Table Tennis Star Shin Yu-bin Eliminated from WTT Champions Yokohama by Rival Harimoto

South Korean table tennis star Shin Yu-bin has been eliminated from the WTT Champions Yokohama 2026 after a quarterfinal defeat to Japan's Miwa Harimoto. The loss came with a game score of 1-4, marking another setback against her Japanese rival.

Shin, ranked 10th in the world, struggled against the third-ranked Harimoto in the match held in Yokohama. Despite reaching the quarterfinals by defeating Amy Wang of the U.S. and Sreeja Akula of India in earlier rounds, Shin could not overcome Harimoto in the best-of-seven games format.

The defeat extends Shin's losing streak against Harimoto to eight consecutive matches, a pattern that has persisted since 2023. This result is particularly notable as the tournament was seen as a key warm-up event for the upcoming 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

Shin will now shift her focus to the WTT European Smash, where she will continue her preparations for the Asian Games. At the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, Shin secured a gold medal in women's doubles and three bronze medals in mixed doubles, women's singles, and women's team events.