After more than two decades competing at the pinnacle of world table tennis, Suh Hyo Won confirmed on Friday 6 June that she is hanging up her racket for good. The 38-year-old’s extraordinary journey, which began in the early 2000s, comes to an end as one of the sport’s most beloved figures steps away from competitive play.
Throughout her career, Suh became synonymous with defensive excellence, her elegant movement and tactical brilliance earning widespread admiration from fans and peers alike. With her distinctive style characterised by lightning-quick footwork and an uncanny ability to retrieve seemingly impossible shots, she transformed what many consider the art of defensive table tennis.
Suh’s reputation was forged through her exceptional defensive capabilities, earning recognition across the global table tennis community. Her trademark approach – a perfect blend of patience, tactical awareness, and precision – established her among the most respected competitors of her era. Whether confronting powerful attacking styles or navigating complex tactical exchanges, Suh’s capacity to transform defensive positions into attacking opportunities became her defining characteristic.
Her peak years saw her climb to World No.8 in January 2015, with an impressive 52 weeks spent among the world’s top 10 players. This sustained excellence at the highest level was complemented by her ability to deliver in crucial moments, capturing three ITTF World Tour singles titles: the Korea Open 2013, Polish Open 2013, and Belgium Open 2015.
The triumph in Poland stands out as particularly significant – a perfect demonstration of Suh’s ability to outlast and outmanoeuvre the world’s finest players. Her methodical, calculated style regularly wore down opponents who found themselves entangled in extended, physically demanding rallies where Suh’s defensive expertise proved decisive.
Suh also made headlines at the season-crowning ITTF World Tour Grand Finals in 2014, taking down some of the sport’s biggest names on her way to a runner-up finish. That remarkable run demonstrated her ability to peak at the most prestigious tournaments, proving that her defensive style could trouble even the most aggressive attacking players.
Throughout her career, Suh’s matches became must-watch affairs for table tennis purists. Her epic seven-game victory over Japan’s Saki Shibata at the 2018 Korea Open – recovering from a 3-1 deficit to win 12-10 in the decider – exemplified her never-give-up mentality. Similarly, her upset victory over Japan’s Miu Hirano at the 2018 German Open showed that Suh could still surprise the seeded order.
Her individual excellence was also matched by her incredible work as a team player. A bronze medallist at the ITTF Team World Cup in 2019, more recently Suh played a significant role in Korea Republic’s silver medal efforts at ITTF Mixed Team World Cup 2024 in Chengdu, proving that her influence extended well beyond individual competition.
She also made a combined total of 10 appearances across the World Championships Finals and World Team Championships over the course of her career, as well as an unforgettable appearance at the 2016 Olympic Games. These major championship appearances underscored her status as one of Korea Republic’s most dependable performers on the biggest stages.
Perhaps one of the most poignant chapters of Suh’s career came through her participation in the Ping Pong Diplomacy project. Partnering with DPR Korea’s Kim Song I in doubles competition, Suh helped demonstrate sport’s power to unite. Their partnership, reminiscent of the celebrated film “As One,” showed how table tennis could bridge political divides and bring people together through shared competition.
Their first competitive outing together came at the 2018 ITTF World Tour Platinum Shinhan Korea Open in Daejeon, where despite having practised together for just one day, they secured a comfortable straight-games victory over Uzbekistan’s Olga Kim and Regina Kim (11-4, 11-5, 11-2) in the Women’s Doubles qualification round. The immediate chemistry between the two defensive players was evident both on and off the court.
Later that year, they continued their partnership at the 2018 ITTF World Tour Swedish Open in Stockholm, again competing in the qualification tournament. Suh embraced the diplomatic significance of their partnership while maintaining the competitive excellence that defined her career. Their defensive styles complemented each other perfectly, creating a formidable doubles combination that represented hope for unity on the Korean Peninsula. Both players, with their patient backspin-heavy approaches, found natural harmony in their tactical understanding, making their collaboration as effective as it was symbolic.
Over her remarkable career, Suh competed in over 170 events, playing 530 matches with 314 victories. Her longevity was extraordinary – first appearing in the world’s top 100 in June 2009 at age 22, she would go on to maintain her ranking among the world’s elite for over 15 years.
Her final competitive appearance came at the ITTF World Championships Finals 2025 in Doha, where she reached the round of 32 – a testament to her enduring quality even as her career drew to a close. Just weeks earlier, she had competed at the ITTF World Cup in Macao, showing the dedication that characterized her entire professional journey.
As the curtain falls on Suh Hyo Won’s career, the table tennis world loses not just a fierce competitor, but an artist who elevated defensive play to new heights. Her influence on the next generation of Korea Republic players is immeasurable, having shown that success comes not just from power and speed, but from intelligence, patience, and an unbreakable will to compete.
The final chapter has been written in an incredible career. From her breakthrough years in the early 2010s to her role as a veteran leader in recent seasons, Suh Hyo Won exemplified everything that makes table tennis beautiful – strategy, skill, determination, and grace under pressure. Thank you for the memories, Suh Hyo Won. Your legacy as one of the greatest defensive players in modern table tennis history is secure, and your contribution to the sport will be remembered long after your final match.
