Lin Shidong (Men’s Singles No. 2) hit the ball past the opposite side of the table. It dropped onto the floor. Benyamin Faraji (No. 137), standing just a few feet away from that still-rolling ball, turned to the crowd and threw his hands in the air. His arms were stiff. His movements were slow. A smile finally cracked onto his face as he realized what had just happened. That smile only grew as he pointed toward the sky, his arms still stiff.
At that moment, a visceral scream erupted out of Faraji’s mouth.
So many emotions came with that scream. Faraji just made his country, the Islamic Republic of Iran, proud. He went toe-to-toe with one of the best players from the best country in table tennis and came out on top. This 15-year-old just took down the second-best men's singlesplayer in the world at the quarterfinals of the 2025 Asian Table Tennis Team Championships on Monday.
The first game ended as everyone expected. Lin defeated Faraji 11-8 to take an early lead. Lin kept scoring in the second game, but not without Faraji scoring just as much. Faraji took the second game, 12-10, tying the score at one game apiece.
The third game ended with the same score as the first, only Faraji emerged as the victor. With that 11th point, Faraji became just one win away from defeating Lin. That goal wouldn’t be so easy. Lin roared back with an outstanding fourth game, winning 11-5 to force a winner-take-all fifth game.
Lin and Faraji were neck-and-neck throughout the fifth game. Neither player led by more than two points throughout it. They even tied at multiple points, including at a pivotal 9-9. That’s when Lin smacked the ball past the side of the table for an out. 10-9. Faraji at game point. And after a quick rally, Lin Shidong hit the ball past the opposite side of the table. It dropped onto the floor. 11-9. Faraji won.
The rest of this match did not go as planned for the Islamic Republic of Iran. In the very next game, Liang Jingkun (No. 7) defeated Noshad Alamiyan (No. 87), 3-1. That one game was the only one Iran would win after Faraji played. Wang Chuqin (No. 1) swept Amir Hossein Hodaei (No. 224), and Lin made up for his first game with a shutout of Alamiyan. China won, 3-1.
Faraji’s triumph over Lin will be remembered most from this match, but it isn’t a unique experience. Faraji defeated Wang Chuqin at the 2024 Asian Table Tennis Championships a little over one year ago.
The 2025 Asian Table Tennis Team Champions are being held at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. Matches will be played until Wednesday.
