by Ian Marshall, Editor

In the penultimate round duels, where every pairing involved a left and right hander, Jang Woojin and Cha Hyo Sim beat Chinese Taipei’s Chen Chien-An and Cheng I-Ching, the no.4 seeds, a tried and trusted partnership, most notably being the runners up at the Liebherr 2017 World Championships staged in the German city of Düsseldorf.

A hard fought duel was the order of the day with Jang Woojin and Cha Hyo Sim emerging successful in five games (6-11, 11-5, 14-16, 11-6, 11-4).

“We were trailing two-one. I was nervous, but it was not that worried. We have been getting used to each other for during practise. Our coaching is very helpful when we practise with the North Korean players. All these things brought us to the finals. I never think about losing as a player. We have reached the final, playing well together and have confidence, so I think we are not going to be lose.” Jang Woojin

Success for Jang Woojin and Cha Hyo Sim but spare a thought for Chen Chien-An and Cheng I-Ching; they must quake in their boots at the sight of opponents from the Korean Peninsula. Earlier this year at the quarter-final stage in China, they lost to Lim Jonghoon and Yang Haeun; in Japan, in the same round they were beaten by Lee Sangsu and Choi Hyojoo!

Progress in China for Lim Jonghoon and Yang Haeun to the semi-final round but that was the end of the road; they were beaten by Japan’s Masataka Morizono and Mima Ito; in Daejeon they departed in the same round. They experienced defeat when facing China’s Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha, similar to Jang Woojin and Cha Hyo Sim, they were required to compete in the qualification tournament.

Impressively, Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha emerged victorious in four games (11-9, 12-14, 11-9, 11-6).

The final is scheduled for 3.00pm (local time) on Saturday 21st July.