FULL MATCH _ WANG Chuqin vs Ruwen FILUS _ MS R32 _ #WTTLjubljana 2023

I just feel like it's going up a couple of notches here with the world number one, the new world number one facing this man, Germany's Ruan Phyllis. One last time for him. Fraser Reilly here with you at the Halle Tivoli here. WTT star contender, Ljubljana, presented by iFeel Slovenia. Beautiful start. First point, a nice backspinny serve and look at that fade. Poetry in motion from Phyllis. Trying to get the best win of his career here. Some fortune there for Phyllis. What a start this is against the new world number one. First four points all in the bank. Interestingly, Wang Chi Chin was training with Wang Yang of Slovakia before this match. Yeah, I was about to ask you, I mean, you know, we both down around the training hall, you know, just how you prepare to play, to take on Phyllis, because you said it already. I mean, this is not it's not smooth rubbers, both sides close to the table. One, five. It's just just break it down for us. Going to the first tail break here, Fraser, for those not so familiar with it. Just why Phyllis is so tricky to play against. So it just varies it so much. You've got to have your eye on the ball. And of course, it can be very exhausting having to lift all that backspin. So you want to try and get it done as quick as you can. But at the same time, you've got to be patient and select the right shot to hit. Like it's nothing at times. Look at that transfer of weight from the left leg through to the right. Stomping, just exaggerating that movement. Five, three. Rangyang of Slovakia, who Wang Chi Chin was training with. Top 16 player in Europe. Defensive player. Cool, though, I'd suggest, Fraser, because Phyllis just developing on great way of explaining that, but he's not a typical defender either. Now, if you look at him. Because he can transition, you're going to see this as it goes on. He's more of a hybrid. 100%. He's got so many strings to his bow. I mean, just ask Karlsson, Tokic, Jorgic, Zhang Rujing, Lin Wenru, Ugo, Aramoto. They've all lost to Phyllis. Oh, and there he does it. Exactly the start he would be hoping for here. Brilliant, the inspiring German. It's been a game of serves as well, in a sense. There's a coach in the corner for Wang Chi Chin. Zhao Zhan, who was Zhang Jike's personal coach. Yeah, a big part of the Chinese national team. Worked with Wang Manyu as well. Working with her world champion part of the team at the moment, of course, on the women's side. Leader four here out of that second towel break. Once an extra moment, a bit of moisture around. It's very, very full in here as well. And of course, when you get a full arena, there's more moisture around as well. More humid. And to keep that playing surface absolutely bone dry. It can just be so hard to play in a wet hole. There is Zhu Xiaoyong, a big part of the German national team over many years, coaching side. They would have liked to have made that, Phyllis. However, it was a nice, deep arcing receive from Wang Chi Chin. The world number one in Tuera. Can't rely on this, though. Wang is going to become more accustomed. To this style. You can see, though, slightly flustered. Six, nine. The only chopper remaining here in the men's draw, Phyllis. And in fact, looking at it, the only German remaining. It's nice, it's still a leader two, though. He's back with the service here, the German. Nicely done. Ten. He pushed there with the inverted side to generate more backspin initially than what he could have done with the long pips. Genius. Three game points. Eight, ten. For the third tail break. Still two more game points against him. He's back with the service. Nice maneuverability there at the backhand block from Wang. Great depth, painting that white line. I'll be glad he's got the serves here. Second game point. Times that Wang is overpressed, but not there. Would you call a timeout now if you were Phyllis? Good question. Wouldn't be a bad time, would it? Chance has gone now. Third and final game point. Two game points saved. Three even. Three, was it? Yeah, first on the Phyllis serve and then two more. So we go now ten each. Alternating service. Two points, the winning margin needed. Wang misses its mark. Wang feels obliged to crack that one, but it wasn't so deep on the table. Not the easiest to come over the top of. I mean, Wang does it the best. But I mean, still a very difficult shot. Fourth game point. Wang Lam. Good serve there from Wang Chi Chin. Critical service motion. Different service execution. And at the pro level, even a short serve can come at you so quickly. The master of his craft, Phyllis. He's so aware of what's on either side of the racket. It's almost instinct at this point. Doesn't really have to think about twiddling, just does it? One, two. So backspin is just hacked like a lumberjack's saw. Just again on the twiddling there. Very, very big point, I think, to emphasize with Phyllis, because, you know, we're used to, as you say, choppers where. Look here at the the service success here. Phyllis is controlling that at the moment. Three quarters of the points won on serve. Of course, the key shot in the match. In the sport, just in terms of the twiddling, when he's backing away from the table, break that down for us, Fraser. What makes him a bit different from a typical chopper when you talk about twiddling? Well, you weren't usually twiddle away from the table unless he wants to try some kind of punch shot, which I've barely ever seen him do. But closer to the table, if he's coming into a kind of more shallow ball or he just wants to mix things up by, for example, spinning a long push or twiddle, so instead of using the long pips, which you can't generate as much topspin with, so use the inverted side of the rubber, which he usually uses for the forehand. Up it goes. Oh, the chopper and he's got a lot to think about here. It's not the usual clinical composure here right now from Wang Chuqin from the world number one. May I just rewind the clock back to 2019? I'll tell you about it in a sec. Championship final. Hao Yingchao, who in his 40s won it in the final, beating Wang Chuqin in straight games. He's a chopper. Hao Yingchao doesn't represent China anymore. Did for a brief period, but spent more time, really, from what I know, playing the leagues around Europe. Seven. Well, Wang, it's going to be a myth that he's missed a few of these sitters. But this is a much better game from him here. There's the twiddle that he tried, Sky. But what Wang's done better this game is playing it into the middle of Phyllis and going into the forehand. It is, a lot of you people all might be thinking, why doesn't the chopper shut more? Well, if the world