FULL MATCH | Hugo Calderano vs Dang Qiu | MS R16 | #WTTMacao 2025

The world is better for it. At least our wonderful world of table tennis. Quick start here, Dong Cho with a quality receive. Start it off. One all. Beautiful step around. Finds the deepest part of the backhand. How many did we just see? The around the net. It looked like Ugo played one first. Wide chase here. Around the net. Gets a back to back around the net. And still Ugo wins the point. Please find me one other time in table tennis history at the professional level where you've seen that. There's the power. You've probably seen the series with WTT in table tennis daily. Build your perfect player. For power, almost everyone chose Ugo Calderano. Smooth as can be. Just a brushing backhand with the placement there and a good start here. For a player who in WTT history has a losing record, Dong Cho. Very encouraging start. The world number four. Quick reaction. Dong Cho covers the forehand. Oh, falling back. Still is able to counter and put the pressure on. Bruna Takahashi here. Support system a much improved, I'd imagine, practice partner quite a bit of the time as well. She's been playing some wonderful table tennis, making Brazil proud. Two-handed backhand lob. Looking for that counter. Doesn't quite connect. It's always tough when you're way behind the table to play a backhand, especially against such a high ball. Interestingly enough, practice partner. Simone Gauzy's done it quite successfully a lot recently. Three-sevenths. Three-eighths. Good start here for Ugo. Getting into the business end of game number one. Closer to the finish line than his opponent is to him. Soft hands. The touch drops it behind the net, leaves it low and at the second towel break, it's a six-point lead. I know I told you about their WTT head-to-head. I want to look up their overall international one. I give myself permission to do that now that I've announced my desires. Soft hands once again, and the flick game tested. Think about how good Dang Chou is inside the table with this penhold grip at flicking. Ugo has been well calculated. He's got seven game points. Power, and it is gone. Here we go. Patience and played with placement to perfection. Waits for the body language on the other side. And as soon as Dang Chou starts to favor the forehand, he hits it behind the momentum. Ugo, that is. The man with that circular signature. What's it going to take for Dang Chou after an 11-3 victory in game number one for Ugo? Surprises here and there. There's one. A bit of a Chiquita opening. Again, the RPB, the reverse penhold backhand. The shot that kept this grip from going extinct. At least in the men's game. That said, you don't see so many young penholders in the women's game. Mostly people who grew up in the 90s. In some cases, even earlier. Nisha Lien, hope you're doing well. Oh, open line. The edge of the racket there. You can hear the sound of the contact. That's why Ugo raised his hand. Fishes the first. Tucks back. Bends the knees. My bad. No, this one. Nothing wrong with that. No need to raise a hand unless you're just getting your shoulder up to wipe your forehead. Jeez, man. Got served right there. Speaking of serves, 60-10. What? Wow. Well, points-wise, I guess only five points so far for Dong Qiu. Not a bad receiving game, winning 40% of the points when Ugo's serving, but winning 10% when you're serving is tough. Credit to Ugo on the receive game. Good quality on the shot to keep the pressure on Ugo as he goes for the explosive backhand. Look at where Ugo was standing. How far behind the table he was, yet still was able to overpower Dong Qiu. That's how powerful he is. Turn and burn once again. He recognizes so quickly. You think that Rubik's Cube is just a party trick? Nah, he's sharpening his brain, Holmes. In case you're curious about the open palm rule or serving the ball with an open hand, the idea is to not be able to impart spin. If you have any physical impairment, Ugo has the paperwork, as he said. It's all part of the game. Natalia Partika. There are players that can't do it. That's why it's not an issue or part of the conversation here. Some players don't know this, aren't aware of it. It's been brought up in conversation at matches before. Six points apiece here. Dong Qiu turning things around. Four of six points since the first towel break. This is tough for Dong Qiu. From that camera angle, it looked like this is a ball that he would have ripped to the backhand, flicked hard. There's a little bit of hesitation in that moment. Maybe he had a few other thoughts for options. I mentioned their WTT head-to-head. Three and one finish. In their history, they're three and three. Soft touch inside the table, then the flick to follow. Dong Qiu getting a little bit more aggressive on the opportunity that time