The big devil in table tennis

The air seemed to freeze at both ends of the table tennis table. The opponent's eyes were burning with the fire of not admitting defeat. He bent his waist, holding the racket in his palm until it was hot. He suddenly hit a backhand smash, and the white ball tore through the air like a bullet, heading straight for Lin Hui's baseline.

"Snapped!"

Lin Hui turned sideways to block the ball, but the opponent had already predicted where it would land. He took a step forward, and the racket drew a sharp arc from bottom to top, and the ping-pong ball flew to the opposite corner with a strong rotation. Sweat dripped down his chin, splashing tiny water on the blue rubber surface.

“4:5!”

Before the referee's voice fell, the opponent launched a new round of attacks. He changed his tactics and made three consecutive quick attacks to hit Lin Hui's forehand. The ball speed was getting faster and faster, and the audience exclaimed one after another. In the fifth round, he suddenly changed the line and hit a beautiful side shot that caught Lin Hui off guard.

“5:5!”

The audience burst into thunderous applause.

The opposing player finally straightened up and wiped the sweat off his face with his jersey.

The look in his eyes when he looked at the scoreboard showed both the joy of equalizing the score and the determination to keep fighting.

The lights from the gymnasium cast a dazzling spot of light on his wet vest, and his slightly trembling calf muscles betrayed the energy he had consumed in that fierce attack.

Since the other player got a ball, this ball was served by him.

When he served, he froze like a martial artist in Peking Opera, holding the ping-pong ball high in his left hand. The ball shone with the luster of mother-of-pearl under the overhead light.

The stopwatch on the referee's bench began ticking, and Lin Hui saw his shoulder blades stretching back like a crane spreading its wings, and his forward-leaning upper body cast a sharp triangular shadow on the table.

The exhaust fan on the ceiling of the venue was humming, stirring the stagnant air, and the anti-rubber on his racket was faintly reflecting a dark red light.

The moment the ball was thrown into the air, there was a sound of shutter clicks somewhere in the stands.

The spinning ping-pong ball seemed to stop when it rose to a height of three meters, as if it was hung by an invisible thread somewhere between the ceiling light and the table.

His right wrist joint suddenly turned inward, and his upper arm led his forearm to draw a perfect whipping trajectory. The moment the racket touched the ball, Lin Hui heard the explosion made by the composite material squeezing the air.

After that, Lin Hui focused his attention and the game became increasingly intense. The breathing of both players became rapid, and sweat slid down their cheeks and dripped onto the table, making a slight "click" sound.

The noise in the audience gradually died down, and everyone held their breath, staring at this stalemate duel.

Lin Hui took a deep breath and clenched the racket, his knuckles turning slightly white.

He raised his eyes to look at his opponent and found that in addition to determination, there was also a hint of imperceptible anxiety in the other party's eyes. Obviously, the continuous attack just now consumed a lot of his physical strength.

"We can't let him find the rhythm." Lin Hui thought.

He decided to change his strategy and no longer use a head-on confrontation, but instead use more delicate ball control to disrupt the opponent's offense.

He tossed the ball lightly, flicked his wrist, and served a very short side-spin ball.

The ping-pong ball lightly flew over the net, bounced lightly on the opponent's table, and fell almost touching the net.

The opponent obviously didn't expect this move. He hurried forward and barely picked up the ball with his backhand.

However, the quality of the return ball was not high and it flew slightly high, giving Lin Hui a great opportunity.

Lin Hui's eyes flashed, and he attacked sideways without hesitation, with a violent forehand loop ball heading straight into the opponent's backhand corner!

"Snapped!"

The ball flew across the table like lightning. Although the opponent tried hard to save the ball, the ball had already hit the edge of the table and flew out of bounds.

6:5, Lin Hui is leading!

There was a burst of cheers from the audience, but Lin Hui did not relax. He knew that the other party would never give up easily.

It was Lin Hui's turn to serve. He stood on the left side of the table, his eyes sharp, as if he was thinking about tactics.

Suddenly, he turned his wrist and sent a fast and sharp long ball straight to the opponent's baseline!

The opponent player reacted very quickly, took a half step back, and blocked the ball back steadily with his backhand.

Lin Hui was well prepared. He just turned sideways and made a forehand attack!

"boom!"

The ball flew towards Lin Hui's forehand position with strong spin and speed.

Lin Hui quickly adjusted his footwork, lowered his body center of gravity, and also hit back with a forehand!

"Clap! Clap! Clap!"

The two began a fierce rally, the ball speed became faster and faster, the arc became lower and lower, and almost every board challenged the limit of human reaction.

The audience's eyes could hardly follow the trajectory of the ball. They could only see two figures moving quickly at both ends of the table, and the sound of the racket hitting the ball was like dense drum beats.

