Hugo Calderano Vs Truls Moregard | Full Match | Wtt Champions Macao 2026 | Men’S Singles Final

This is a little bit about it's got to be careful. He's got to be kind of the mouse around the elephant. It's got to be tricky and we mention a lot his big forehand attack but his forehand short touch is vicious in the best possible way. Good start from the suite. Now when it comes to tools he hasn't shown us any new shots this week. Yes, he's got all the shots out and he's got every shot in the book. What he has shown is that it's very much mental with him right now. He spoke about rediscovering his game. He spoke about the appetite he's got and against Harimoto we saw him as aggressive, as loud, abrasive as we have in some time. He is hungry for success and that makes him a very dangerous tool. But that's what makes this such a compelling final. Different styles but both dynamic players. You're going to enjoy this everybody, whoever wins. Ugo just carries a sledgehammer with that forehand and backhand. But again the change of direction right? This is what Trolls is going to do. He's going to keep Ugo moving. He's going to play up the line at times. He's going to be confusing. And if Ugo gets that one back. I was about to say if Ugo gets that one back Trolls will then move him again. Again this is that short touch where Trolls is just being a little bit sneaky in there. And it's because Ugo's always thinking about dropping back. He always wants to get back to range to launch something mean. If you can just keep teasing him in that short forehand area it'll keep him guessing. You always get a reaction off Trolls. And we've seen that before. When he's on the back foot he will chop, he'll fan, he'll slap. Typically it's a hit and hope. But he knows he's not likely to win the point. But look at that. He hasn't lost the point that he served first yet. You mind your mouth. Now he has. What a point it was there. A little bit of feeling. But look at what Trolls was trying. He was trying to change direction. He was trying to play it down the line into the forehand. Into the backhand You've got to have brains to mess with Ugo. You've got to have an IQ about you. That's what Sora couldn't quite do. The way he just pushes across the ball. It's almost like we take it as just an ordinary shot. Staple stuff. How good was that as well? Talk me through that shot. So again he came in viciously and he stabbed at the ball and sent it incredibly long. He had been touching short. Just broke the rhythm. And it earned him three game points in the first. Oh he's under the table. He's around the back but he can't do anything about that. A break for Trolls Moragard and a game for Trolls Moragard who heads back to brother Malta. His coach and it looked like it could start by Ugo but Trolls gradually took control of that game. And we now know of course remember that we're just at the start of what could turn out to be another epic saga on finals night here inside the Infinity Arena. He wins at eleven seven. That's what they're playing for. Silverware up for grabs in a destination. In a place where people come looking to win big. Looking to hit the jackpot. One of these players will remember just as with the women's we will see a first time winner of Champions Macau Crowns. Well played Ugo. So good at adapting and digging out the shot even when it looks unlikely. Trolls won't mind that. He'll know that every so often he'll fire a long serve and it'll get belted past him but it's to unlock them to go back to the short game. And there you go. A little bit more passive from Ugo will help him. Stay on your wheels. Don't try and win the point too early. Again if you can extend the point and potentially send Trolls wide forehand then Ugo can start to get into his rhythm. Aggressive. The Brazilian. In every aspect of that point. He's wearing green like the incredible Hulk and he Hulk smashed that one. And it was a good serve received from Ugo. It would shake the Trolls against Trolls but this Swede did so well to scoop it out. And how uncomfortable is this for Calderano? Sora played into his hands. It was either ego or it was a lack of IQ but he gave the Brazilian exactly what he wanted. A firefight and this guy thrives there. Trolls is showing you he's got a PhD in tactics. Professor Morgard. But you only have to miss by a fraction and this guy pounces so sharp as he... The margin for error against Ugo is so small. Anything other than almost perfection, you're going to eat a big power shot. That short touch. It shouldn't be possible. He attacks it with so much aggression. Stabs it in there and it's loaded and then look at that. The lean back forehand up the line changing the target. I was just looking at Ugo's reaction for that last one because he must have thought I put that on the purple plate. I'm not under threat here. And then back. Yeah. Love that service he showed. What a get. Not many players in the world get anywhere near that let alone get it back over the net. He's such an athlete as Ugo but Trolls is just on him right now. Imagine a heat map up the side of Calderano's. Now the flashlight goes off. Yeah, imagine a heat map up the Brazilian side. Trolls is covering, making him cover everywhere. Short forehand, long backhand, long