Ahn Jae-hyeon (24) led the new team Korea Exchange to the professional table tennis postseason.
The Korea Exchange defeated Korea Water Resources Corporation with a match score of 3-1 in the 2023 Dunamu Korea Professional Table Tennis League (KTTL) Men’s Korea League match held at Studio T (Gwanggyo Gymnasium), a table tennis stadium in Suwon, Gyeonggi on the 17th, and placed third (30). points, 8 wins and 5 losses) and confirmed advancing to the postseason.
The Korea Exchange was founded before this season and participated in the professional table tennis league for the first time. On the 19th, the Korea Exchange will play the last game of the regular league against Mirae Asset Securities (30 points, 8 wins and 5 losses) in 4th place. The Korea Exchange and Mirae Asset Securities could bring down the second-placed Armed Forces Sports Corps (30 points, 8 wins and 4 losses).
Ahn Jae-hyun played a big role in this game. In the singles match 1, Ahn Jae-hyeon took the lead by defeating Park Kang-hyeon, who returned from a finger injury, 2-0 (11-7 11-6).
In the 2nd singles match, Korea Exchange Kim Dong-hyun lost to Water Resources Corporation Jang Han-jae 0-2 (11-13 7-11).
In the 3-match doubles match, Korea Exchange’s Gil Min-seok and Seo Joong-won lost their first game (set) to Kim Byung-hyun and Park Kang-hyeon, but regained their concentration and won the second and third games 11-8, 11-7.
Ahn Jae-hyun, who started a 4-match singles match, dismissed Jang Han-jae 2-0 (11-8 11-7).
Ahn Jae-hyun recorded 12안전놀이터 wins and 4 losses, rising to third place after Cho Seung-min (16 wins and 5 losses, Samsung Life Insurance) and Lim Jong-hoon (13 wins and 4 losses) in individual wins.
If Ahn Jae-hyun and the Korea Exchange finish the regular league in 3rd or 4th place, they will play a semi-playoff on the 23rd and 24th (if the difference in points between 3rd and 4th is less than 6 points). The playoffs and championship match will be held on the 22nd and 25th of next month.
Ahn Jae-hyun won a surprise bronze medal at the 2019 World Championships at the age of 20, drawing attention as a table tennis genius. Ahn Jae-hyun, who led Samsung Life Insurance to the championship by climbing to second place in the male division with the most wins (28 wins and 6 losses) last year when the professional table tennis league was established, moved to the Korea Exchange, which was founded ahead of this season. In the first year of his founding, Jae-Hyun Ahn demonstrated his extraordinary ability to put a new team into the postseason.
In the women’s Korea League, which was held earlier, the second-place Samsung Life Insurance beat the lowest-ranked Korean Racing Association with a match score of 4-0. Samsung Life Insurance, which made a cumulative score of 36 (10 wins and 5 losses), stood shoulder to shoulder with the leader Posco International (10 wins and 4 losses). Joo Chun-hee, who led Samsung Life’s victory, confirmed the overwhelming first place with 22 wins (6 losses) in individual wins.