FULL MATCH | Lim Jonghoon vs Ma Long | MS R16 | #WTTIncheon 2024

Making sure there's no flash photography. It's Ma Long to start off this best-of-five battle with the serves. Almost a premature chole there. Ma Long gets a lot of balls back in play. His backhand is rarely explosive. But it's way out in front. It's quite unpredictable. Always seems to be a step ahead, Ma Long. Guiding it to the backhand. He covers his middle better than almost anybody. It's the wide forehand. For a forehand-dominant player. You don't see that quite so often. Ma Long is not known for stepping in over the table. Playing the backhand from the forehand side. That's a young man's game. Comfortably spinning it deep. That's the forehand. That's the shot. He's been beaten a few times. But not yet. Lim Jong-hoon. Lin Win-ru. Another one. Merciless step around. Completely out of the picture and out of the question to return that ball. Runaway start here for Ma Long. The only time they've played in the last four-plus years. Ma Long won 4-0. Keeping his opponent at about an average of five points per game. And well on his way. Side and backspin there. Perfectly placed on the elbow for Ma Long. Into more defensive. The chase to the wide forehand. And now it becomes a fishing point. I mentioned the dominance of Ma Long last time they played. Battle challenge and an edge here. The bottle challenge rather. Nine game points for Ma Long. The time before that they played at the Korea Open 2019. It's a different story completely. Back for game two. Lim Jong-hoon looking to improve on his score line. Hasn't done it yet. But so far he's equaled his score. First point of the game. The Korean fans are going to be. Feels more like an audience battle in some ways. Crowd likes it here. Forehand flick and Ma Long in position. Ma Long's so well prepared. He seems to know when he needs energy and when he doesn't. And where to put the energy. In the feet. Keep the racket high and relaxed. Serve off the forehand side as Ma Long takes the lead. And it's getting rowdy in here. Quick acceleration here as Ma Long extends right down the line. Again superhero like. Some of these iconic poses that we see. Nice play on the parallel. Ma Long. Need a turn. But his risk assessment. His ability to identify when it's a good time to turn. Best. Winner here will be fighting for. The silent assassin. Lin Yun-woo. Players beaten 11-0 before. Ma Long still in incredible shape. The energy in the room right. Again people know when they are watching something. That is to be treasured. And a timeout called now. Back edge of the table here. Im Jong-hun with a bit of a break. Sets it up well and extends his lead. Serve success. Ma Long with 70% service success. 33 for Im Jong-hun. Off the table as they both dry their hands. Get ready. Look there. How quickly. Pushed back on defense. A good serve can get your opponent. Still a one point lead for the fighting Korean. Im Jong-hun. Six all now. Second towel break. Ma Long setting up that. He's an artist. Delicately brushing the ball. Constantly changing the contact. Ma Long still confident. Not a time right now to be satisfied. No doubt about it. Good start here for Im Jong-hun. Some of them all. Creative receive attempted as Ma Long. Tries something. We'll take a look here. We call that an empty serve. And a bit of a moving pancake flip. A delivery service for breakfast out here. As Ma Long shows push and then flips. A little bit more casual than usual Ma Long. That last point. Whoever moves up actually has a winning record against Lin Yun-ru. That said Lin Yun-ru beat Ma Long last time they played. And obviously that wasn't the intention. With a long push the hope was that Ma Long wouldn't be so quick to step around. He'd get there a little bit late or play a backhand. Ma Long quick as usual. Quality on the forehand. It's like the back edge of the table doesn't exist when Ma Long plays. He's able to steal the ball from inside the baseline comfortably. As low as he gets. One of the best inside the baseline. And it's three game points. Lim Jong-hun saves one. Third towel break. Two points between them. Staying cool here. Keeping that head cool. You have to imagine the heart is pumping like crazy. Sets it up beautifully in the touch game. Lim Jong-hun able to keep Ma Long. One game point save. One more to go. The leader for the Chinese national team. Little net to help out. Watch this. Still adds topspin on it. Not just a cover. Pulls the elbow back and still gives topspin. One all. Now this is what a long deep push is about. As wide as can be. Right to the baseline. And a man as fast as Ma Long is not going to have an easy time getting around that ball. Nine ten. But it's a fresh count here in game three. Lim Jong-hun down 0-2 in games. Good start here. The man who is to continue the trend. He'd have to win this game. To continue the match he'd have to win this game. He's in less danger of the ball coming back down the line on the forehand side. To the middle here. Lim Jong-hun with a big O. And it comes right back into the middle. I think that was Ma Long's way of saying you started well I got a bit lucky. Ma Long can erase memories in real time. Four points apiece. Back and forth they go. After a momentum switch Ma Long was down 1-3. Breathe through the nose. Closest thing to a smile you'll get out of Wong Hao during a match. Little Wednesday Adams like look there for a moment. It's his nickname in China by the way. Wednesday Adams. That's what they call him. Ma Long in front now. CEO. Enjoying the heck out of this match. No hesitation. And the foot speed moves in so quickly. Lunges forward. How do you possibly return that ball? Could have tried a bad lip reading. But I think the facial expression says it all. Six points apiece. It's a must win game now for Lim Jong-hun. Ma Long looking to finish it here. To get his place in the quarter finals. To get some revenge if he can against the silent assassin. Hangs in there for the ball off the edge of the racket. Lim Jong-hun. Extra bit of adrenaline into it. You've heard stories of moms lifting cars off of their children. When the time comes extra energy does too. Good percentage of the crowd behind Ma Long here. As he abbreviates the forehand stroke on the first to earn the full stroke for the second. And even the forehand of Ma Long has trouble accomplishing the shot he wants while staying in position. Yes you have to move your feet to get around the ball. But you have to be aware of what you're leaving open on the other side. Delay of game. Yellow card. The dictator got a yellow card. Mark Beckman. The steel man in the three star department. The Chinese fans trying to will their player through. Seven serving ten. Starting off game four it's Lim Jong-hun. I mentioned earlier as physically fit as Ma Long is he does not want this coming down to a decider. Pancake flip. Shows push then turns the racket over. Some interest. Six of the last eight points for Lim Jong-hun. Short side and taking his chances here. Steps way around this one. From outside the backhand side of the table plays it right near the line. This was a bit peculiar. It comes to rest for just a moment. I think expecting it to the backhand corner. From this second camera angle. Take a look. Ma Long going parallel. Lim Jong-hun looking up at the sky. The wince. Lim Jong-hun with that one point. Let's get it. Oh it takes a lot. Trying to create an opening. Trying to start something. Ma Long wants to finish. Lim Jong-hun right to the line. Just barely out of reach. Himself in the face. Essentially a cold shower out here on the court. Something. Just to inject some energy. He's got a one point lead Ma Long. Nice change of pace here from Lim Jong-hun. Spinny ball from off the forehand. Keeps it nice and low. Doesn't bring it all the way out to Ma Long. A different story. That's why we watch live sports. Tied up at the set. Ma Long. Again. Singapore. I think we saw a lot of tight calls on serve. Players will push the envelope. Try to test the boundaries of the law. Legs do. Little kick there with the right foot. To pull the leg back and now Ma Long is in front. Two steps back. In that one moment. Out of nowhere. Better to do. If all he had to focus on was moving back into the table at that time. That still would have been quite impressive. Okay. Maybe not that. But in the middle of everything else. Two point lead now. A heartbreaker. International table tennis. Imagine it's his last Olympic Games. Coming up this summer. No doubt. Nine serving six. Not over yet. And who took game one. Eleven to one. Is back on top. And sitting on four match points.