Table tennis: Swinging the racket billions of times, achieving a grand slam

Chapter 189 Big Score, 2:1
Same as a forehand push.

Backhand attack, or backhand pull, is also one of the two unique backhand techniques of straight blades, especially Japanese straight blades.

Representative figures: Ryu Seung-min and Kim Taek-soo.

For older generation straight players such as Liu Guoliang and Ma Lin, their backhand is mostly push and block.

Before the rise of horizontal hitting, straight-blade hitting was almost always single-sided attack.

The backhand attack is explosive and threatening.

However, the power of backhand attack is far less smooth than that of sideways attack.

It even goes against human body mechanics.

In today's world table tennis, the straight-blade backhand technique has long been updated and upgraded.

There is no doubt that the straight-blade horizontal double-sided loop created by Wang Hao is the future of the straight-blade.

As for the straight-blade single-sided techniques such as push and backhand attack, they have long been eliminated with the retirement of the older generation.

Especially the backhand attack.

No one expected that Chen Jin would use such an old-fashioned style of play in the match against Ma Taki.

Moreover, it has achieved amazing results.

The sudden backhand attack made Ma Taki a little confused.

"Just beat me in push and block, that's all."

Ma Long's mentality fluctuated slightly, "What does this backhand attack mean?"

It's not just Ma Taki.

Between the auditorium.

Seeing Chen Jin suddenly use the long-lost backhand attack, Wang Hao was stunned for a moment.

"Straight backhand attack?"

Wang Hao smiled bitterly, "Isn't Chen Jin afraid that his racket will fly out and hit someone?"

however.

In any case, the power and speed of Chen Jin's backhand attack were no less than his backhand powerful tear.

7: 10.

Ma Taki continued to serve.

Although the second game was already on the edge of the cliff.

But there was no expression on Ma Long's face.

High throw.

Side down.

Left of center line.

Chen Jintai twists the straight line inside.

The power is not great, the speed is not fast, but the rotation is strong.

Ma Taki used his backhand to cut the ball sideways.

It has to be admitted that Ma Taki's current strength is bound to decline due to his age.

Compared with the head-on confrontation at his peak, Ma Taki's current skills and tactics have undergone major adjustments and changes.

One obvious point is that during the game, the backhand side cut was strengthened.

In the past, Ma Taki had used backhand side cuts, but not many times.

In recent years, the backhand side cut has not only been used more and more, but also become more and more proficient.

In the game, he often uses this side cut to change the rhythm and thus reverse the situation.

It is known that Ma Taki's side cut was a strong sideways cut.

Fortunately, the speed was slow and the arc was high, giving Chen Jin enough time to adjust his pace.

Chen Jin slid sideways, faced the incoming ball, and rushed with his forehand.

"Snapped!"

One force can bring down ten.

11: 7.

Chen Jin won another victory.

The score is 2:0, leading Ma Taki.

The second game is over.

Putting down their rackets, the two men took their towels and walked towards the rest area.

Everyone was thinking about what tactics to adopt in the next game.

"Two to zero."

Xu Xin was silent for a moment, then turned to look at Cheng Jingqi, "Do you think Team Long can make a comeback?"

After watching these two games, Chen Jin and Ma Taki fought with wits and courage on the court.

In terms of the results, Chen Jin is temporarily slightly better.

But, as we all know, Ma Taki is a famous tactical master.

During the World Cup, the men's singles final.

Lin Gaoyuan once led with a big score of 3:0.

In the end, Ma Taki made a comeback from 3-0 to 4-0.

Even though we were three games behind, this was still the case.

Just two games, so what?

"Hard to say."

Cheng Jingqi spread his hands.

If it was Ma Taki in his prime, he might not have any hesitation.

Nowadays, although there is no problem with Ma Taki's skills and tactics, his physical strength is a problem.

Besides, Chen Jin is not Lin Gaoyuan.

The strength is obvious to all.

It will not be easy for Ma Taki to turn the tables.

“I find it difficult, too.”

Xu Xin said, "At present, Chen Jin's skills have almost no shortcomings."

As he spoke, he counted on his fingers, "Small balls inside the table, the first three shots, forehand and backhand, mid-to-near table, mid-to-long table... I'm not afraid of Ma Taki at all."

"The key is that Chen Jin's pace is like lightning. He saves the ball all over the table in a flash."

“This is truly horrific.”

“Unless Ma Long from 15, 16, or 17 comes, he will have a chance to compete with Chen Jin.”

"Now, after all, I am old, and my physical strength and pace have seriously declined."

"It's impossible to fight these young players head-on."

"We can only rely on experience and tactics to see if we can find a breakthrough."

Speaking of which.

Xu Xin suddenly sighed: "How does the saying go... Since ancient times, beauties lament their old age, and heroes are not allowed to see white hair."

