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

Chapter 208: European home court, blocking Chen Jin?
October 10, 16pm.

A group of more than a dozen people from the national table tennis team took a bus and set off for the Capital Airport on time.

The journey to Montpellier is long and takes about 24 hours.

If you transfer in Paris, you will have to stay for ten hours.

Just sat down, the plane hasn't taken off yet.

Li Qian was very excited: "Last time I went to Lima for a game, I was in Paris for a transfer, and I stayed in the airport the whole time, so I couldn't go to the city center."

"How about we go to the center of Paris this time?"

As we all know, Paris, France, is a world-famous international fashion metropolis.

The last time I went to Lima, I didn’t have enough time and I didn’t have a French visa.

Passing by Paris without entering, Li Qian always felt a sense of loss and regret for not having been able to get in.

But this time it's different.

They were originally competing in France and had visas.

What's more, with a transfer in Paris, you have to wait at the airport for ten hours.

If you have this time, you can go to the center of Paris for a stroll and experience the exotic customs.

however.

Xie Mingyang, who was sitting in the same row, was not interested in this at all.

“What’s there to see in Paris?”

Xie Mingyang said calmly, "Teacher Li, do you want to buy clothes and cosmetics too? The prices at domestic counters are actually similar, and you can even get tax-free."

"How can I afford it with my salary?"

Li Qian rubbed his palms with a longing look on his face, "I just want to go see the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame de Paris, the Louvre, the Palace of Versailles... and have a cup of coffee on the Left Bank of the Seine."

"It's just an iron tower, a stone gate, and a big river. It's just like that after seeing it for a long time."

Xie Mingyang's tone was just like "What's so good about this lousy Big Wild Goose Pagoda?"

“Notre Dame de Paris has not been restored yet, the Palace of Versailles is far from the city center, and the Louvre can only be visited in a hurry.”

Xie Mingyang yawned, "If I have this much time, I might as well book an hourly room at the airport hotel, take a shower, and have a good sleep."

"..."

Li Qian smiled bitterly, "So you used to come to Paris often?"

"Ah."

Xie Mingyang nodded, "Every time Chanel, LV, or Victoria's Secret launches a new product, my sister will drag me to Paris to see it."

"There is a winery castle in the southwest suburbs of Paris, near the Palace of Versailles. It's mine."

"Teacher Li, do you like drinking red wine?"

"When we get to Paris, should I have a few bottles sent to Charles de Gaulle Airport?"

His tone was calm, his expression was indifferent, and there wasn't even a hint of showing off.

Li Qian: “…”

Boss, when you are being Versailles, can you please consider the feelings of a Star Dou citizen like me?
"No, no need."

"Compared to red wine, I prefer our old BJ's Erguotou."

Just when Li Qian wanted to give up his trip to Paris.

at this time.

Chen Jin suddenly said, "Ten hours is indeed a long time to wait."

"I've never been to Paris, and I want to go there."

Chen Jin also regretted not being able to enjoy the trip when he passed through Paris last time.

Anyway, this time, I have both the visa and the time.

Why not take this opportunity to go shopping?

"You want to go?"

Looking at Chen Jin, Xie Mingyang hesitated for a moment and said, "Okay, I'm familiar with Paris, I know French, and I have the Euro. I'll be your guide."

Li Qian: “…”

He felt very uncomfortable being between Chen Jin and Xie Mingyang.

How about I change your seat?

The complaints are not over yet.

Sudden.

A head with a ponytail came up from the back seat and asked excitedly, "You guys said you were going to Paris to play?"

Turning around, it was Ye Sijia.

We had known each other since we were in Lima.

After that, although he didn't socialize much, he was at least a familiar face in the national table tennis team.

"Can you take me with you?"

Ye Sijia's eyes were bright, as if twinkling with stars, revealing a hint of excitement.

The city of Paris has greater appeal to girls.

"What do you think?"

Xie Mingyang frowned slightly and asked Chen Jin.

“It’s more lively when there are more people.”

Chen Jin smiled.

"alright."

Xie Mingyang had no more objections.

While talking.

The radio sounded, reminding us that we were about to take off.

Xie Mingyang wore headphones, a blindfold, and sat upright with his hands folded across his chest, looking like a practicing warrior swordsman.

Chen Jin also put on headphones, listened to music, leaned back in his chair, and fell into a deep sleep.

Thirteen hours later.

Finally arrived at Charles de Gaulle Airport.

Local time, six in the morning.

It wasn't quite daylight yet.

The group headed towards Terminal T2G in a mighty procession.

waiting area.

Chen Jin, Xie Mingyang, Ye Sijia and Li Qian quietly found Wang Hao and reported their itinerary.

“Want to go to the center of Paris?”

Wang Hao frowned and said seriously, "You have to understand that we are here to play a game, not to travel."

"Yes."

Li Qian said hurriedly, "I told them the same thing, but they didn't listen and insisted on dragging me along to play."

Chen Jin: "..."

Xie Mingyang: “…”

Ye Sijia: “…”

Wasn't it you, Old Deng, who first suggested going for a stroll in the center of Paris?
The mind has not changed.

Li Qian continued, "But think about it carefully. If we don't let them go for a stroll, they will always be worried about it and won't be able to focus all their attention on the competition. It's not worth it."

"Li Qian."

Wang Hao glared at him and said, "You want to go to Paris?"

"Nothing."

Li Qian said quickly, "I was mainly worried that they were too young and might be deceived, so I went with them to take a look."

