Lim Jonghoon and Shin Yubin claim mixed doubles title in Ljubljana

Lim Jonghoon and Shin Yubin did not just win Ljubljana’s first trophy of the final day. They did it like the world No. 1 mixed doubles pair, taking control from the start and finishing Dang Qiu and Sabine Winter 3-1 at WTT Star Contender Ljubljana 2026 Presented by I Feel Slovenia in Hala Tivoli, Ljubljana, Slovenia, on June 21, 2026.

The score line, 11-3, 11-7, 11-6 and 11-7, told the story of a final that never really escaped Lim and Shin’s grip. The Koreans were sharp enough to seize the early tempo, and once they had the match on their terms, Qiu and Winter were forced into chasing every phase of the rally. That is the trait that keeps separating Lim and Shin from the pack: they do not need a long look to settle in, and they do not give title matches much room to breathe.

Their semifinal made the same point even more loudly. Lim and Shin beat Huang Youzheng and Chen Yi 3-0 to reach the final, while Qiu and Winter advanced by defeating Diya Chitale and Manush Shah by the same score. By the time the final began, the bracket had already cleared a path for the pair that looked most comfortable handling it.

The rankings made the pressure obvious before a ball was struck. In the mixed doubles list updated June 15, Lim and Shin sat No. 1 with 6,780 points, well ahead of Kuai Man and Lin Shidong at No. 2 with 4,923 and Hugo Calderano and Bruna Takahashi at No. 3 with 4,760. That gap matters because top seeding only means something if the pair can cash it in when the table gets tight. Lim and Shin keep doing exactly that.

For Qiu and Winter, silver was the reward for a clean run, and for Germany it meant a place on the podium in Ljubljana. For Lim and Shin, it was another reminder that mixed doubles at the top level still runs through one standard: show up under pressure, start fast, and make everyone else play catch-up.