forehand. He needed that. Now that's a go-to for Trolls, that forehand of his. It's his trusty weapon. It is, but again, but he'd already stepped backwards and had to take it late and rolled it up. Trying to trap Trolls with a fast serve here. Oh, the serve received. Whoa. It's not often you see Ugo unable to get under a ball. That's incredible. It's loaded. Trolls comes in aggressively. Most people play that and they're soft in the hands. He isn't. So a little run of points takes Trolls into a two-point lead. He's got one game already. It went net to net there, but in truth, Ugo's owed a few because I think Trolls, by my count, got three in that first game. We heard a lot of sorry, didn't we? And this is what he's got to do. He's got to now try and shoehorn in. He's got to step forward when he needs to. It's just a live wire, Ugo. Just snappy, kinetic energy. Almost nervous energy. Electric. Looked like he served. Little bit of side spin on there and didn't serve it into the forehand side. It was the backhand and Trolls just misjudged the angle and it only needs to come off an inch. And this guy power shot will land. Feels like Ugo is aggressive. He's risk taking at the moment. But what will happen now? It's 8-all. It's early in the match, but he will not want to go two down against a dangerous player. He's done it again. He stepped way over to his right hand side to play the backhand to attack it and it was genius. These are calculated risks he's taking. If you do go against two down against Trolls, you can just go for it from there on. And he could snatch the match without you being able to do anything about it. So I think Ugo is all too aware this is the game. He's going to try and get on board against shots like that. He probably needs to just take a little bit of steam off and roll it in. If he can extend the rally Trolls' chance of winning them goes down. It helps Ugo, but he's just got to get there first. It's the flop in backhand. So many people say that this is a criticism of this guy's game that he can't rip backhand. He doesn't need to. He lifts it with the wrist locked and it puts less top on it. Very deceptive and it earns him a game point and a chance to take a two game lead here. Ugo went heavy. Highly pressurized moments here. Oh! Let's go! Magic from Morgard. Mental monster Morgard. He knew exactly where this power shot was coming. But the execution is exquisite. And so is the celebration. Brothers both united in there. Cheers there. So 11-7, 11-9. It's sweet so far for the Swede. I've spoken all night long about the fact that we were going to see a new winner of the Champions of Macau crowned. That's because in the past this has been an event dominated by the great Wong Choo Chin. But for an interruption in 2024 when the emerging star Lin Shidong was able to win. Those players not involved in this event this week which meant it opened the door. We were always going to find ourselves with a first time winner here in Macau. And at the moment Charles Morgard is advancing his credentials to be that winner. I know you were going to make a tactical point just before we got to the end of that game there. What do you think Calderano is going to be dwelling on now about what happened then and what has to happen now. It's so hard because if you serve long you give trolls the opportunity to attack first. Like so but he stayed alive in that one. Defensive skills of the Brazilian. Just wondered if that double handed backhand might come out. I was about to say you serve long he attacks it, you serve short and then you're at the mercy of that horrible forehand touch. That one. Yeah just a little technical lesson there from Charles about where bits need to be. But again I think if Calderano can build into points. A little better like this. Not try and just belt it. Look at where Charles goes. Yep so that happened. That backhand fans but to no great effect and it's a really good reaction this from the Brazilian. You expect nothing less really. Yeah and if he builds his way in if he's clever about his shot placement. Eventually he will find a chance to unleash the power. Did you say power? He's just got it casually there in his pocket. Moving target as always for trolls. Wow. He's never really still is he? He hits that on the move. Lateral movement. He's got such great stillness about his upper body. He's incredibly loose in the arm that's where he gets his power from. And his timing and his contact point is beautiful. You backed the Brazilian back there off either flank either wing. Stayed alive in that one. Rolled it in and then bit of that flexibility. Allowed the forehand. Oh what a get. But not this time. Brilliant from Hugo Calderano. Tied up his opponent. Tangled him up in knots. Right now Charles is just trying to live with him. Not let this game get away. The cushion at the moment of that two game lead. But you don't want to invite Calderano onto you. You don't want to give him a chance to build ahead of steam. Oh it's the third time we've seen that backhand up the line. And again he's finding unconventional ways to win points now. Maybe dropping those first two games has just sent him into a different mode. Different plan. Just a little bit more adventurous now. And his all round