FULL MATCH | Hugo Calderano vs Truls Moregard | MS R32 | #WTTChongqing 2024

Now that's a start. Can't ask for much better than that. A casual cross inside a windshield wiper receive. My goodness, what are we in for? And he's at it. He's got a stingy style. The way he pushes the ball, jabs at it, that last moment. Again, everything's unusual and every shot he plays is different. That makes it three. And any temptation for Calderano to think he's still on the beach in Rio. That's left behind now. He knows what he's up against. It'll be a question of figuring out the short game and adjusting. And so far, so good. Quick use of the backhand for that extra spin inside the table to get aggressive where it counts on his first opportunity. Now he's at it. Inside-out for a second point. This was a taste of Trulls' own medicine. That touch to push from Ugo. Very unusual. Unusual. Shows push and then speeds it up deep to the backhand for surprise. Balkid likes it. And he gets the gourd as well. Get the popcorn out, guys. I've got a feeling anything can and probably will happen here. It will be edgy. It will be netty. And right now, just a little bit in front in the fortune. Ugo Calderano levels it. Three, four. And now he's on a roll. This is very unusual. Trulls' choice. Again, this is what makes him so tricky. Doesn't attack that at all. Instead of going for the flick, puts straight side spin on it in the push game. Four, four. Feels like about eight years ago now, the first time I interviewed Trulls. And the question about his grip. Will it change? At that point, he was already world class. And it hasn't changed. He's been three in the world with this unusual technique. Four, five. And he might look at that as a missed opportunity. Calderano. Yeah, I'd say nine out of ten times he'll make that shot. But Trulls leaving it uncomfortably inside the table. With the beware of dog sign up on the fence, he knows he's got to make a winner out of that shot. He knows what's waiting on the other side of the net. Six, four. One thing that I love about this level of play is the way the players use the table as an obstacle, which it is. It's stuck. It gets in the way of you hitting shots. So use it to your advantage. Place it uncomfortably at the edge. And a surprising deep push here from Trulls. And that was surprising. Let's take a look one more time. Pendulum serve. Oh, man, at the last moment. Just holds the racket out like he's going to be all gentle. Nope. Little turn away and disgust there from Calderano. What's fascinating here, he has a reputation, the Brazilian, as being an innovator. But what we're seeing from Trulls here is out of left field. When Trulls is on, he can beat just about anybody in the world. I think in Chinese Super League, he did quite well. Had a winning record, to my knowledge, over many matches. It's easy for someone to see just a few and go, ah, Chinese Super League. I don't know who that other guy is. I know who Trulls is. You're outmatched. But no, he did quite well in China. Hugo, 5-8 after an absorbing opening to this first game. 9-5. One thing I can say about Hugo Calderano is he's an incredibly quick learner. He adapts to the game so well. And with Jean-René Meunier at his side, they've been working together for the better part of his adult life. Oh, hello. 9-6. You want to take a little look at a replay if we get it there of Trulls' reaction to that. Beautiful little Adele moment there from the forehand flick. Oh, Trulls frozen. Love it. The crowd liked the replay here. 7-9. And this one swings the other way now. The 11-point game, it's been a little more than 20 years now. Things toss and turn quickly. It's already been a rollercoaster in this Game 1. 7-10. Game point, Trulls Monagat. 11-7. Clips the edge of the table, takes out the first game. I've always called him the Justin Bieber of table tennis, in the best way. Big compliment. Last one. Well, score one for Biebs at the start of the second. Oh, behind the back. And this time it was legit, goes for it. A lot of people wonder why a professional would do the behind the back. If your body weight is going the other way, sometimes it buys you that extra bit of time. Instead of crossing in front, the crowd liked the replay once again. Another thrill from the thrill himself. 1-2. Well, they hit a plate. Trulls is quite good at punching back when he needs, keeping the racket face very open, just high to make sure that he's got more surface area on the ball, as opposed to the spin shots inside the table to open. When it comes to athleticism, you're going to find few to match Hugo Calderano. He just looks the part. And he has been, I think, from track and field to volleyball. His father was a PE teacher, played many sports growing up. And interestingly enough, still does. If you follow him on social media, you can find him playing basketball in China. He can dunk, backflips on the beach, a bit of football. He does all this in Ochsenhausen, too, in Germany, where he trains. Well, Trulls saw the chance. His eyes lit up. Couldn't take it. I mean, this is a perfect touch shot. Hugo takes it right off the bounce, softens up the grip to leave it inside the table. This is what the players have to do, fight to steal the opening attack, even if it's uncomfortable at times. And that's just a relaxing of the grip, softening of the hand. It helps. It takes a lot of the shock absorption, sort of adds to it, so you can slow down the ball in the touch game. Oh, that's a beauty. Beauty off that deep shot from Trulls. Yeah, Hugo wasn't fooled this time, and this was the exact opposite. This was Trulls tightening the grip to do a quick, long push. He says, OK, not too bad, huh? That's his De Niro impression. You looking at me, huh, Hugo? You want to talk, huh? Bieber, De Niro. Love it. Hollywood's been waiting. Odd pairing, but I think we'd be interested to see it, at least for a bit. Yeah, yeah. There's