FULL MATCH ｜ He Zhuojia vs Amy Wang ｜ WS R32 ｜ #WTTChongqing 2024

One, look. Look. And it's a solid start by the China player there. Two points on serve. You can see the long pimples in action off the backhand. Uses them aggressively. Not like, say, a Maneka Batra of India. And that's what makes this one interesting for me, John. The fact that China are playing a player here who uses the long pimple style. It's almost like they're trying to give the world a taste of their own medicine. Because, you know, the pimple players have really challenged the Chinese in recent times. Well, it's working so far, Fraser. She jumps straight out to a four-love lead here. Amy really struggling to settle early on here. And it's going to be intimidating. You can be sure of that. Good crowding already. You can hear the Chaiyos supporting the Chinese players here. Wow. Again, wild with the backhand from Amy Wong. It's just not settled at all. No. Not being able to adapt. It's a little bit flat-footed so far. To a Chaiyo testing how she can adapt. That's better there. She gets in with her attack. It's on the board, though. One-six already. Oh, and that's it from Amy Wong. The best we've seen from her. The best we've seen from both players. Brilliant. I mean, it looked like she was suffocated by the head-to-head shot into the crossover. But look at the angle that she managed to manifest there and then into the middle of her opponent. If she plays it into the forehand of her, she'll be getting a ball that she's more accustomed to. And again, this one's beginning to slip away very quickly in the first game here. Two-eight she serves now. It's a deadening effect coming off those pimples. Got to use a lot of body to come through it. Not so much topspin from the Chinese player's backhand. And there's some body language for you. She's a studying folk. This is her at the start of this one. Nine-three. And she'll be serving at nine-three and really, really making early inroads here into this round of 32 match-up. Nine-four. Nice depth there with the flick. Our first jaios of the week didn't have any great effect there because Amy with a flash of the forehand keeps herself alive in this game. Spotted it. Decisive, clear-minded shot there. And again, switching her opponent around often is a race to see who will switch the direction of play first. All the plays that you'll see here at this Champions Chongqing are deadly when they're in position. Hence the first game point to He Zhuojia on her serve. And she takes it. Eleven-six. Well, this was always going to be tough, John. I mean, He Zhuojia has a 91% win rate against non-Chinese opponents. Only ever lost to nine. But the key recipe for success for the American, in my opinion, is trying to change the pace. He Zhuojia is so good at constant rhythm. How can the American disturb it, disrupt it? Be unpredictable. Left. One-all. Well, she's going to have to find something. You talk about being unpredictable, and Amy's studying for a double degree at UCLA in neuroscience and accounting, so she can get her thoughts together. She needs to figure out a way here against He Zhuojia. One-three. It's so difficult. You know how to beat your opponent, but doing it is just such a different thing. I mean, there's so much studyable material of this player online, but, I mean, who can you train with that can replicate it to this extent? Two-three. Coached by Gao Chuan, who, of course, also replicated that feat of back-to-back U.S. Open championships. Four-two. That's right. And another player, Ni Xiaoyan, the evergreen legend of Luxembourg. She's finding it hard going here. And tell me a little bit about the mental state as well of Amy Wong right now, because try as she might, she's not finding a formula, is she, that works? I mean, this is already a better start from what it was in game one. But, yeah. Five-two. The problems are starting straight from the receive, it seems. Let's have a little look at points won on serve. Not surprisingly, she's up at 83.3%, what we were saying just now. Two-six. Again, the miss from Amy there. It's out now to two-six. Very intelligent player here from the 25-year-old. Oh, wow. That was a well-played point by the American. Nice counter off the He Jua Jua. Greased forehand. Eight-two. But whatever she throws at her, she's got an answer to. Eight-two. He Jua Jua. Nine-two. Make that nine. And, you know, her inactivity has left her with a ranking of 46, but she's a dangerous 46. She really is. I think she could take a few scalps here in Chongqing, John. Oh, wow. Two-ten. Wow. Corner to corner. And now it's game point once more for the China player. Three-ten. Seven of the previous eight. Before that point goes the way of Amy Wong. Eleven. But that's it. But the deeper the ball, the better. Oh, poor. Raking forehand down the line. And that's a confidence boost at the start of this third. That was poetry in motion there. Half-long push. Gorgeous. Finish on the parallel there. Unparalleled. She can't back it up, though. I think she wants to try and avoid these backhand trades, the American. As I say, it's this deadening effect of the pips coming in makes it very difficult to calibrate your normal quality of stroke. And how many times have we seen by her, usually in passive standards, a little show of frustration from Amy Wong here. Three-one. She acknowledged the little net call, but Amy Wong was drawn very wide. I was thinking on a different wavelength here. She's playing one shot with the next in mind, baiting her in to commit from certain