Lim Jong-hoon and Oh Jun-sung captured their first-ever World Table Tennis (WTT) Grand Smash men’s doubles title on October 10, defeating world number one pair Alexis Lebrun and Felix Lebrun in the final at the Infinity Arena in Beijing, China, sportschosun.com reported.
The South Korean pairing, ranked third in the world, claimed a 3-1 victory against the French brothers with set scores of 11-8, 5-11, 11-9, 11-9. The triumph marked a breakthrough performance at the premier tour level for the team representing Korea Exchange.
Path to the Beijing Final
Alexis Lebrun and Felix Lebrun entered the championship match seeking their third WTT Smash title of the season, having previously secured victories at the Singapore Smash and the European Smash.
Lim and Oh advanced through the bracket with a series of decisive victories.
In the final match, the South Korean duo utilized aggressive drives to disrupt the fast rhythm of the Lebrun brothers. Lim’s left-handed attack combined with Oh’s right-handed play generated unforced errors from their opponents.
Championship Match Breakdown
Lim and Oh established an early advantage by taking the opening game 11-8. The French pair responded in the second set, leveling the match with an 11-5 win.
The third game proved pivotal as the South Korean pair regained control, closing it out 11-9. In the fourth game, Lim and Oh built a 9-6 lead from a 6-6 deadlock before the Lebrun brothers mounted a late surge to tie the score at 9-9. Lim and Oh secured the final two points to finish the match 11-9 and claim the championship point.
WTT officials highlighted the performance, stating that Lim and Oh etched their names into history by securing their maiden men’s doubles title at the China Smash.
Grand Smash Success for Lim Jong-hoon
The victory gave Lim his second title of the event. A day prior, Lim partnered with Shin Yu-bin to win the mixed doubles tournament, overcoming a deficit of eight championship points against Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yun-ju and Cheng I-ching.
The back-to-back victories established Lim as a dual champion at the highest tier of the WTT circuit.
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