a comedy there. Best of five. Well, it's going very differently in this game. That's a five-point lead now for the Brazilian. I'm actually shocked that it is going the way it is, considering the style of play. I say that because Trulls is playing his game very much, and to me it looks like Hugo is playing Trulls' game. Like he's saying, well, I can't get into my rhythm. I might as well just play the rhythm break back. I'm going to mix it up, play funky shots one after another. I'm not going to go for parallel down the lines, big opening spin shots. Everything's different from Hugo, but it's working out this game. Just a little bit of chatter coming from the Swede now. Love the after motion there, subtle in the follow-through, but this feels a little bit more typical of Hugo's game. Touch shot, earn the opening, nothing too funky. He gets another break. Trulls' model guard just up against it a little bit now in this second game. In terms of breaks, I think it's just about even now. He's cashed in a few IOUs, the game point from game number one that caught the edge. Another one, if I'm not mistaken, earlier. I like this. For Hugo to play calmly, slow and spinny like that, there was no panic. Game point. Oh, and he meant that. He wanted that, and he went and got that, and he made it a comprehensive 11-3 scoreline. It's one apiece now. Power again. I've got to say, Hugo's looking hot in more ways than one in the eyes of the crowd here tonight. And when he's on, it looks like he's got the ability to frustrate Trulls. I think anybody in the world, when he's on, he's been number three, playing well recently. 1-1. It's a fine balance when you have so much creativity in your game. There are a lot of players, I think Xu Xin most notably, that are excellent, who've been world number one, but like to put on a show for the crowd. 1-2. Well, there's no denying this. If we take a little look at the way the points have been going, there's a sway towards the yellow shirt of Brazilian and away from the yellow shirt of Swede. Just as I say that, a reminder of just how tight this can be. So interesting to think about the ripple butterfly effect. What if Hugo Calderano went pro in volleyball instead of choosing table tennis? Had his options. Or better for his choice. Well, he'd have a better tan, most likely. But as it is, he's doing pretty well at this sport. Even in the tan department, relative to me, but that's everybody, basically. All of China, for that matter. 3-3. 3-3, again, a little reference to fortune there. As with any sport you describe anywhere around the world, you talk about things evening out. It's interesting to see the Swedes that are here. In terms of coaching, when you think of who Truls has had on his bench over the years, it's been a good mix. 4-3. But here he's doing a wonderful job of getting that stingy backhand in. Recognizing a little height. Constant risk assessment. How much spin do I need? I'll use as much as I have to and as little as I can. Well, he picked a serve. And he absolutely smashed it. Parallel shot, scraping spin down the line, across the chest. The seatbelt shot from Ugo for the opening winner. Level again. You want a sense of just how good this is. Keep an eye on that ball kit behind Ugo there. Absolutely entranced by what's happening here. It's been a little while for Truls. I feel like he's ducked out of the spotlight a bit. A good performance here and there. Ranking will boost back up. It's not the first time we've seen Ugo steal the ball from inside the table. It takes incredible balance and core strength to play the ball the way he does. That right there, his legs are behind him when he plays it. By the time he hits that ball. Puts it away. And this is the Truls Moorgaard that is so difficult to lob to. To play defense against. His forehand as described earlier. One touch shot there. Wide and then off the bounce. The confidence leans in, plays it inside out and it's gone. And he's furious with that one. You want to talk about Truls being back. Have a little look at how he's been drawn. Round of 64. Lin Shidong and Saudi Smash. Inshan and champions. Round of 32. Ma Long. Again, that. I mean, this is quite shocking. If you're not paying close attention in this moment. I don't know if you've ever watched a sport that you didn't fully understand. And the room explodes and you don't know why. Truls just had the most frustrated reaction I've seen this entire event. That was a tantrum. And that's how important this moment is. Because they've been going point for point, back and forth. But Ugo opens up with two serves to come. A two-point lead. And now it's three. Five. So he's worn his heart on his sleeve. And that tells you something. This is why we love Truls Moorgaard. Why he's great to watch. Because he lets us in. Those emotions are no secret. Five. Nine. But nothing like that one point at 5'6". I mean, think about that. It's like if you were trying to make the most impact you could on the floor. Speaking of impact. This is a crazy chop block. This ball right here. We were about to talk momentum. Watch what Truls does. He rips the soul out of this ball. Oh, man. You couldn't mummify that. There's nothing left to take with you in the afterlife of that shot. And he builds on that. Nine. Scar power. Hashtag scar power. Yes, it's only one point. But if you make a point that's devastating. Hugo Calderon. How can that not be on your mind? A chop block that would have bounced probably a hundred times on the table. You even come back over. Ball kid back in the zone. Hugo still up by two. Well, we're getting everything. We've seen the tantrum. We've seen the sensational. And we've seen the frustration. As now he finds himself defending a game point. Calderon perfectly into that elbow. Just moving around Truls. Keeping it uncomfortable to make him choose forehand or backhand from that middle. Three game points. And