Unified Korean team to compete in mixed doubles at ITTF season-ending Finals

SEOUL - A unified Korean mixed doubles table tennis team will take part in the season-ending tournament in the Republic of Korea this week.

The tandem of Jang Woo-jin (ROK) and Cha Hyo-sim (DPRK) will compete in the mixed doubles at the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Tour Grand Finals, starting Thursday in Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul.

The competition is open to the top 16 players in the men's and women's singles, and the top eight teams in the men's, women's and mixed doubles, based on their performances in the 12 ITTF World Tour events.

The mixed doubles competition starts with the quarterfinals Thursday, and the final is scheduled for Saturday.

Jang and Cha won the mixed doubles title at the Korea Open in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, in July. They also played together at the Austria Open in November and lost in the semifinals to Chinese pair Xu Xin and Liu Shiwen.

Cha will be the only DPRK player in the field.

The world's top three male and female players will all be in action, led by the men's No 1 Fan Zhendong and the women's No 1 Zhu Yuling, both from China.