Editorials 
This review may contain spoilers
The winners take it all
Smart and consistent writing, nice pacing, relatable setting, good casting and generally strong performances – not to mention a buttload of TeshowPing chemistry – are the most important ingredients responsible for "Match Point" being a very solid BL, possibly the best GMMTV released so far in 2026. Compared with other shows, this one is about something, has real heart and made me emotional, even teary, several times – which surprised me at first.
The story is almost entirely focused on the main couple – Bay (Teshow) and Sun (Ping) – and deceptively simple, based on the well-known trope of "enemies to lovers". However, this is not a retelling, remake nor rehash of "Bad Buddy" nor "Head 2 Head" – the show's take on that trope is its own. And it is a good take – for several reasons. The backstory is grounded and feels genuine – a conflict between two neighbors (who used to be friends), which engulfs their families, splits one of them and threatens to split the other. The execution is almost perfect, relying on mutual resentment mixed with a barely hidden longing for ending the feud and becoming friends again. This is neatly combined with both main characters being the right age to realize what they feel and want as well as being able to act upon those feelings and desires.
The show's good pacing stems from how evenly the content was spread over all 10 episodes. We get the setup and most of the cast introduced in episode 1, by episode 2 we know Bay and Sun do not really hate each other and that Bay is attracted to Sun, in episode 4 they end their rivalry, Bay confesses in episode 5, Sun is won over in episode 6 and they become a couple in conclusion of episode 7. This leaves 3 episodes to convince Bay's and Sun's fathers to end their conflict and solve other problems. There is something to do, to solve, to deal with in every episode – Sun's and Bay's story progresses nicely, fueled by their dynamic or external events, and the show never runs out of steam.
Let us also appreciate the value of having two main characters who feel relatable and behave like actual humans – something many currently running BLs seem to have a problem with. "Match Point" accomplishes this by the virtue of its writing as well as the very good works of Ping and Teshow. Sun is more mature than Bay, more hesitant, shy and thoughtful, careful, calm and collected. Ping infused his character with fragility and vulnerability it required, while being strong and driven – like every athlete should be. Bay is a different animal altogether, but also undergoes the biggest change: from cocky and antagonistic through confused and curious to loving and dedicated. It all comes across surprisingly believable. Teshow does a great job here using his physicality, in particular his eyes: they tease and provoke, they are hungry and eager, they greedily devour Ping – but they can also be loving, gentle, tender and sad. Both Sun and Bay are emotional, horny teens, but when they have to – they act in a rational, proper adult way, supporting each other, being there for each other. And they can actually talk with each other about what they want (and what they do not want), what they fear etc. – there is hardly any miscommunication between Bay and Sun. From episode 5 onwards they play on the same team – and that team keeps winning.
There are many comments regarding "Match Point" expressing regret that Boat (Sing) and Kong (Chimon) were not given more screen time and their relationship is underdeveloped. I do not see that as a flaw nor a problem. This series is not about any of the supporting characters – not about Bee's and Chun's enmity, not about Chun's family problems, not about the people from the tennis club and not about Boat and Kong. I do, however, think that both of them fulfill a very important role in the story – they provide contrast for the main couple and act as a mirror for Bay and Sun and their relationship. Supporting characters usually do not do that, but it is a very good way of utilizing them without giving them too much screen time. While Bay and Sun have a troubled, but intense past of a childhood friendship and later rivalry, which turned into mutual attraction, Boat and Kong appear to have always been on friendly terms and their attraction seems to have was always been there. Bay and Sun gravitated towards each other, collided and became one – for Boat and Kong the mutual pull was not strong enough and they drifted apart for years. Bay and Sun are both passionate – about what they do, what they like and about each other; by comparison Boat and Kong seem settled, even a bit resigned, cautious and muted. Since this is a love story, there are no actual opponents; instead there are obstacles to overcome – and those are very different for the main couple and the supports. Once Bay and Sun end their rivalry, the only real obstacles for their relationship are external – mainly the conflict between their fathers. For Boat and Kong all obstacles are internal: it is not the lack of mutual attraction or feelings, but years spent on not acting on those feelings, growing apart and ending up in a limbo of awkwardness, with both of them hesitant or even afraid to say or do anything to change it, even when the opportunity is there. This is where the mirror works best: Sun and Bay fight and win everything they wanted – Boat and Kong give up and lose years they could have spent together. Good to see a reminder like that in a BL.
The show's OST consists of two songs, both performed by Ping and Teshow: the fast paced "Love Match", which was used in opening credits and has a thematically matching MV, and "ได้เวลารัก (Love Time)", a soft romantic song for a fresh couple/ship; there's a dreamy quality to both the song and its MV. Both songs do not get overused in the show, appearing when they need to. The same can be said about music – background music – in "Match Point" in general: it is not intrusive, overbearing nor too loud (like in so many shows). Take the episode 8 rooftop confrontation: minimal background ambient can be heard when Bay proclaims his love for Sun and is pleading with Chun – and the music does not turn into loud cacophony once Chun gives in. More Thai shows could follow that example.
I left the best for last: TeshowPing. I mentioned already that each of them is doing great in this series, but – like with all BLs – its heart is its ship. This was the biggest surprise of the show for me: Ping and Teshow work brilliantly as a couple. Both are visibly comfortable with each other, which makes their interactions – the rivalry, the banter, the intimacy – feel natural and genuine. Amazing job for their first project together. They and their chemistry are the show's biggest assets and the reason why I impatiently waited for every episode. Crazy kids got my heart beating faster – that is something very few BL ships can do. Their appearance in "Match Point" was enough for TeshowPing to earn a place in a small group of my all-time favorite ships, next to YinWar, BounPrem, MarkOhm and SeaKeen.
