Full Match | Hugo Calderano Vs Oh Junsung | MS QF |  #Wttsaojose 2026

The first cracks of thunder from this big Brazilian power puncher. So hard to deal with once he takes those two steps off the table and just full swings through it. This is what Ojunsung has to do. He has to deny Hugo time. He has to try and take the ball early. One point ball game again. Ojunsung on serve. Just the one behind. He'll be happy with how he started here. And again, we've seen this kind of blueprint, especially I think of the recent game in London. The world team champs Flavio and Kotom playing against Hugo. If you can take the ball early, you can cause him issues. Of course, that's so hard to do, though. You almost can't afford to get into a big rally with him. Just like that. You think you've got him. You think you've forced him back and then wallop. Nearly came down on the table for Hugo. He did really well to stretch the feet. Stretch out the arm and get that wide forehand back into play, but couldn't quite bring the Skyloft down. Wonderful juxtaposition there. Only one person applauding when Ojunsung won that point. Of course, this packed house want their home favorite to win it. This is how important it is to have a coach in your corner, though, to just someone who's got your back. This is what I mean. I know it flicked the net and it was a little bit lucky and he apologized for it, but Hugo's short forehand game recently has been so, so good. We know how good he can be. Has been as high as number two in the world. He's still ranked inside the top ten. Currently at number eight. He's never won a marquee WTT event. He's still chasing a grand smash and a champion's win. Winner at star contender level. More importantly, winner at World Cup level as well. That absolutely epic encounter with Wang Chuqin last year. But Ojunsung is hanging tough here. He's doing well in the early openings. You can hear there's almost an eerie expectant silence in this crowd for their home favorite. This is what they're waiting for. They're waiting to applaud. They're waiting to cheer. Ojunsung currently ranked just outside the top 30, but has been as high as 15. He's still only 20 years old. Ten years younger than Hugo Calderano. That backhand Chiquita over the table is what Ojunsung is using to maneuver Hugo back into a position where finally, if he is going to counter, at least he's so far back that you've got time that you can get the ball back onto the table. I wonder if Hugo will start to push long on a few of these. And this is what he can do so much better than everyone else in the world. Carries such power. Look, he's off the screen. It's like you're playing against Casper the Ghost. Such is the power this man carries. It's the crowd rally again. He's never out of the point. Big forehand counter. It was good because Hugo had the backhand grip ready. He thought it was coming there, but... spotted early that it was coming to the forehand, adjusted, dropped the right foot back and just fired off a counter. He's done well again there. The Brazilian, the number one seed, to just hold on to that early attack of Ojunsung. And as they go for the towel break, Hugo Calderano has two opportunities to win this opener. That first touch was wonderful. This one caught the net, which is why it flicked up off Hugo's bat. It's now within one point. Ojunsung serving to stay alive in the opener. Hugo stayed strong and he's won the opener. Rips that backhand Chiquita for good luck as well. Playing well here. Ojunsung out on table one. A little bit of ingenuity there, the 20-year-old from South Korea. Again, this is just solid from Hugo Calderano. He knows he's not going to win the point outright. Puts good spin and Ojunsung knows he has to take a risk, but he's just maybe overcooking it at the moment. I mentioned it. He's only 20. This is one heck of an atmosphere for a 20-year-old to be in. Oh, and he can't serve anything. Short sidespin into this Calderano backhand because you're going to eat it. He's got to serve short forehand. The problem is Hugo's going to recognize that as well and probably whip a backhand from there too. Oh, my word. He went longer to avoid the Chiquita. Hugo just pushed it back. Caught the back edge. Five of the first six points going the way of the number one seed in green. And he's got a stranglehold on this matchup now, Hugo. Wonderful long serve into the crossover, which was really clever because Ojunsung had taken a step to his right as well. He does the shot, Hugo, similar to... Watch him drop his level on his left leg, similar to Fan Zhendong. See him do it. The Olympic gold medalist just drops and tilts onto that left leg. There's the serve to short forehand. Probably should have come a little bit earlier. Much, much better from Ojunsung. This is solid now. He's just content to extend the rallies. He's not going for broke. He's not rushing. The problem is he still finds himself three points behind. He's just struggling when it gets slowed up. Sets the feet, spins up, and immediately takes a hop back because he knows it's likely to come back. If it does, it's going to come back long. And then he's in range and he can bomb a one if he needs it. Back to the Ojunsung serve we go. He needs two good ones again. See the idea. Now we're in the bluff game. Does he do the same again or change it up? Reverse serve. Both players have a timeout, worth saying. They get 60 seconds. In their corners, and we might see Hugo call it maybe if he loses another one or two. He's really improved that forehand receive in the last 12 months. So deceptive with it now. There's no idea where it's going until it's coming at you. And that's just Hugo Calderano at his best. Full swings. It stepped in in case he needed to take one off the bounce as well. And again, it's that parallel backhand. That backhand where he's trying to play it up the line into the forehand that misses. For Ojunsung, difficult to see from this angle. He might be rushing it, taking it a little bit early. It's just so hard to compete with Calderano in an open rally. He carries so much quality, so much power, and Ojunsung has called the timeout here early in this third. Because he is feeling the momentum. He's in free fall now, and he's feeling like Hugo Calderano has one foot in the semifinals. Let's go, guys! Let's go, guys! Keep the energy up there! Hugo! Hugo! Brazil! Brazil! So good from both. So good from Ojunsung. That's the first time we've really seen that backhand fire up the line. He managed to maneuver Hugo left to right. It's just a different sound when he hits the ball, isn't there? Maybe it hit the net, and he apologized immediately for it. He's a gentleman as Hugo, but a different sound when he hits it. A little bit of power of his own from Ojunsung, giving Hugo a taste of his own medicine. Watch the legs of Hugo here. Look how tense they are, and he's using them to bounce around, to put power through the ball, to help lift backspin. Ojunsung trying to do what Hitomi Sato was doing so well earlier and dig one out. By the right knee. But is this the moment where that spirit breaks of the South Korean? Stretched with everything he had, and it came down off the edge. Look at the reaction at the top of your screen. Oh, and Ojunsung thinks it was side. Fair play. Hugo has given the point away, I believe. What a wonderful point there. I love this standout crowd who have been so boisterous. Every time Hugo loses a point, there's a... And every time he wins a point, there's a roar and applause. Because he's now two points away from the semifinals. Make that one away. And I just wonder, might we get something a little bit special here? Might Ojunsung go on the exhibition mode? Might Hugo bring out something special? Look for a moment like Ojunsung might. Still six match points for the Brazilian. Yeah, he's going back to exhibition. He's going exhibition. Come on, guys, round the table. He's trying it. Oh, it didn't quite come down. Hugo Calderano. One seed in to the semifinal.