game is premium at the moment. This has been a masterclass this game. That was beautiful. Every now and then you need a point like that. Players having fun under the table. We see the chop blocks coming in. We see the fanning backhands. We see everything out of Charles. But he's still six points down. Ah there it is again. That has been a very productive part of the table for Hugo. Long fast serve traps Charles into a fast exchange. There's only one winner. And he's got seven points for the game. Only needed one. Charles knew he was well well beaten in that game. But it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things too much as he leads 2-1. But does matter for Hugo who is really hitting a very rich streak. A rich vein of form right now. Oh she likes the music does Bruna Takahashi. She'll like what she saw from Hugo in that last game. That really was something. By the way if you've ever wondered why he's able to do the things he does as a player. You just needed to see him with that shirt off just now. There is muscle there to go with that greyhound like ability to get around on the floor. He's got some real strength and beef about him as well. He is for my money the best athlete that we see in these events. Naturally anyway. Yeah it's a very physical bit. Hugo. What I loved about it was his ability of brain power that last game. Because he was much more patient in the first phase of the point at least. To just roll it in and then get back to the range and unleash the power. Oh he misses. And he is not pleased with that. Again anytime Hugo can play with big power into that backhand. It's going to drag the ball back into that zone where he can then unleash another one. To see when he brings out the backhand up the line against Truls again. There it is. Yeah. Three times in the last game. There's the first one. Now this is a battle of IQ. This is hard now for Truls because you play a little bit passively and you play some of the drop shots and you eat big power. Then you up the ante and you eat another big power shot. And again that little giveaway that he's under pressure when he starts playing those. Something he and Malta are going to have to figure out fairly soon. Honestly I love these last few points. He's defending and he loves to counter from down there. That's a dangerous shot but he misses the target with that backhand. You just see him reverse gear and then plant his feet and you go uh oh. It's a good serve from Truls. He's kicked it with a lot of side but Ugo was trying to find that back purple line. Scooped it and it almost came down. Yeah Truls didn't know. But that's a big point for Truls as well. Big couple of points. Yeah and how long can Ugo fire that long serve cross-court? Morgard are we thinking the same thing? We'll try and predict it. 4-3. Some match last night for Ugo against the number one seed Sora Matsushima. It ebbed and flowed. It had a lot to it didn't it? It did. He's having to think a lot more now than he did last night. I know it was a tense and kind of more battle fielded and mental warfare and adrenaline. 4-4. But tactically Truls is presenting so many more problems for Ugo. Yeah. And Ugo's happened to solve it. And he is solving it to a degrees. Brought this one back. He's got a game on the board. Of course years ago he became famous for that ability to solve Rubik's Cubes whilst under physical duress. And in a way I suppose that's what table tennis is about. He's running around all over the shop and he's solving very complex problems. Barely sure he solved one underwater as well the Rubik's Cube. Shot. And that's why you keep the ball in play. Exactly. He's surviving the first phase of the point now. He's not trying to win it too early. Swept that one up off his ankles. Oh. Ugo thinks it was a lair, Truls. So probably I think yeah. Yes. Looks like it. Ah. Fair play. Fair play to both of them. Yeah. It's a big moment. Big moment in the match when they both have to just process that. I think the umpires handled it well too. And Truls had read it wonderfully. That was a beautiful shot. But he gets the point. Sorry. Had to be a little bit of an apology in there. Caught the net on his receive. Just bumped over. Any time you can drag Ugo into short forehand it's a good thing for Truls because that's a dimension where he can do very, very well. The issue is Ugo's not giving him a lot to go there with. Starting to fire these serves slightly longer. Please calm down says our umpire. Steven Shaw. Oh yeah well. He was actually in charge earlier on wasn't he when he got very heated. Again it's that short forehand of Truls. He's a master there. He puts sidespin on the ball. That's what causes it to kick. That's why Ugo had to try and scoop it. I think for Ugo if he gets put there just hack it long backspin backhand. Oh man. We heard this ringing around the room earlier. The full-blooded roar from Truls. And there we are again. Ugo just kicking up his feet with one of those little idiosyncrasies that he has when the pressure is on. That deserves a round of applause from Bruno because that forehand that Truls had sent was absolutely loaded with topspin and it was low but Ugo still countered it. But a little bit of pizzazz. A little bit of something different. Almost