The story is almost entirely focused on the main couple – Bay (Teshow) and Sun (Ping) – and deceptively simple, based on the well-known trope of "enemies to lovers". However, this is not a retelling, remake nor rehash of "Bad Buddy" nor "Head 2 Head" – the show's take on that trope is its own. And it is a good take – for several reasons. The backstory is grounded and feels genuine – a conflict between two neighbors (who used to be friends), which engulfs their families, splits one of them and threatens to split the other. The execution is almost perfect, relying on mutual resentment mixed with a barely hidden longing for ending the feud and becoming friends again. This is neatly combined with both main characters being the right age to realize what they feel and want as well as being able to act upon those feelings and desires.
The show's good pacing stems from how evenly the content was spread over all 10 episodes. We get the setup and most of the cast introduced in episode 1, by episode 2 we know Bay and Sun do not really hate each other and that Bay is attracted to Sun, in episode 4 they end their rivalry, Bay confesses in episode 5, Sun is won over in episode 6 and they become a couple in conclusion of episode 7. This leaves 3 episodes to convince Bay's and Sun's fathers to end their conflict and solve other problems. There is something to do, to solve, to deal with in every episode – Sun's and Bay's story progresses nicely, fueled by their dynamic or external events, and the show never runs out of steam.
Let us also appreciate the value of having two main characters who feel relatable and behave like actual humans – something many currently running BLs seem to have a problem with. "Match Point" accomplishes this by the virtue of its writing as well as the very good works of Ping and Teshow. Sun is more mature than Bay, more hesitant, shy and thoughtful, careful, calm and collected. Ping infused his character with fragility and vulnerability it required, while being strong and driven – like every athlete should be. Bay is a different animal altogether, but also undergoes the biggest change: from cocky and antagonistic through confused and curious to loving and dedicated. It all comes across surprisingly believable. Teshow does a great job here using his physicality, in particular his eyes: they tease and provoke, they are hungry and eager, they greedily devour Ping – but they can also be loving, gentle, tender and sad. Both Sun and Bay are emotional, horny teens, but when they have to – they act in a rational, proper adult way, supporting each other, being there for each other. And they can actually talk with each other about what they want (and what they do not want), what they fear etc. – there is hardly any miscommunication between Bay and Sun. From episode 5 onwards they play on the same team – and that team keeps winning.
There are many comments regarding "Match Point" expressing regret that Boat (Sing) and Kong (Chimon) were not given more screen time and their relationship is underdeveloped. I do not see that as a flaw nor a problem. This series is not about any of the supporting characters – not about Bee's and Chun's enmity, not about Chun's family problems, not about the people from the tennis club and not about Boat and Kong. I do, however, think that both of them fulfill a very important role in the story – they provide contrast for the main couple and act as a mirror for Bay and Sun and their relationship. Supporting characters usually do not do that, but it is a very good way of utilizing them without giving them too much screen time. While Bay and Sun have a troubled, but intense past of a childhood friendship and later rivalry, which turned into mutual attraction, Boat and Kong appear to have always been on friendly terms and their attraction seems to have was always been there. Bay and Sun gravitated towards each other, collided and became one – for Boat and Kong the mutual pull was not strong enough and they drifted apart for years. Bay and Sun are both passionate – about what they do, what they like and about each other; by comparison Boat and Kong seem settled, even a bit resigned, cautious and muted. Since this is a love story, there are no actual opponents; instead there are obstacles to overcome – and those are very different for the main couple and the supports. Once Bay and Sun end their rivalry, the only real obstacles for their relationship are external – mainly the conflict between their fathers. For Boat and Kong all obstacles are internal: it is not the lack of mutual attraction or feelings, but years spent on not acting on those feelings, growing apart and ending up in a limbo of awkwardness, with both of them hesitant or even afraid to say or do anything to change it, even when the opportunity is there. This is where the mirror works best: Sun and Bay fight and win everything they wanted – Boat and Kong give up and lose years they could have spent together. Good to see a reminder like that in a BL.
The show's OST consists of two songs, both performed by Ping and Teshow: the fast paced "Love Match", which was used in opening credits and has a thematically matching MV, and "ได้เวลารัก (Love Time)", a soft romantic song for a fresh couple/ship; there's a dreamy quality to both the song and its MV. Both songs do not get overused in the show, appearing when they need to. The same can be said about music – background music – in "Match Point" in general: it is not intrusive, overbearing nor too loud (like in so many shows). Take the episode 8 rooftop confrontation: minimal background ambient can be heard when Bay proclaims his love for Sun and is pleading with Chun – and the music does not turn into loud cacophony once Chun gives in. More Thai shows could follow that example.
I left the best for last: TeshowPing. I mentioned already that each of them is doing great in this series, but – like with all BLs – its heart is its ship. This was the biggest surprise of the show for me: Ping and Teshow work brilliantly as a couple. Both are visibly comfortable with each other, which makes their interactions – the rivalry, the banter, the intimacy – feel natural and genuine. Amazing job for their first project together. They and their chemistry are the show's biggest assets and the reason why I impatiently waited for every episode. Crazy kids got my heart beating faster – that is something very few BL ships can do. Their appearance in "Match Point" was enough for TeshowPing to earn a place in a small group of my all-time favorite ships, next to YinWar, BounPrem, MarkOhm and SeaKeen.
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