FULL MATCH | Liang Jingkun vs Chew Clarence | MS R64 | #SingaporeSmash 2025

So Liang Jingkun just started off with the serves. Best of five, love all. Clarence Chu doing well. Turns from the middle. Gets that forehand into play. Twelve, thirteen. Okay, short clip here. Beautiful inside-out forehand. Early on in the doubles we saw this a lot with Clarence Chu. Sort of a left-handed specialty, but he does it in a very abbreviated fashion. Doesn't waste any time coming over the ball, goes inside it. So tactically, Liang Jingkun's going to test the wide forehand a little bit. After a player steps around early in a point, that's a way to make him backpedal. And a bottle challenge serve, long to the backhand. Common tactic for a righty versus a lefty. It's called the bottle challenge serve because of a challenge online on social media that WTT did back in the day. Could have been ITTF. Pre-WTT dates. Soft hands, little rotation, good variation. Clarence Chu keeping it uncomfortable. Physio Jeremy in the house. Funny, new physios on the scene from time to time, but you see a lot of familiar faces because the specific muscles and the injuries that you deal with, you need to know well within the sport. Oh, fancy! The hands from Liang Jingkun, but who has the answer? Clarence Chu on the other side. Soft spin on the parallel. Keep your eye on Liang Jingkun right here. Under the table, just spins the first one. Clarence Chu adapting quickly. Four points apiece. Again, empty push. And the length just right. When I say empty, I mean lacking spin. Not quite as much spin as you would expect to be on it. Jiao, say the Chinese fans. So a two-point lead now. Clarence Chu, that was on receive. You won the last two points. Forehand flick as well. Tactically, he's playing a fearless game. We see a lot of young players now that play in a way that's constantly mixing it up. Schultz-Morgaard, Alexi, every touch is different. And there's Lin. These are players you can't predict. And Clarence with the similar tactic out here. Maybe not quite as noticeable, but the variation in spin just the same. In terms of the idea anyway. Liang Jingkun racing him to the backhand corner. We saw Clarence Chu make one of those in doubles the other day, just yesterday. And the comeback right now, Liang Jingkun. Well, it is in Singapore. The majority of the fans here, I would guess, from China. Setting it up well. Two serves in a row. Scores seven points apiece now. Earns himself a third ball for the taking. Free space down the middle of his bingo card. Liang Jingkun getting tough as the tough gets going here. But I'll say, Clarence Chu not giving up. Always trying new ideas as he moves more to the center of the table to change up the service position. Back to the backhand corner for more traditional serve. Gets the forehand in down the line. Points to set up two game points for Liang Jingkun. He's trailing by quite a bit. 4-7. Liang Jingkun, jiayou they say. So far, so good for the receiver in the lead. And the momentum, 7 down. Back for game two, Clarence Chu to start off and try to finish differently. Elements of surprise goes a long way in table tennis. It's part of the reason many said Koki Niwa was one of the most difficult players to play, most uncomfortable players to play, because you couldn't possibly be ready for what he was going to do. Out here, Liang Jingkun making the most of both receives to get a 2-0 start. Just game number one, we didn't see as much of it. As well, quick off the bounce out in front, Liang Jingkun without a point dropped. That reaction. He's like, you want to feed me that? Sure. Give me a slow spinny one to the middle, I'll take it. You have to imagine there's a flash in the crowd when they make noise like that. The deep push. One of my favorite things about table tennis and why it's so good for the brain, I'm sure you've all seen viral videos online about how table tennis players outlive others, racquet sports in general, but table tennis the most talked about for that reason. And the reason is, it's such a brain game. You're constantly solving puzzles in your head. For example, that soft block right there, Clarence Chu didn't play it powerfully. And he didn't have to. He took all the pace off it. Clever, clever Clarence. Right into the middle, Liang Jingkun. Steady standard backhand here from Liang Jingkun. Gets a long push, knows what to do. Pendulum serve, half long. It's a little bit of hesitation out of Clarence on the receive, and suddenly the options are few and far between. 14 of the last 16 points, so this is a big break here. Clarence Chu needing to break that momentum. In terms of ideas, the fishing game from behind the table is almost a last resort in table tennis. So as soon as Clarence starts to play that shot, it's tough. It's going to be a tough way to win the point. Interestingly enough, Jun Mizutani, who's still very much in the table tennis world doing commentary and presenting, did quite well fishing, but he would quickly get aggressive when he could and turn to play the forehand, another left-hander. Good length on this one, gets himself a third ball to attack. A little bit deeper than the first serve that clipped the net. Nothing fancy about the serve, just well-placed. Again, very shallow. This view is a good angle to see the depth of that serve. So six game points here, Liang Jingkun, as fans practice and watch. Long serve does it. Back for game three, Liang Jingkun with the serves leading 2-0. Imagine the temptation was there on two occasions in this point. Clarence Chu forced himself to do the uncomfortable encounter. Watch the arc on his two backhands in this rally. One, get ready, under the table, heavy arc, changes the game. Fans loving the quality of point now, one point apiece. Good attempt here from Liang Jingkun, but the serve just right to tempt that. Very difficult shot to play to the short side, trying to handcuff him into a cross-court opening. Improvised last resort shot block there, carries long. Long push and Liang Jingkun surprises with the ball to the backhand. Again, if I'm Gao Ning, I'm on the Singaporean bench right now, I'm saying that's right. You gotta try. Timeout now. Back to this one, Liang Jingkun up by one. Long deep look at that table for a moment. This table don't lie. It's a very honest table, you know? Every bounce, it's a good bounce. It's a perfect shot, that's credit, Liang Jingkun plays that ball solo. It's completely possible there's a particle of rubber that was left on the table. Clarence Chu's gonna go wipe it down right after that point. There are books involving sports psychology about why even if it had nothing to do with something on the table, you would go wipe down the table. Good shallow spin shot here. The reason for that is, it keeps your confidence. Again, accepting your mistakes in life, your shortcomings. Being honest with yourself is important so you can work on what's needed to improve. Back out in this forehand. Young ones in the next generation enjoying this show. As Liang Jingkun controls in this spin game, the short game. He's four points in front and four points away from the round of 32. Oh, the angle out in front, the timing just right. Gets a much more predictable shot back. Ah, speaking of predictable, this was the opposite. Whether it caught the edge of the racket or whatnot. Watch Clarence Chu, nice flick. Backhand deep to that corner. Sounded like it hit the edge of the racket. Either way, it's clearly going for that placement on the table. So reverse pendulum serve, not a lot of spin on it. Inviting the opening attack, but from a tough place. We saw an exhibition point earlier. Wonder if we're going to see one here. Felt like it in the last point. Think he'll fight in front of the home crowd though. Six match points, Liang Jingkun. Fight he does. When you're playing on home soil, there's that extra never give up pressure. That motivation you can feel. Even if you don't have home court advantage based on fans. And there it is, Liang Jingkun. 32, taking down Clarence Chu.