like a chop block of a serve receive. And it caught Ugo by surprise. Again if Ugo gets brought into short forehand I feel like he should just push long to backhand. Yeah. And he called. You could see the idea. Because he was ready to counter it. But Truls is getting the big points right now. He's coming up with some answers at a critical stage in this match. Ugo trying to tackle it back and he does. Listen to the Swede earning two game points. A 3-1 lead would be massive. Truls fighting shout someone in the crowd and he is. With every scrap of life he has. For the third point in a row they oblige. And now he is one game away from becoming a Champions Champion once again. And for Ugo well he will never say never. But if he is to end a winner this time out he has to win three games now against this brilliant Swede. We've spoken this week about Truls' attitude about his aggression, his hunger, his appetite. We've seen it haven't we? In the last couple of matches when push comes to shove he becomes a different animal doesn't he? He grows. He gets bigger in the fire. He deals with courage at that point and he gambles on the fact that you won't be as courageous as him. Ugo Calderano wants to make this a very late night for everyone here. He wants to do this the hard way. And he's ably equipped to do that. But there's just a problem. Truls has grown and grown and grown in this event. Ugo did really well with that because it was the backhand bluff again from Morgard, this less spinny backhand. Ugo read it perfectly and still just drove it back in. I would go anywhere but the Truls short forehand. Don't allow that to happen. No escaping that. Probably better off pushing long to his middle or long to wide forehand and suffer that thing. And a Brazilian timeout's gotta come sometime soon surely. You have been wondering about that for some time now. Too easy, I mean easy for him. Not for just about anyone else on the planet. Truls who's won 12 of the last 16. When his short forehand is really singing he knows opponents hate it and he knows they're going to go long. So they just uncorked forehand rockets from there. He makes you. There's the timeout Joe. He puts you under so much pressure and he makes you pick your poison. What way do you want to die? Over the table or away from it? But right now he is dying. His chances are fading in this one because suddenly a surge at the end of the last game from Truls has now continued into this one. And for Hugo Calderano these are desperate times. What can you do? And a few words as coach Francisco but is it to be another near miss? A beaten finalist in Inchon in 2024. A beaten finalist here last year. It's not a habit you want to get into as worthy as getting this deep in an event may be. Oh no way. Freitas Truls even magical Truls get that back. You see the shot he was trying down there. He tried to most people try and scoop this with no spin. He tried to rip it with side lurk. He tried to chop walk it on. You know who deserves a lot of credit as well. The man in Truls Morgaard's corner Malta his brother. Yeah. He is an underrated mind in this game both tactically and motivationally. 100% right. He was there for that incredibly emotional Europe smash win last year in Malmo amidst amazing scenes and he's been there through this purple patch that took him to Montpellier as well. Oh yeah. We haven't seen that in a while. And now the other time out. Like buses isn't it? You wait and then two come along at the same time. It's a very calm conversation between the brothers there. When you consider what's at stake here WTT Champions Macau 2026 presented by Galaxy Entertainment Group. What entertainment we've had. An amazing women's final. This one has had so many highs in terms of the skill levels on show and you feel there's more drama yet to come unless trolls can get across the line now. Can he put on another surge as we saw in the last game from a similar position? Brilliant. You might know what's coming but even Hugo unable to cope with that. We've heard this before Joe. Once he starts that. Yeah. He builds up ahead of steam and he's almost irresistible. It was a hopping block unorthodox but he's got that feeling. Oh yes he does. This is the extent to how much Hugo is willing to try and sacrifice to get in. He stepped way over to the wrong side of the table and played the backhand. He's in trouble. Big trouble. But he only knows one way out of it. Closes the gap to two points. He serves. He's got to reel off a string of points now. Oh it's another near miss in Macau. Does he serve now? Does he go short? Does he dare go long? Oh that forehand. It was a risky play and look what the result is. The reward three championship points. He has one hand on that trophy. Not yet says Hugo. Maybe not at all if he has his way. But he is in serious jeopardy. And now Trolls. Well it would be very Trolls to come up with something exotic here. What will we see? He might be willing to risk it all. Hugo's starting to shoehorn in that backhand into the forehand of Trolls. This is a battle of minds of mentality now. Just wonder if Trolls might serve short flow. Trolls Maragard for the second time in his career has won WTT champions. He's done it here in Macau. He's done it against a player.