Satsuki Odo vs Hina Hayata | WS QF | #WTTMacao 2026

She was kind of open but guarded at the same time. She said, I'm aware that I'm not playing as well as I could. She said, I think Fraser was saying when we were commentating on her match that she needs something new, particularly in an aggressive sense. Yeah, a little bit of diversity. Couple of games, but it just seems like a completely different game, doesn't it? Yeah. The one I think it changes the most is the second. And Satsuki had a taste of that. Love to serve long and fast. Like Sora Matsushima, trap you in a fast game, but that's a little bit of it. She's taken six of the last eight here and it is that variety that's proving wonderful. Trajectory of the ball pops up a little bit higher over the net. Hit a lot more flat. Brutal swing in vain. So it's a very healthy lead, this. But when she gets it right, she's bringing out a lot more pen. Oh, it wanted to get over the net, didn't it? It tried so hard to, but it failed. Large distance. Does she stick with the same game plan? She doesn't, and it's the variety. Nicely done. First time we've seen her really just bring this hit, but if Odo can develop a little bit of variety, she will be. Oh, nice. Yeah, because she's got that all-around game. Just quickly, you mentioned coach Ryosuke Sakamoto there. She's a bit more three-dimensional, and again, she's, for me, she's a bit more. After she gets the timing in, start to work out the patterns. She loves the fast serve. Said it, she's. In her best of seven. You can go two down. It's not the end of the world, but it'll be pressure. Oh, but that is the receive. It's a performance jump. For Odo, you feel like if she can add a little bit of feeling. Well, it goes through her, and that's the game. What has brought her to the dance, because she is special. It just needs to be a little bit of a blend like that one. But honestly, she's slowing right down. She's gonna be so difficult to deal with. She genuinely could become like a sorama, naturally find their place. She won't need to force them as much. She might have lost a couple of points. Yeah, potentially. Oh, she got it. Oh, how does she win that point? That is unbelievable. It was like a chop smash. It looked like it was self-preservation. Try and bait her. She's gonna try and probably move her either wide or into the body. Five, six. You can just see she's getting caught there with the shorter arm snap movement to put the ball back on the table. It's all now in the third. And remember, she already trails by two games. Seven, six. That one she's done. She'll probably change it up now. She is so good. Well done. Now that, at times she's a little all or nothing. She needs to bring up her floor. She did really well there. She didn't have recognition from her opponent, but she's only going at 42.8 success. Does she try and thunder a serve at Hayata? Hit the next one. She didn't. Didn't need to. Oh, too good. Too good. Was there enough penetration from Satsuki? It's always easy to ask that question because you do feel that this is her moment. Well, she was hanging on there was Hayata. It's the serves that are dominating. It's back to her to try and serve against this. Tricky Hayata. 13, 12. To me, she was way off the table and that's Satsuki Odo. Another chance. 14. Got a great cardio and gas tank on her. Oh. Oh, no way. For the game. And this time she does it. And is that a hammer blow now that Satsuki Odo cannot recover from her? She's also up against an opponent who knows her every instinct, who knows her skillset and knows likely what's coming her way. Oh. And then from the left, she can bring that closer together. She's a top fiver for sure. But it's very hard. Every time she attacks, she's either changing the amount of pace, spin or variation on location. That's exactly it, right? She doesn't need to find winners. She needs to cut the mistakes out and play rallies. She's just being poisoned. But at the moment, Hayata is just slowing it down and playing with side spin and playing wide. Hasn't been too much wrong with her serving in the match. And that's good. Targeted that. That's better from Hayata there. Mind you, that previous one, she was actually given something to hit. Yeah. What you saw in Hayata's last match against Hashimoto. Ooh. Skips around. What an opportunity this is. Well, if she is to be on the comeback. Game point. Ooh. Now again. Got herself into a... She went to the go-to, invited the exchange, didn't she? It's human nature. 11-all. Defended really well. 12. 11. Implement the new Satsuki here. Chop block. A chop block. There's variety for you. 13. 11. Well, she's got the shots. I know you've been saying that she doesn't always have to try and reel all of them off with full power, but it's a good foundation. I know baseball's big in Japan, and she is someone who... One, two. But as it is, the side spin's gonna kick it back to the forehand, then she just smashes that one. Like that. Right? If she can develop a little bit of this. The unpredictability of Hina that's worked out. Really good. Three. All. Playing up the parallel is the immediate one that I think she doesn't do enough. Ooh, it's a little bit of something there. Four. Three. Wasn't quite... And okay, sometimes it's too powerful to even get back, but... There we go. Up the lines. She played two there. That'll make... Four. Five. Satsuki, who's a smaller athlete. Small wingspan. She's short. It's really difficult. All. Love it. Six. Seven. Love it. Makes a difference. Ah! Oh, but that's too good. It's predictable. Eight. Watch Hayata immediately get ready for the backhand. Look. Bang. And let's also credit Hayata. Eight. Seven. There she really wanted to get... Nine. This is getting... Ten. A screech. Three match points. One of them goes. Creative. A little bit unorthodox. Well, that's all she needed. In the end, that one just goes wide from Satsuki, who drops her head. And a different drop of the head. A foul. Plenty of mutual respect there from the ever-impressive Hina Hayata.