For the first time at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games, table tennis will feature a ‘North-South Showdown’.

Jeon Jeon-hee (Mirae Asset Securities) and Jang Woo-jin advanced to the round of 16 with a 3-0 (11-3 11-7 11-7) victory over Kazakhstan’s Alan Kurmangaliev and Sarbinoz Mirkadyrova in their mixed doubles round of 32 match on Sunday at the Hangzhou Archer Canal Sports Park Gymnasium in Hangzhou, China.

Jeon Jeon-hee and Jang Woo-jin will face North Korea’s Yong Yong-sung and Kim Geum-young in the round of 16 on Aug. 28.

The tournament marks the return of North Korean table tennis to the international stage after a three-year absence and is the first time the sport has been played in Hangzhou.

North and South Korea did not face each other in the previous team event.

Shin Yoo-bin (Korean Air) and Lim Jong-hoon (Korea Exchange), who are challenging for the gold medal in the event, also won their first match comfortably.

The pair of Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yoo-bin cruised to a 3-0 (11-6 11-3 11-1) victory over Nepal’s Sanyog Kapali and Navita Ryuresta.

The pair, who have been strategically developed by Korean Table Tennis for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, have set their sights on winning the tournament.

Korea has won six silver and 10 bronze medals in mixed doubles at the Asian Games without a gold.

The pair will play Japan’s Sunsuke Togami and Miyu Kihara in the round of 16 on Monday. 스포츠토토