by Simon Daish
The Korean pairing guaranteed their spot in the final after knocking out top seeds Ho Kwan Kit and Wong Chun Ting in the previous round, gaining plenty of confidence in the process which they carried over into the all-important final.
With the scores sitting level at one game apiece, arguably the first big turning point in the match came in game three: despite the Chinese partnership of Liang Jingkun and Zhou Kai holding service advantage at 9-9 it was Jeoung Youngsik and Lee Sangsu who secured back-to-back points to establish a two games to one lead in the tie.
Trailing 7-5 in game four Liang Jingkun and Zhou Kai attempted to turn the tide with a time out call, but the decision proved unfruitful for the Chinese duo as their Korean opponents won four consecutive points to complete the job.
Victory in Kitakyushu marks Jeoung Youngsik and Lee Sangsu’s 2nd title win as a pairing with the Korean duo having won their first trophy last year at the ITTF World Tour event in Magdeburg, Germany while Liang Jingkun and Zhou Kai were appearing in their first final together as a pairing.