"It's definitely a good thing for the team if young players can perform well."

"But for these veterans... well, all I can say is, cherish the present and cherish the game."

Just when I was sighing.

The third game is about to begin.

But Chen Jin and Ma Taki stepped onto the field again.

After switching sides.

It's Chen Jin's first round serve again.

It was not easy to win the first two games.

Especially the second game.

We were behind 1:6 at the start.

Fortunately, I was able to withstand the pressure and turn the situation around, turning defeat into victory.

"The third game is the most important."

"Team Dragon is likely still trying to fight me."

Chen Jin thought to himself, "It's better to strike first and I'll rob him too."

Think about this.

He started with a long kick.

Even though they were leading by a large margin, they fought even more fiercely than himself, and Ma Taki was caught off guard.

Soon they were behind 0:4.

However, Ma Taki adjusted in time and scored four points in a row with forehand attacks and changes in landing points to tie the score.

Just as Xu Xin said, Ma Taki has experienced countless battles in his more than 20 years of professional career and is full of experience.

What’s even more terrifying is that Ma Taki’s ability to read the game is also at the pinnacle.

Although Chen Jin's strength was terribly strong, after two rounds of competition, he still found flaws and opportunities for counterattack.

"Chen Jin plays short, Ma Long plays long."

"Chen Jin hits the ball diagonally, Ma Taki quickly tears through the middle."

"Chen Jin wiped the ball with his backhand, and Ma Long turned sideways and rushed with his forehand... beautiful!"

Xu Xin couldn't help but applaud, "Did you see that? This is the adjustment ability of a top player."

"The control of the landing point is quite exciting."

"In fact, Ma Long should have played like this a long time ago. He couldn't let Chen Jin gain a firm foothold and then compete with him in forehand and backhand."

"The only way is to change the landing point to mobilize Chen Jin and make him unable to actively exert force."

Cheng Jingqi smiled and said, "It seems that Team Long has finally found Chen Jin's weakness."

however.

In the end, the two of them underestimated Chen Jin.

Next, four to four.

Chen Jin took the ball.

The forehand is short. Side down.

Ma Long made a short move, while Chen Jin made a long move.

Ma Long took advantage of the situation and Chen Jin quickly tore the diagonal line.

Ma Long used his backhand to tear the middle road, and Chen Jin rushed sideways in a straight line.

Ma Taki flew to his forehand and pulled back to save the ball.

"Snapped!"

"Snapped!"

"Snapped!"

……

The two men ran all over the table, fighting with backhands and forehands.

But in the blink of an eye.

It had already been blasted back and forth more than a dozen times.

All of a sudden.

The whole audience exclaimed, as if they were returning to their ancestors.

Finally, Chen Jin stood in the middle and threw a backhand shot.

"Snapped!"

The ping-pong ball moved in an amazing arc, like a mortar, and slammed towards Ma Taki's chasing position.

Ma Long twisted his waist and tried to pull back with his forehand.

Unfortunately, Chen Jin's ball had particularly strong side spin.

Ma Taki failed to hit the mark.

Snapped!
Hit the edge of the board again.

The ping-pong ball flew straight away.

"Wow—"

There was an avalanche of cheers and applause at the scene.

In the last ball, Chen Jin and Ma Taki exchanged more than 20 rebounds.

Every round is of high quality.

Moreover, it is filled with confrontations of power and calculations of landing points.

It’s so enjoyable to watch.

"Wow, Team Long is worthy of being the GOAT. A 30-year-old veteran still has such pace. This goal is an honorable defeat."

"A god who comes down the mountain is still a god... However, the one who surprised me the most was Chen Jin. He uses a straight racket, and with a backhand from far away, he was able to hit through the forehand of Team Dragon. It's incredible."

"It's a pity that the Dragon team is not in peak condition, otherwise, this game would definitely be more exciting."

"To beat the Dragon team like this, this straight-blade newcomer is really good."

……

All of a sudden.

The audience was talking about it.

Ma Taki obviously didn't care about the outcome of this ball.

Instead, he devoted himself to the next ball.

In the third game, Ma Taki's touch and condition were at their best.

more importantly.

He knew very well that the quality of Chen Jin's forehand and backhand shots, as well as his continuity, were not something he could match head-on.

Therefore, he decisively changed his tactical style of play.

Hit the landing point and fight for the shot.

Facts have proved that this tactical approach is somewhat effective.

We are no longer in a passive situation like before.

At least, the scores of the two players rose alternately.

This game was a bit tense.

The score was 15:14 but the winner was still unclear.

In the end, Ma Long scored a lucky shot and finally got the crucial point, pulling one back.

The overall score is 2:1.

Since the qualifiers, Chen Jin has almost always won every game, no matter who his opponent is.

Now, he was defeated by Ma Taki.