Lin Hui felt that the quality of the opponent's return ball had slightly declined, and immediately seized the opportunity, suddenly changed the line, and hit the ball into the opponent's forehand gap!

The opponent was trying hard to save the ball.

It was difficult to save a goal.

The opposing player gritted his teeth, obviously extremely annoyed by this ball.

It also means that the game has entered a critical stage. Lin Hui only needs to win two more goals to be invincible, but his opponent will obviously not give up easily.

This time, the opponent hit a strange short ball with reverse rotation. Lin Hui cautiously played it short, trying to control the rhythm.

The opponent suddenly made a quick long chop and the ball went straight to Lin Hui's backhand baseline!

Lin Hui was forced to retreat from the table and barely pulled the ball back, but the opponent had predicted it in advance and directly made a backhand quick tear, and the ball shot towards Lin Hui's forehand corner like a sharp arrow!

Lin Hui took a step forward and barely blocked the ball, but the ball was too high. The opponent seized the opportunity, jumped high, and dunked!

"boom!"

The ball hit Lin Hui's table hard, bounced and flew directly onto the opponent's table.

The opponent's momentum has begun to pick up.

Lin Hui knew that he had to keep his mind steady. He took a deep breath and served a high-quality backspin ball.

The opponent cautiously rubbed the ball back, and Lin Hui immediately turned sideways and pulled the ball, which drew a beautiful arc and went straight to the opponent's backhand.

The opponent barely blocked it back, but Lin Hui was already prepared for the next attack and directly rushed forward with a forehand!

Lin Hui was only one step away from victory! But what a pity!

The whole place was silent and everyone held their breath.

When the opponent was playing, his eyes were sharp, his wrist flicked, and he hit an extremely fast ball straight towards Lin Hui!

Lin Hui was prepared and attacked directly from the side!

"Snapped!"

The ball flew towards the opponent's table like a meteor. The opponent tried to block it, but the ball had already hit the side and flew out!

Lin Hui clenched his fists, victory was in sight!

However, the opponent did not give up. He served a very short side spin ball, but Lin Hui made a mistake in hitting the ball too high.

The opponent seized the opportunity and made a direct and violent attack!

The ping-pong ball bounced lightly on the table, drawing a strange sideways arc.

Lin Hui's pupils shrank, he took two quick steps, and subconsciously pushed his wrist forward.

"Oops!"

The moment the racket touched the ball, he knew that the quality of his return was not high.

The little white ball bounced slightly in front of the net, drawing a deadly half-high arc.

On the other side, the opponent's eyes suddenly became sharp, and his body pressed forward like a cheetah. His right arm stretched back, and the racket left a silver afterimage under the light.

"Snapped!"

With a violent lob, the ball tore through the air like a bullet, heading straight for Lin Hui's backhand corner with a strong topspin.

Lin Hui barely turned sideways and hastily blocked the ball with his racket, but the ball had already hit the corner of the table like a meteor.

There was a burst of exclamations from the stands.

Lin Hui looked down at his slightly trembling knuckles. Sweat dripped down his chin onto the table, leaving a small dark mark.

Lin Hui decided to use his best counter-spin shot.

The ball flew towards the opponent's table with a strong side spin.

The ping-pong ball drew a strange arc on the table, with a strong reverse rotation, as if it was pushed by an invisible hand, and quickly turned towards the opponent's backhand corner.

The opponent's eyes flashed, and he quickly lowered his body's center of gravity, with his racket tilting slightly at the moment of contact with the ball - he tried to use the force to reduce the rotation, but the ball still vibrated violently on the rubber, and the return line was forced to rise!

Lin Hui's steps were as fast as lightning. He rushed to the front of the stage in an instant and swung his right arm like a whip.

"Bang!" With an explosive arc loop, the ball hit the opponent's forehand gap like a cannonball!

The opponent staggered back and barely managed to get the ball back, but the return ball was high and slow, floating towards Lin Hui's center like a feather.

Lin Hui raised the corner of his mouth slightly, his body was tense like a bow, and his arms were pulled back to accumulate strength.

"Snapped!"

A textbook forehand smash, the ball hit the opponent's table like lightning, and then bounced towards the audience!

The whole audience was instantly excited, with thunderous applause. The opponent stood still, shaking his head slightly, while Lin Hui clenched his fists and shouted.

The score of 7:5 flashed on the scoreboard, like a watershed, pushing the atmosphere of the game to a climax.

"Beautiful!" The coach slapped his thigh on the sidelines, his voice so loud that it almost drowned out the cheers of the audience, "Just play like this!"

Lin Hui didn't look back, but just nodded slightly. The strands of hair on his forehead were soaked with sweat and stuck to his brow bones.

He wiped the sweat from his chin with the back of his hand, keeping his eyes fixed on his opponent behind the opposite table.

