The big devil in table tennis

Now everyone has successfully advanced and will enter the next round of finals.

This is vital for everyone.

Especially now, Jianhua hasn't recovered yet, and he succeeded so easily.

"We have now successfully advanced, and everyone needs to play at their best from now on." Lin Hui said to Xu Xin, Shaojie and Jianhua.

At this time, Xu Xin and Shaojie nodded.

Agree with this point of view.

Jianhua nodded mechanically, with a stiff arc at the corner of his mouth.

After that, the time for their respective games was soon revealed.

Lin Hui started first, followed by Jianhua, and Xu Xin and Shaojie's mixed doubles last.

After they had a full night's rest, the game continued.

The first player to enter the semi-finals this time was Lin Hui.

When Lin Hui came on the court, the coach had already analyzed the opponent's previous playing style with him.

Lin Hui stood in front of the table, his fingers gently stroking the rubber of the racket.

The lights in the venue were blindingly cold, and sweat slid down his temple, leaving a small dark mark on the white floor.

The opponent, the Korean player, was wiping his racket with a towel, his eyes as sharp as an eagle.

They had played against each other in last year's open tournament, when Lin Hui won by a narrow margin. But today, the opponent was clearly well prepared.

The referee whistle sounded and Lin Hui stood in front of the stage.

The men's singles final of the National Table Tennis Championships, your opponent will serve now!

The referee's voice came through the loudspeaker, and Lin Hui's eyes were focused on the figure across the table.

He was wearing a bright red team uniform and weighed the ping-pong ball in his hand with an expressionless face. His hawk-like eyes looked straight at him through the net, causing Lin Hui to involuntarily tense his shoulders.

"Relax, just like normal training." Lin Hui said to himself, but he felt his knees trembling slightly.

Because the person standing opposite him was his top player.

The opposing player bends down and throws the ball high up with his left hand.

At that moment, Lin Hui seemed to see time slow down, the ball rotated and rose to the highest point, and then began to fall.

Just as the ball was about to touch the opponent's racket, his wrist shook at a speed that was almost impossible to capture with the naked eye.

"Snapped!"

The ball shot out like a bullet, but drew a strange arc at the moment it passed the net, as if its trajectory was changed by an invisible force.

Lin Hui's pupils suddenly contracted, and his body instinctively took a step to the right, with the racket hastily hitting the target.

"Oh no!" The moment the ball touched the racket, Lin Hui realized that he had misjudged the rotation.

The small white ball hit the edge of his racket with a strong side spin and bounced back in an irregular trajectory.

The other contestant had already been waiting in front of the stage, with a hunter-like sharpness flashing in his eyes.

He leaned back slightly, stretched his right arm like a full bow, and then swung it forward with a thunderous force.

"boom!"

With a fierce smash, the ball hit Lin Hui's table like a cannonball, and then bounced towards the audience at a nearly vertical angle.

Lin Hui didn't even have time to move his feet. He could only watch the white shadow whizzing past him.

"1 to 0! The opponent is leading!" the referee announced.

The audience burst into warm applause and cheers, and the opponent walked back to the serving position with an expressionless face, as if the amazing shot just now was just a routine matter.

Lin Hui stood there, feeling his throat tighten and more sweat oozing out of the palms of his hands holding the racket.

"Is this the strength of a world-class player?" Lin Hui looked down at his racket. The rubber surface still showed traces of rotation from the ball just now.

He recalled his coach's words before the game: "The opponent's serve is his biggest weapon, especially the fast serve with side spin. Many players will be stunned in the first game."

Lin Hui wiped the sweat from his face with a towel and forced himself to take a deep breath.

The air in the stadium had a faint smell of plastic and the saltiness of sweat. He closed his eyes and tried to find his rhythm again.

"Don't panic, it's only the first point." He said to himself, but his heart was still beating violently in his chest, as if it was going to break through the constraints of his ribs.

He thought about how he had overcome all obstacles and reached the finals, the hours of practicing alone late at night, his worn-out palms, and the countless times he practiced receiving serves in front of the serving machine. Could it be that all these efforts were so vulnerable in front of a truly strong opponent?
Lin Hui looked up and saw that his opponent was ready to serve the second ball.

The other person's eyes were as calm as a pool of deep water, without any emotional fluctuations. This kind of concentration made Lin Hui feel an invisible pressure, as if his every move was calculated by the other person.

"Focus, Lin Hui, focus on the ball." He adjusted his stance, bent his knees, lowered his center of gravity, and tilted his racket slightly forward, preparing for the next serve.