around. Crucial moments, these. In a tight game number two, especially compared to the score line of game number one. Ugo just keeping his cool there. A pep talk from Dong Qiu before the serve. Break off the net. Takes the shot, though. Sometimes you got to play the odds. Topspin tends to make it a higher percentage shot. There it is, inside the table. He puts on a lot of topspin, a lot of pace behind it. And at the third towel break, after the pendulum serves short, it's the follow-up deep to the corner that ties it up here. Ooh, clever idea. The long push, just a bit too long for that table. Five by nine feet, and it is now nine serving ten. Game point, Dong Qiu. Cracking forehand, ties it up. Point for point they go. Deuce. Game number two. Toes on the finish line. Now the toes of the opponent. Back and forth they go. Ugo with game point. Serve on his side. The power on that backhand. And he was on the move. Nine ten one, three in a row, and here he is. Hands following the lobs, haven't been working out yet. 0 for 2 so far. Again, Ugo's really strong behind the table, from anywhere on court, really. Power. Again, that penhold grip naturally goes down. It's tough to play from overhead. It really takes a lot of freedom and flexibility in that wrist, but this level of play, you can imagine Dong Qiu's as flexible as can be. Despite the strength through the upper body that you see. Ooh, the edge. Ugo Calderano with a little bit of fortune here. Behind the table. Spin. Fishing shot. Perfect place. Oh, they move. Dancing around after that surprise shot to the short side of the table. Ugo goes down the line. Inside out. There's the wrap. And he takes it low. Dong Qiu sends Ugo to the wide forehand. Loving the movement here. So smooth with this backhand. Again, he makes it look effortless. Quick change. Letty Murphy out here. One cross court and right back down the line. Just moves in. Watches it like he already knows, but waits just in case before clinching that fist. Three points apiece here in what is a must-win game for Dong Qiu. Don't let that first game fool you. We've seen 11-0 wins in game number one where the opponent comes back to win the match. Good hustle on this one. You could hear what it meant to him. Had to catch it before it dropped. An opportunity in that fast lunge into the table. Sees a little bit of height in the reaction time. That's that sharp brain I was telling you about. The control center for that fit bod. Ooh, a little fortune off the top of the net. A few IOUs in the pocket of Dong Qiu, but he's going to use the timeout. Keep playing the way you played in game two. Sometimes it doesn't have to be necessarily tactical. Just something to get people's brain in the right space. Have them looking through the proper lenses when they come back to the table. Our experience of life is all in our heads. And these players know how to switch the right switches to make sure that they focus on what empowers them. It's a lot of noise in the world. Uno. Face off. Hugo Calderano putting up his fight here to tie it up. It's crazy to see two players who are friends with each other standing that close to each other, putting towels over their faces within two feet of each other, making no eye contact, having completely opposite perspectives on the current situation. At least you can imagine. But everyone is their own universe. They live their own experience. And right now, Hugo Calderano, quickly moving, has the upper hand once again. This is where the camera zooms in. The finish line could be just around the corner. Cracking backhand from way back again. Not following a lob. Slow spin, and he keeps the pressure on. Permission to pick up your jaw now. Don't leave without it. A little net to help in the end, but the first three shots from Hugo Calderano, if they didn't leave you with your mouth wide open, you must be distracted. The power, the recovery, the footwork, a two-hander there. Heavy topspin on the backhand. There was a little help. He says, why, why now? When do I get to cash in my IOUs? Inside the table with the penhold grip. Again, you're not fighting gravity as much with that penhold grip, so a timeout on Hugo Calderano's side. You don't need to buy a ticket unless you're buying it for a friend. Nine points apiece. Dong Cho right back up in this. Here we go. Points won on serve. Man, is this a receiver's match. 