seed and heavy favorite, having won Olympic gold in the men’s singles at the Paris 2024 Olympics just a month ago. However, the 26-year-old struggled to find his rhythm against his teenage opponent.
Wu, the son of former Olympic silver medalist Oh Sang-eun, used his dynamic style and fearless attacking strokes to unsettle the Chinese star. After splitting the first two games, Wu won a pivotal third game and then raced out to a big lead in the fourth, putting relentless pressure on Wang.
Unable to stem the tide, a frustrated Wang saw the match slip away, a feeling that is becoming all too familiar. Since capturing that elusive Olympic gold in Paris, Wang has suffered a series of surprising losses to young up-and-comers, including a Round of 16 exit to a 14-year-old Iranian prodigy at an event last month.
Those losses, coupled with this latest defeat, will undoubtedly spark more questions about Wang’s motivation and killer instinct. Known for his immense talent but also a tendency to tighten up on big points, Wang has developeanted reputation as a player vulnerable to upsets by unproven opponents.
For Wu, the win announces his arrival as a potential star in the mold of illustrious Korean predecessors like Ryu Seung-min and Oh Sang-eun. His combination of blazing speed, spin variation and infectious energy makes him a player to watch closely in the years to come.
As for Wang and the Chinese men’s team, it’s back to the drawing board. After capturing the team gold, their only bright spot so far, they’ll need to regroup quickly with the World Championships on the horizon. For Wang especially, finding a way to maintain his peerless level more consistently will be key to putting these painful losses behind him.