"The situation is not good."

Wang Hao was sitting in the audience, watching this scene, and couldn't help but frowning secretly, "Ma Long's touch and condition seem to be fully displayed."

Thinking back to the past, he had fought with Ma Long many times and knew Ma Long quite well.

He knew very well that once Ma Taki was in hot form, even if he was no longer at his peak, he could still defeat many of the world's top table tennis players.

In addition, what worries Wang Hao most is Chen Jin’s mentality.

After all, Chen Jin is young, his mindset is not right, and he lacks experience.

Before this match, facing top players like Wang Chuqin, Lin Shidong and Felix, everything went smoothly, with clean sweeps and no losses at all.

But now, in the third game, after fighting so hard, he lost to Ma Taki because of a lucky ball.

It is bound to affect Chen Jin's mentality.

Wang Hao couldn't help but worry: "I don't know if Chen Jin can stay stable."

For Chen Jin, the match with Ma Taki is not only a technical battle, but also a test of mentality.

Think of this.

Wang Hao looked at Chen Jin from afar.

But Chen Jin was seen walking off the field with a towel in his hand, wiping his sweat.

Judging from his expression, he didn't seem to be affected at all.

"what?"

Wang Hao was a little surprised, "So calm?"

"Or maybe he appears to be as calm as an old dog on the outside, but he is actually very nervous on the inside."

Although he didn't know what Chen Jin's mentality was at the moment, Wang Hao felt a little nervous.

When promoting the match between Chen Jin and Ma Taki, the gimmick of "the replacement of the old with the new" was used.

Of course, all this was Liu Guoliang's idea.

If Chen Jin loses, it is hard to imagine what kind of public pressure both the coaching staff and Chen Jin himself will be under.

Wang Hao had experienced this kind of public pressure twenty years ago.

After so many years of ups and downs, his mentality has become as stable as a rock.

But can a boy of fifteen or sixteen really withstand such terrible pressure from public opinion?
Wang Hao couldn't help but break out in cold sweat on his palms.

"Chen Jin, hold on!"

Wang Hao shouted silently in his heart, cheering for Chen Jin, "As long as you can overcome Ma Long, from now on, the sky will be high for birds to fly and the sea will be wide for fish to leap."

If Chen Jin wins this game, there is no doubt that he will succeed Ma Taki and become one of the three absolute main players of the national table tennis team.

The new Olympic cycle has just begun.

All the resources of the coaching staff will be poured into it.

As long as Chen Jin works hard enough, his name will be seen in Los Angeles four years later.

The more I think about it, the more excited I get, and the more excited I get, the more nervous I get.

Wang Hao wanted to rush into the stadium and give Chen Jinmeng some chicken soup.

Unfortunately, this is a civil war.

He couldn't even cheer for Chen Jin.

Liu Guoliang, who was sitting next to him, seemed to sense Wang Hao's inner tension and asked with a smile, "Why? Are you worried that Chen Jin will lose his mentality and lose to Ma Long?"

"Ah."

Wang Hao nodded and sighed softly, "Chen Jin has participated in too few competitions. He is not very old, so how can he compare with a veteran like Ma Long in mentality?"

"I don't think so."

Liu Guoliang smiled and said, "In the previous game, Ma Long relied entirely on his own touch. Look at Ma Long's steps. Do they have a bit of peak performance?"

"But even so, Chen Jin still managed to beat Ma Long to a score of 16 to 14."

"If the last ball wasn't a stroke of luck, Ma Long might not have won the third game."

Although Liu Guoliang is no longer a coach, his assessment of the performance and judgment of the players on the field is still quite accurate.

"I've watched every game that Chen Jin has played recently."

Liu Guoliang looked up at Chen Jin in the rest area, a smile on his face, "His mentality is not as fragile as you think."

After listening to Liu Guoliang's words.

Wang Hao was even more surprised. He didn't expect Liu Guoliang to be so optimistic about Chen Jin.

"Maybe."

Wang Hao's heart was moved, "But I still feel that Chen Jin has participated in too few competitions, so he needs to continue to hone his skills."

"This is natural."

Liu Guoliang glanced at Wang Hao and asked, "You don't still want Chen Jin to participate in the Asian Championships, do you?"

"Coach Liu has a keen eye."

Wang Hao smiled and said, "With Chen Jin's performance, it is more than enough for him to participate in the Asian Championships."

"Also, up to now, Chen Jin has defeated many external experts, but there is still one person he has not met yet."

Liu Guoliang understood immediately: "You mean... Zhang Benzhihe?"

"Correct."

Wang Hao nodded.

For the Chinese national table tennis team, Tomokazu Harimoto is definitely the number one enemy.

"There's a chance."

Liu Guoliang crossed his arms over his chest and said something lightly, ending the topic.

(End of this chapter)