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hinese Taipei pair Yu Kaiwen and Cheng Chuling upset strong favorites Kim Ki-sung and Mun Hye-gyeong of South Korea 5-3 in the soft tennis mixed doubles final at the Jakabaring Sports City Tennis Center in Palembang, South Sumatra, on Thursday.

It was the first gold medal for Chinese Taipei in the sport at the quadrennial event.

It was a hard fought contest with Yu suffering from cramp in his left food, requiring medical assistance from the court-side doctor.

However, Yu preserved despite the pain.

The Chinese Taipei pair gained the upper hand when South Korea’s Mun suffered an unfortunate knee injury. She too insisted on playing on despite the injury.

However, Mun’s injury affected her game, with the Chinese Taipei pair sealing the victory and claiming the gold medal.

Yu said it was the pair’s first gold medal at the Asian Games and that it came as quite a surprise.

“This is very special. We never thought we could win the gold medal. It is a surprise for us,” he said.

En route to the final, Yu and Cheng defeated another South Korean pair of Kim Beom-jun and Kim Ji-yeon 5-1.

Mun acknowledged that her injury, which she has managed since January, played a role in the pair’s defeat. “It was a tough match for us,” she said.

Kim Beom-jun and Kim Ji-yeon shared the bronze medals with Japanese pair Toshiki Uematsu and Riko Hayashida, who lost to Kim and Mun in the semifinals 3-5.

South Korea also collected a gold medal in the men’s singles with Kim Jin-woong defeating Indonesian Alexander Elbert Sie 4-2.

Japan claimed gold in the women’s singles final with Noa Takahashi defeating 4-3 Chinese Taipei’s Cheng Chuling.