The opponent threw the ball again, and this time, Lin Hui stared at the opponent's wrist movement.

He noticed that Zhang Zhendong had a subtle inward movement at the moment of contact with the ball, which was the key to creating strong rotation.

The ball came at a strange angle again, but this time Lin Hui predicted it in advance and successfully returned the ball.

However, the opponent seemed to have expected it, and with a side attack, the ball hit back to Lin Hui's backhand like lightning.

Lin Hui barely saved the ball, but his return was too high and his opponent jumped up and smashed it without hesitation, scoring another point.

"2 to 0!"

Lin Hui felt his cheeks getting hot, not because of the stuffiness in the venue, but because of a gradually spreading feeling of powerlessness.

He walked back to the stage, picked up the water bottle and took a sip. The cold liquid slid down his throat, but it couldn't quench the anxiety rising in his heart.

"His serve has too much spin and is varied." Lin Hui quickly analyzed in his mind, "If I retreat to receive the ball, I will be suppressed by his fast attack; if I attack close to the table, I will easily make mistakes."

Suddenly, there was a familiar cheer coming from the stands. Lin Hui turned around and saw that it was his coach and teammates.

The coach gestured for him to relax his shoulders.

Only then did Lin Hui realize that his upper body was as stiff as a board.

He did a few squats, trying to loosen up his tight muscles.

"Try changing your serve and receive position." Lin Hui decided to adjust his strategy. He no longer stayed close to the table, but took a small step back, so that he could give himself more time to react.

The other player seemed to notice this subtle change, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.

He served his third time, this time a little slower but with more spin.

Lin Hui seized the opportunity and gently blocked the ball with his backhand, and the ball drew a low arc and landed on the opponent's table.

The opponent player obviously did not expect the quality of this return to be so high. He made a slight mistake in his attack and the ball hit the net and went out of bounds.

“1 to 2! Lin Hui scores!”

Applause broke out in the audience. Lin Hui clenched his fists and finally smiled for the first time since today's game.

Although this point was small, it was like a ray of light in the darkness, giving him the courage to continue fighting.

"So you can make mistakes too." Lin Hui looked at the champion player on the opposite side, and the fear in his heart eased a little.

He remembered what his coach often said: "There is no unbeatable opponent on the table tennis table, only the heart that dares not win."

In the next few rounds, Lin Hui gradually found some feeling.

He began to be able to determine the direction of rotation of the opponent's serve. Although he could not completely crack it, at least he was no longer as helpless as he was at the beginning.

The scores rose alternately, and the opponent player was still in the lead, but the gap did not widen further.

"Pause!" The opposing player suddenly signaled to the referee.

Lin Hui was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect the opponent to call a timeout at this time. He walked back to his rest area, and the coach immediately handed him a towel and water.

"You're starting to get used to his serve," the coach whispered. "Pay attention to the direction of his wrist shake, which can predict the type of spin. Also, his shoulders drop when he serves a fastball."

Lin Hui nodded and wiped the sweat that kept dripping from his forehead with a towel.

He secretly glanced at Zhang Zhendong opposite him, and saw that the opponent's coach was saying something seriously, while the opponent's player was nodding attentively and occasionally interrupting to ask questions.

"They are also studying me." Lin Hui realized this and felt a strange sense of pride. The fact that the defending champion took him so seriously meant that he was indeed a threat.

The timeout ends and the game continues.

The opponent's serve became more varied, combining fast and slow, and alternating strong and weak rotations.

Lin Hui stared intently at every subtle movement of the other party, trying to find a pattern from it.

On the fifth serve, the opponent made an exaggerated tossing motion and the ball flew high.

Lin Hui noticed that the opponent's wrist had a subtle outward rotation and immediately determined that this was a serve with strong backspin.

He stepped forward in advance, and gently picked up the ball when it bounced. The ball drew a graceful arc and landed near the net on the opponent's table.

The opponent player rushed forward to save the ball, but the return was too high. Lin Hui seized the opportunity and hit a forehand to tie the score to 4-4.

The audience was boiling with excitement; this beautiful score brought back the suspense of the game.

Lin Hui felt the blood rushing in his veins, and that familiar excitement of the competition finally returned.

He was no longer dominated by fear, but began to enjoy the excitement of confronting the strong.

However, the opponent was an experienced player after all. He quickly adjusted his state and took advantage of a minor mistake made by Lin Hui when receiving the serve to take the lead again.