The other player was bending over and supporting his knees, his chest heaving violently.

He looked up at the scoreboard and his frown deepened.

On the sidelines, his coach was shouting something in dialect, and his tone was so harsh that several spectators around him looked at him sideways.

"Lin Hui, pay attention to his backhand!" The coach's voice came again, "He just barely returned that ball, and his wrist obviously couldn't support it!"

Lin Hui took a deep breath and bounced the ball lightly twice on the table.

He could feel his own heartbeat, steady and strong, like some kind of precise timer.

And now, facing such an opponent, he actually felt a strange calm.

"Snap--" Lin Hui threw the ball and served a very fast backspin ball. The ball bounced on the opponent's table and flew over the net almost touching it.

The opponent hurriedly returned the ball, and it bounced high. Lin Hui's eyes flashed, and his body jumped up like a spring, and his right hand drew a perfect arc.

"boom!"

The ball hit the opponent's court like a meteor, hit the sideline and landed heavily, splashing a fine dust.

The opposing player saved the ball in time, but after staggering two steps, he shook his head helplessly.

"Good shot!" Warm applause broke out from the sidelines.

Lin Hui landed steadily, sweat dripping down his chin onto the plastic court. He raised his hand to wipe his forehead, and a confident arc appeared at the corner of his mouth.

The player on the other side took a deep breath and adjusted his grip.

A breeze blew by, bringing with it the scent of green grass.

Lin Hui bent down, supported his hands on his knees, and locked his opponent's every move with his eyes like a hawk.

His mentality began to collapse. Lin Hui could clearly feel it.

The opponent's breathing became rapid, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and the hand holding the racket was trembling slightly.

Lin Hui raised the corners of his mouth slightly, and a sharp light flashed in his eyes.

"Now," he said silently in his heart.

The ball flew across the net like lightning, and the opponent hurriedly returned the ball, but lost his aim due to his messy steps.

The ball hit the ground hard out of bounds, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Warm cheers broke out from the sidelines, and Lin Hui stood up and exhaled gently. The breeze blew again, bringing the scent of grass and taking away the last bit of tension in his heart.

He knew that the balance of victory had tilted.

The opponent requests a timeout.

The referee's voice sounded.

Lin Hui walked back to his rest area, and the coach immediately handed him a towel and sports drink.

"He will definitely change his tactics," the coach said quickly. "He may use more backhand quick shots in the next game. You have to be prepared."

Lin Hui closed his eyes and simulated various possible ball paths in his mind.

He could hear discussions in the audience, some were surprised whether he would lose, while others speculated whether he could maintain his advantage to the end.

The whistle for the end of the timeout sounded. Lin Hui opened his eyes, his gaze was sharp.

He stretched his shoulders and stood in front of the table again. His opponent seemed to be much calmer, but there was still a hint of imperfection in his eyes.

The game continues.

8:5

Lin Hui serves.

To his opponent's surprise, he served a very short sidespin ball, which barely moved forward on the table.

Lin Hui hurried forward and barely lifted the ball, but the quality of his return was not high.

The opponent seized the opportunity and made a fierce forehand smash, and the ball went straight into Lin Hui's backhand corner.

Lin Hui took a deep breath and adjusted his stance. He could feel his opponent regaining his form, and the power and angle of this smash were perfect.

But Lin Hui was not panicked, he knew where his advantages lay, speed and reaction.

When he was training with the provincial team, the coach often said that his nerve reaction speed was the fastest he had seen in the past ten years.

It was Lin Hui's turn to serve. He chose a seemingly normal topspin ball, but his wrist shook slightly when it touched the ball.

There were exclamations from the audience.

This serve is so beautiful that the rotation change is almost impossible to catch with the naked eye.

Lin Hui heard someone calling his name, the voice full of surprise.

The other party's expression became even uglier.

When he bent down to pick up the ball, Lin Hui noticed that his hands were trembling slightly, which was a sign of physical exhaustion.

In a best-of-three match, falling behind by a large margin in the first game will be a huge psychological blow.

The opponent seemed to be making a desperate move and launched several consecutive attacks.

Lin Hui moved flexibly and saved every dangerous ball.

The two engaged in a tug-of-war that lasted for more than twenty beats, and the audience held their breath.

"Snap!" The opponent made a quick backhand flick, the ball hit the net and landed on Lin Hui's table with almost no bounce.

Lin Hui instinctively dived forward to save the ball, his racket barely touching it, but his return was too high.

A hint of joy flashed in the opponent's eyes, and he prepared to deliver a fatal blow.

However, at the moment he swung the racket, Lin Hui suddenly took a big step to the left and predicted the trajectory of his shot.

"boom!"

Lin Hui's backhand quick drive was like a flash of lightning, the ball flew out along the sideline, and the opponent didn't even have time to move.

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(End of this chapter)