number one is struggling, anyone can. There's the twiddle. I win two in this game on that shot, Wang. Still a lead of four. Nine to four. The action says it all, a very ambitious receive there from Phyllis, it's fair to say, puts Wang two points from this game. I mean, I didn't know exactly where the serve was going at that time, though. Tried to create a really acute angle. This is part of what makes him so good, isn't it? It's off the top of the, still five more game points to come for Wang. Nice. Improvised shot there from Phyllis. Took it quite late, still made it, and there, snatched it. Locked level. One each here then on this high profile encounter. One, two, and it's just risen to the top of the world rankings. Wang Chuqin hitting back here against Ruben Phyllis, the hybrid defender with all his box of tricks. You know, the German can have two serves in a row. The Wang Chuqin has just dumped into the bottom of the net. Phyllis is a brilliant server, and the advantage of serving with the backhand is it squirts the table so you can see exactly where your opponent might be wanting to move and you can change your mind as to where you want to put the serve. One, two. Not a receive made on so far in this third game. Tried to finish the racket so high above his head. This could be one of the biggest upsets of the year, but it's not get carried away. Awfully long way to go. See, Phyllis, at the very least, seen Wang Chuqin in his rise up the rankings, absolutely crush all manner of opponents, not give them a look in. Three, two. It's not the case here tonight. He knows he's in a match here. It's amazing. That's one of the service variations of Phyllis. This is just a little little junk serve, little float serve. That's the trick. It's the thing. As long as it's low, tight. Did the job there. It's almost kind of local league aspects. Well, it's his compatriot Dmitry Ovtcharov. He's drawing on there, isn't he? With the backhand float. He's on the occasion that Phyllis predominantly does serve with the backhand because he wants to top right initially. Most of the time anyway. So the backhand is a safer serve for him. Rare to see an attacker who serves predominantly backhand. Comes up with the spin correctly there, Wang Chuqin. Only misses by a really, really fine margin, but that can make all the difference. Usually between an attacker and defender, you see so many long rallies, but Wang Chuqin's shots are so hard, not possible. Phyllis has to be chopping and lobbing and fishing. Countering is absolute best to even stay in there with Wang. It was always going to be more of an uphill battle for Phyllis. Coach Chu there will know that plan this in super detail. Try and work out a way to beat the world. Number one, six, five, one. Now leads in this all important third game. Look at the load. Oh, he's to the line from there. Continue to bring his best level here. Fizzing the phrase, you post it and try and answer it here. You focus so much when an attacker plays a chopper or in this case, a hybrid player. The natural question is, OK, how do you prepare for that? Because there aren't as many of them. But on the other side of things, how does ruin Phyllis? He talked about that in the timeout. How do you prepare for playing the world number one, this brand of attack? At different distances away from the table just to get accustomed to chopping, blocking, countering, especially on the forehand side. Six of the last eight for Wang as he looks to hit the front here in this one. Until he does it. Look at this. That is ridiculous. You played him off from the forehand side. Wang is more accustomed to these kind of balls. Obviously, defenders more few and far between in the game than attackers. Eleven seven is the third game. The way to come through what has been so far a very tricky test. Ruin Phyllis. One last tactics there from Manchu Chin into the middle and then into the wide backhand. Of course, as a defender, really hard to chop out the middle because your body's in the way. Similar to playing an attacker, hit it into the middle. Suffocates to attack the shot. It's about this. Well, it's fascinating. This match is this this match is everyone going into it. It's just, you know, how Wang might play this Phyllis. And you did think that going through the middle, seeing it more and more. There we go again, would be the way to go. You're seeing that more and more as the match wears on as he settles more and more, maybe losing the first game. That's hardly ideal for anyone. No, he used it to add fuel to his fire. Manchu Chin, credit to him, responded brilliantly. Wow. It was a twiddle time. Trademark Phyllis. Four, one. Surprised to not see the Phyllis time out yet, Guy. He used it, of course. Used it in the previous. So he did. So he did come to into the match. That's totally understandable. I think everyone is continues to be very compelling stuff here, even though it looks like maybe the world number one now. First time is that error. It's got the lead here in game four, two, one up. Demanding this for him. This challenge come in, of course, with all the if you like the surrounds, you rise to the top of the rankings and then to have Phyllis as your first match. It's not ideal to buy potential banana skin across, but he who can adapt the best is the best survival of the fittest out here. I see the table bounce on to Phyllis to see it again. And these these matches are demanding. So when you put all the training work in the gym time, it's for those moments. Yeah. Got to get on one leg rising to get over the top of that ball. So much quality on these chops and the bouncy ones can beat you in sometimes, but they're still coated so much in backspin. You still have to come up the back of it. You can't come over the top of that ball. It's butchered for six. He's made bigger comebacks, ruined Phyllis. You're wondering for chipping away once you check that for seven. That's a four here at the second break of the game back on into the middle. But then Phyllis using all that topspin against one to chin in the end. Surprised his shoulder isn't coming out the socket. All these all these smashes, and maybe that's why he's wanting to do the drop shot to save a bit of energy. Yeah. Oh, well, that was a bit through this. Well, he's going to need a good massage down on that shoulder area to put in an awful lot of work. Six. Thank you, Jane. Tried to do more of a seatbelt shot kind of stroke the forehand across the body diagonally to add a bit of side spin. He was trying to get Phyllis out wide to the forehand. One to Phyllis out. So they're bringing him in and then taking him out like that. Four match points for one. Eleven, six. It's all over, it's a successful first match.