Jang Woo-jin downs another WTT heavyweight to reach first singles final in Doha

Jang Woo-jin pulled off a major upset on Sunday in Doha, defeating world No. 2 Lin Shidong to reach the men’s singles final at WTT Champions Doha. It is the first time in his career that Jang has advanced to a WTT Champions final.

Jang Woo-jin competes against Sweden’s Truls Moregardh in the men’s singles round of 16 at the 2025 WTT Championships at Lusail Arena in Doha, Qatar, on May 22, 2025. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Jang Woo-jin pulled off a major upset on Sunday in Doha, defeating world No. 2 Lin Shidong to reach the men’s singles final at WTT Champions Doha. It is the first time in his career that Jang has advanced to a WTT Champions final.

Ranked 18th in the world, Jang, 31, defeated China's Lin 4-2 in the semifinals of the season’s first World Table Tennis event, overturning an early deficit.

After losing the opening game, Jang increased the pace with quicker footwork and aggressive forehand attacks, steadily pulling the match away from Lin. He controlled the middle stages and closed the contest convincingly in the final game.

The result followed another statement win earlier in the tournament, when Jang eliminated world No. 5 Truls Moregardh of Sweden in the quarterfinals. The back-to-back victories sent Jang past two of the sport’s elite players.

Lin, 20, became the youngest men’s world No. 1 in history last year at the age of 19 years, nine months and 24 days, holding the top ranking for seven months before slipping to second.

Jang will play either Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto, ranked fourth, or Taiwan’s Lin Yun-Ju, ranked 13th, in the final.

The WTT Champions Doha tournament features an invitation-only field of the world’s top 32 players and offers $500,000 in total prize money.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY PARK LIN [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]