24%. Well, 2.4 times better than it was last time we saw it. About twice as good, Hugo Calderano. Not quite. Hence the word about. Dong Cho with another game point. Last time he had this, Hugo won three straight points. Will history repeat or will Dong Cho extend this match? He does. Dong Cho in a game of hot potato patiently waits for the opportunity. Dong Cho to start it off with the momentum and the serves. Good arc on this. A little change of pace. Something to break the rhythm here. Looking at each other. No TTR here. It's going to be up to the umpire. I think good. Ooh. I thought it was good, but. Awkward. They both love to see a replay. They're asking. It's not part of the game. In the stadium, sometimes the production will roll a replay, but they can see the screen right now and everybody's working together. No one's trying to throw anybody under the bus. Could say that maybe they didn't have the right angle anyway. So. There it is. Score on screen. Dong Cho takes the 2-0 lead. The ones that are tough to call. I mean, the players clearly. Either player knew or else someone would have said something. That's how it goes. Like a jump ball. 50-50. Here we go. Ugo gets his first on the board. Servers game number four. It hasn't been that way throughout the match. It's been a receivers match so far. Jumping shot from Dong Cho. And another one there. Checks the rubber. Seat belt across the chest. Ugo Calderano strapped in for a speedy ride here. Clever idea. Dong Cho doesn't fall for the bait. Ugo sends all signals. I'm going to your forehand. And then hits it inside out. Dong Cho right there waiting. Says show me. Probably my favorite line from The Incredibles. It's exactly how Dong Cho felt in that moment. Bold. Confident. And aware of tricks to come. It'll be easy. Like snapping a toothpick. And the bluff on the other side. Dong Cho. The mixing up of pace of play. Dong Cho has put a little bit of hesitation in Ugo's game. At least it appears that way. You'd have to imagine this causes an effect on anybody. You miss a few shots in rallies where you have time. What? Dong Cho with a change of pattern here gets Ugo up on one foot to lose balance for the briefest of moments. And before he comes down, goes back the opposite way. That's the one. And then the follow-up. Oh, power placement. Think back to 2018 when he beat Fan Zhendong as he was world number one the first time he did it. This shot right here was a key ingredient. Mid-distance parallel backhand bomba. Nice long push. Sneaks it on him. A long push well executed allows the player to be underprepared and rushed into a shot. Safe ball. So tied back up here at the second towel break. Ugo Calderano recognizing the pattern as well. Goes deep to the backhand. Anticipates the step around. It's nice when you have an opportunity where the wise decision is also the safest shot. Cross court. Gives you a little bit more margin for error. Still in it. To win it. A net ball leaves him under the table, and he just keeps it deep with topspin. And from behind the table, Bruna wants to capture that, flip it, and throw it on her social media. I'm sure about close to 400,000 of us will see that as soon as it's posted. There was a calm about Ugo in this. That shot right there. Just felt like he was saying, I don't need to finish it now. I'm going to wait until you take the big swing, and then I'm going to counter. Give you more to recover from. And quite a momentum shift here. Calderano on top by two. Loving it. Jump shot block from Dong Cho in the backhand corner, and then Calderano exploits the open line. The eyes and the face. It's so funny to watch someone clap with that face and those eyes, knowing this isn't over yet. But not to get too excited too quickly. Three-point lead, two points away. Calderano, one more serve to go. Break off the net. The IOUs are just piling up. He'd have to get to game five to cash them in, it feels, unless they were all in a row at this point. That said, he did get the call early this game. It's four match points for the thrill from Brazil. Ah, there's a cash check right now. We accept your IOU. Please sign on the back. Second bounce on the table, immediately ending the point. One match point saved. Top of the net and out for Ugo. Wouldn't call that an IOU cashed in, but I will say it's another match point saved. Third towel break. One of the most nerve-wracking experiences in almost anybody's life, Ugo Calderano, was up 10-3 against Liang Jingkun. And at 10-9, it was like our heart just didn't have permission to beat, no matter which side of the fence you were on in that fan vote. Two match points, two serves if he should need the second. What a combination! The soft block and then the follow-up attack. Dongqiu keeps his cool under pressure. Look how fast this comes in. That's the soft, shallow block, and now he knows he's got an opportunity. Moves Ugo into the middle just enough to send it back to that wide forehand corner. Three match points saved. The last serve of any two-serve combination in game four with Ugo Calderano. Fourth match point. Takes care of business! Both hands in the air, and he springs with joy. A surviving moment. Bruna's face was a wise face. She knew not to celebrate too early, and Ugo, more than anybody...