he just needs the one of them. 11-7. It is. Last major event. Before the Olympic Games for these two most likely. Moorgaard getting in control early in the rally to get Hugo behind the table. Top of the bounce. Short strokes. Chinese Super League speed out here. A little bit closer. Yeah, Hugo's still behind the table but a little bit closer than the rally before. Is able to be more threatening on the move with that forehand. See Truls stretching out the shoulder because he's constantly having to switch up his placement. Reach across the body. One-two. You might have been commentating it. Did you call the match with Adriana Diaz and Sahil Wan? Sensational. The defender defended and the attacker found a way. And played for no look. And the crowd went crazy. As they should. So I've often likened these two are sort of living on opposite sides of the spectrum here. But Truls Moorgaard and Adriana Diaz have so much in common in their games. And they're spectacular. I see that in Truls Moorgaard's punching backhand. That save. That ball looked like it would have hit him right in the center of his shirt. Right in the middle of that U. Take a look one more time at the coverage. Get ready. That. How does his shoulder stay in socket let alone keep his balance to come back and win the point? One knee. Only needed to keep that shot going. Incredible. But he's on the back foot there. And it goes the way of Calderano. Calderano's timing in this point is so good. From the moment he opens he's got right there. He insists on taking it on the rise. No chance for Truls to get set or in position. Table tennis, you've got so many different factors. Power, of course, is a factor. But speed and timing. There's a reason Satya Jnanasekaran, Mima Ito. I mean, a lot of players. Deng Xiaoping. Greatest of all time for women in modern history you could say. There's Truls. It had sort of a nice Swedish-like opera feel to it. It wasn't happy. I can tell you that much. That said, compared to the frustrated stance of earlier, that was cake. We have to remember, Truls Morgaard must win this game. And the one to follow to win the match. But it's a matter of survival here. Well, the lead has been taken back. Tied up. Left. Four. Five. Right now, it's a slender advantage and a timeout called. See how he uses the backhand here. Well, he gets on the forehand. Gets Calderano out of shape. Whenever he can, he'll take it. That's definitely his bread and butter. I think it's just going to be a question of when Ugo opens. Second behind the back attempt. Six. Five. That was open. And he took it. Laces it down the line. That deep push set it up well. He got Truls to go out of position a bit. Back off. Create a little space on that forehand line. Side spin. Truls has got it all to set it up. When he took all the speed off that ball with that side spin brushing shot. There. Now, Ugo has to run in. And this is where Truls captures the space. And now, he's got all the freedom he needs. Throws a little no look. Puts a bit of tomahawk spin on it to make it bend out of reach. And punches his way back to six all. Six. Bit of break there off the net. Ugo taking advantage but putting it right into an uncomfortable position. Watch this. Into the body. Truls naturally covering the forehand side. But look at the momentum shift. Six out of the last eight going the way of the Brazilian. Eight. Six. Let's add to that. Funny. Truls is one of very few players in the modern game to do the Lu Guoliang serve. In the land of Lu Guoliang. Haven't seen much of it yet. But I think the crowd might appreciate it if they've been watching for a while. Although, many got into the game because of Sun Yingsha and Wang Chuqin. Nine. Six. And now, it's getting serious for Truls Motegard. Who has to make something happen soon. Similar score line as we saw in the last game. But it was in the way of Ugo Calderano who would not be stopped. A man on a mission. Undefeated. After his last event. And throughout the whole event. Six. Yep, he's going to make it six in a row now, isn't he? It's match points. Four of them for the Brazilian. Who seems unstoppable right now. Seven. That was there for the taking. And take it he did. Live by the sword. Die by the sword. You don't change your game just because it didn't work for the point before. Truls Motegard constantly mixing it up. And two points in a row. He's created that opening with the backhand to the wide forehand side. Covering the middle of the table well in the short game. Using that pendulum serve excellently. Subtle top and side spin. Not a bad receive. But at this level, Truls will know exactly what to do with that time and time again. Calderano still two match points left. But the serve's back with him now. He may have had the serve, but he hasn't been able to make it work. That's a third that goes wasted. And it's time for a timeout. The chop block from Truls Motegard. Fourth point in a row. And he defuses the timeout here. Watch this one more time. Oh, the guts. The racket was closed. Like the upper left corner of a stop sign, or his racket for that matter. He had to be so closed on that to keep it down. And here we are at deuce. And here we are again with the advantage to Hugo Calderano. Again with a match point. Four gone. What happens next? Let's do it here. Jean-René Meunier. The touch didn't have to pull out the side spin. Again, it's that decisive quick motion. And this is one thing that both Truls and Alexis Lebrun share so effectively. That they decide quickly. They get in right off the bounce. But a carbon copy of what happened on the last deuce. And away we go again. Well, the backhand, the roar, the body language is very different this time around from Hugo Calderano. With no timeouts left, he's got to serve once again on his match point to finish this. And he does. And he's there. And the fist is raised in the air. And a match that was every bit as dynamic.