In the next few rounds, both sides played at a high level, and the long-range stalemate drew cheers from the audience.

The atmosphere in the entire stadium was extremely tense, and the audience held their breath, waiting for the result of this crucial point.

The other player wiped the sweat from his forehead and his eyes became particularly sharp.

He tossed the ball and served. This time, the ball was so fast that its trajectory was almost invisible, and it passed the net with a strong side spin.

Lin Hui blocked the ball back with his instinctive reaction, but the quality of the return was not high.

"Remember, his serve is not unstoppable." The coach's voice echoed in my ears, "The key is to watch the wrist movement at the moment of contact with the ball."

He walked to the left side of the table and took out the slightly damp ping-pong ball from his trouser pocket.

The small white ball rotated in his palm, and the fine lines on its surface rubbed against his skin.

This is his serve, a chance to tie the score.

Lin Hui glanced at the opponent.

The opponent still had no expression on his face, but his eyes were more focused than in the first game. He obviously didn't expect Lin Hui to adapt to his serve so quickly. This discovery made Lin Hui's mouth slightly raised.

Toss the ball and swing the racket.

Lin Hui chose a short ball with side spin near the net, and the ball fell rapidly after passing the net.

The opponent player reacted very quickly, took a step forward and lightly flicked the ball, which went over the net.

Lin Hui was well prepared, and with a quick backhand shot, the ball went straight to the opponent's backhand corner.

"Good shot!" The audience cheered. 2:2, a tie.

The opposing player moved to the left side of the table.

He habitually fanned himself with his racket, his eyes as sharp as a knife.

Lin Hui bent down and stared intently at the opponent's hand holding the ball.

This time, Lin Hui threw the ball a little lower than in the first game.

At the moment the ball fell, Lin Hui noticed that his shoulders had an almost imperceptible sinking movement.

"Quick ball!" The opponent's brain made a judgment in an instant.

Sure enough, the ball went straight to his forehand like lightning.

But this time, Lin Hui was well prepared thanks to the advance prediction.

He stepped aside and made a forehand drive, and the ball hit the opponent's table and bounced up like a cannonball.

The opposing player obviously didn't expect the return to be so strong.

Lin Hui clenched his fists and silently cheered himself on.

He felt the pace of the game beginning to tilt towards him.

The opposing player frowned and wiped the non-existent sweat from his forehead with a towel. This subtle action revealed his inner turmoil.

The opponent changed his strategy and hit the ball so high that it almost touched the ceiling on the way down.

This exaggerated throw usually means a lot of spin.

Lin Hui held his breath and didn't blink.

At the moment the racket touches the ball, the opponent's wrist has an obvious outward turning movement.

“Backspin!”

Lin Hui stepped forward, tilted the racket slightly upward, and gently touched the ball at the highest point of its bounce.

The white ball drew a beautiful arc and fell rapidly just after it passed the net. The opponent rushed forward to try to save the ball, but the ball had bounced twice and was powerless to save it.

“3:2!”

The whole stadium was in an uproar. Lin Hui broke his opponent's serve repeatedly, which was extremely rare in previous games.

He heard someone in the audience shouting his name, the voice trembling slightly with excitement.

The other team called a timeout.

Lin Hui walked back to the rest area, and the coach patted him on the shoulder excitedly: "Well done! You completely saw through his serve!"

"His shoulder drops mean he's hitting a fastball, and his wrist turns outward mean he's spinning backwards," Lin Hui said, panting, sweat dripping down his chin. "But I think he'll change his strategy soon."

“Right,” the coach handed over the water bottle. “He might add more rotational variations next. Pay attention to his finger movements.”

After the sixty-second timeout, the opponent's expression returned to calm, but his eyes became sharper.

Lin Hui noticed that his fingers holding the racket tightened slightly, which was a new movement.

The moment the ball left the racket, Lin Hui realized that he had made a wrong judgment.

This is not just sidespin or backspin, but a rare counterspin serve.

After the ball passed the net, its trajectory shifted strangely to the left, completely opposite to what he had predicted.

The hasty return ball bounced high, and the opponent player seized the opportunity to score a slam dunk.

“3:3!”

Lin Hui bit his lower lip. The opponent had indeed adjusted his serve, which shook his newly built confidence.

But he quickly adjusted his mentality, thinking that competition is a process of countering each opponent's moves.

The next few rounds turned into an intellectual game of serving and receiving.

The opponent player constantly changed the spin and speed of his serve, while Lin Hui tried hard to interpret every subtle body language.

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(End of this chapter)