areas and then taking her out the other side of the table. Three-two. And Amy Wong's in great form, qualifying for the Paris Olympic Games. She'll be representing them there along the likes of Lily Chong. And that was after a heartbreaking moment when she didn't quite qualify for Tokyo. So, playing very well, but here. Man, this is tough. Four-four. Finding it hard here, Amy. And, you know, she also in the Pan-Americas in Corpus Christi went down in the final to Takahashi at that one. But, you know, it's just another game. It's just another level entirely that she finds herself competing at here in China. Four-five. The footwork isn't quite there. And then she got the frustration once again. Yeah. Because she got the receive that she wanted. I mean, it was in to the crossover from her, but still. Six-two. Beautiful timing right off the bounce there by Dvořák. Low posture, engaged core. Good technique. Oh, that was dazzling. Six-three. That really was. I think she adapted really well to the change of depth there, Amy Wong. Yeah, having dropped the first point off the timeout. And that was a big point. Crucial she came back there. Six-three, though. Four-six. You've got to imagine, though. Dvořák, I'll be feeling a bit of pressure here. The first Chinese player showcased at this Champions Chongqing. Five. And we've seen that once or twice, haven't we? That play from Amy, and it works a great effect there. Great coverage. Played both parallels. Five-six. Much better here. And that draws a level at six-all. Fighting performance by the American in this, the third game. And she needs it. Well, Dvořák was called by the umpire to get ready to receive there. And then she stepped in a bit prematurely. Caught out by the Amy Wong long serve. Puts it away. It's a different Amy Wong we're seeing right now. And maybe that little pep talk's done it, told her to go for it. You were suggesting that. It really could have. Could this be a moment that we reference? What a great run of points here for the American dream. Seven-four. Not this time. As soon as she was drawn onto that backhand, it's a different game. Into the crossover. She's serving long more often. That's a turnaround. Six of the last eight points. Won by the American. Eight-seven. Seven-nine. Against seven of nine. She's not getting as caught out after her serve. Because of the fact that it's long. And Dvořák is taking it on with the long pips and not pivoting. Oh, she misses it. Nine. Just when she was beginning to look to question the mobility perhaps of her Dvořák to an extent. We're all tired. It's an eight-nine. Called regarding the verticality of the toss there. Just clarifying that for the umpire. Eight-nine. Ten-eight. Gives herself a game point. Amy won. And this is much more like it from the player from the USA. In this must-win game, she's smothered her Dvořák at the latter stages. Fantastic fight here. And composure. Oh, and there you go. That's how you put it away. Once again, rattles that serve. And once again, rattles the opponent who's just lost a little bit of composure. One. When you don't have much time on the ball, the best thing you can do is to keep the bat high. Don't want to waste any time on the fore motion when there's already pace on it. A little smile on the face. You know how close you came to another winner. One. But there we see the effect once again. And that's what her Dvořák was doing early on. Oh, what a make. What a reach. She had her chance there. Touched the tape, didn't it? Lunged in the Chinese. Couldn't put the cherry on top and misses the serve. Another timeout could be useful here. She's lived by the sword and died by the sword there. Just punches the serve long. One-four. Four-two. Takes the point and again you feel there's just a different tone to this match. Different feel to the way these rallies are. Not as long as they were. She's found her feet. Produced some nice fluid backhands, Amy Wong. Four-two. That is so spinny. I mean you can't even hear the contact. That's how fine it is when she gets all that dwell. She's serving tighter. Amy Wong has to produce something different with the receive. Because that is such a difficult ball to get over. She did, but still didn't win the point. These are big points. They're going the way of the Chinese player who now has a four-point cushion. Three-six. Floats one long. You get the feeling that a little bit of tension is creeping into the proceedings. Certainly seems that way, John. Tried to chisel a chop on the receive there. But there we see how simple it can be if you can just sense in your opponent's body where they're not wanting the ball. Yeah, no coincidence. Just pushed it wide to that forehand again. Seven-six. Great rally. Big point. And it goes the way of her to a chop. Such a long point. Maybe even the longest of the match. But she tried to finish with the kind of all cards on the table slap there, Amy Wong. Wonderful to watch that point. Four-eight. But now things are getting serious because it's four-eight, the deficit. And remember, she trails by two games to one. Time for her to a charge, just to compose herself as the crowd plays its part. Five-two. Backspinny serve there long with a bit of side going into the body. Once again, that point after the timeout won by the Chinese player. Tried to slow it down but punching through with the pips. Four is the lead, two is the need. Oh, what a way to set up the point to take out this match. That is an absolute screamer. Stand and deliver. And it gives a match point. And there you go.