"You can go play if you want."

After glancing at Li Qian, and then at Chen Jin and the other two, Wang Hao's heart softened. "Be careful, pay attention to the time, and turn up the ringtone of your cell phone to the maximum."

Hear the words.

Li Qian, Chen Jin and Ye Sijia cheered and jumped for joy, "Thank you, Coach Wang."

"Go."

Wang Hao smiled indulgently, "Come back early, don't miss the flight."

"Yes."

The three excited people, plus an expressionless Xie Mingyang, immediately left the waiting hall.

"How do we get to the city center?"

Li Qian asked, "Taxi or bus?"

"No need."

Xie Mingyang shook his head. "I have arranged everything. Someone will pick us up."

Outside the hall door.

roadside.

There was a black Maybach parked there.

When everyone approached.

The car door suddenly opened and a dark shadow appeared in front of everyone.

But this black shadow was completely black from head to toe without a trace of other colors.

He was wearing a black suit, black shirt, black trousers, black leather shoes, and a pair of sunglasses.

The key is, he is still a black brother.

The black shadow was tall and strong, giving off an oppressive feeling. He walked up to the crowd, took off his sunglasses, and looked around coldly.

"Fuck, what's going on?"

Just when I was surprised and puzzled.

Suddenly, the black shadow bowed 90 degrees towards Xie Mingyang, and called out in Chinese: "Young Master."

"Master?"

Chen Jin and the other two looked at Xie Mingyang in shock.

“This is the steward of my winery.”

Xie Mingyang introduced.

"Just call me Lao Hei." The black shadow grinned, revealing two rows of glowing white teeth.

The next few hours.

Led by the driver, Uncle Hei, they headed to the center of Paris.

Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Louvre, Paris Opera House…

Check in and take photos.

Li Qian even had a cup of coffee on the left bank of the Seine as he wished.

Feed pigeons at the Place de la Concorde and eat French food at a Michelin three-star restaurant.

Of course, everything was paid for by Master Xie.

At 2pm, we returned to the airport.

Although the trip was rushed, the group still enjoyed the scenery of Paris and were very satisfied.

At 4:20, we took off again.

After more than an hour, we finally arrived at the destination of the competition, Montpellier.

The bus arranged by the organizer had been waiting for a long time.

Send everyone to the South France Arena.

Check into the dormitory.

Chen Jin, Xie Mingyang and Li Qian were grouped together.

"It looks pretty good."

After taking a tour around the dormitory, Chen Jin was quite satisfied.

Everyone has a separate bedroom, which is a bit cramped but sufficient.

Toilet, bathroom, TV, internet... everything is available.

Rested for half an hour.

All assembled.

Led by staff, we visited the cafeteria, training hall and stadium.

Then, we had lunch in the cafeteria.

There is no need for training at night, so everyone can rest and adjust to the time difference.

The next morning at nine o'clock, we arrived at the training hall.

Found many familiar faces.

Dako, Francesca, Felix, Moregard...

All of them were once defeated by Chen Jin.

Witness Chen Jin's appearance.

All eyes were focused on Chen Jin, as if facing a formidable enemy.

After all, this competition is held at the European home ground.

Of course they want to keep the championship in France and in Europe.

As the host, Felix's ideas are particularly strong.

The three main players of the national table tennis team, Ma Taki, Fan Zhendong and Wang Chuqin, did not participate in the Montpellier Championship.

In terms of world ranking, Lin Shidong is undoubtedly the number one seed.

but.

For Felix and others, Chen Jin is their number one enemy.

more importantly.

This competition is their chance to take revenge!

"Hey, Chen Jin."

Felix took the initiative to step forward and greeted them warmly.

"Hey."

Chen Jin smiled and waved.

However, the two of them did not speak the same language, so naturally they could not communicate further.

The next two days.

Athletes from all over the world arrived one after another.

Tomokazu Harimoto, Hugo, Aruna, Lin Zhongxun, Lin Yunru...

Although they have never fought each other, they already know each other.

The training hall became increasingly lively.

10 month 21 day.

The drawing ceremony officially begins.

Felix and Zhang An, a player from Lighthouse Country, served as guests in the women's singles draw.

Alex and South Korean player Shin Yubin served as guests in the men's singles draw.

As seeded players for the first time, Chen Jin and Liang Jingkun were placed in the 4/4 zone together.

Xie Mingyang is in zone 2/4.

In the same district as Felix and Moregard.

soon.

The draw results have been announced.

Chen Jin's opponent in the first round is Benedict Duda.

German veteran, ranked 22nd in the world.

As for Xie Mingyang's first-round opponent, it is Kazakh player Kirill Glasmenko.

"Chen Jin?"

Upon learning that his first-round opponent would be the talented young player from the Chinese team who has recently gained fame, Duda couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.

As German players, he is teammates with Francesca and Qiu Dang.

These two opponents, who were ranked much higher than him in the world, all lost to Chen Jin one after another.

In the two people's description, it seemed that Chen Jin was like a devil and could not be defeated.

At first, Duda didn't quite believe it.

How could a Chinese teenager of fifteen or sixteen years old make his two teammates shudder at the mere mention of him?

It was not until the BJ Grand Slam that I witnessed Chen Jin win all the way, defeating Felix, Moregard and Ma Taki and winning the championship.

Only then did Duda realize how terrifying this young man from the Chinese team was.

When the news reached Europe, the entire European table tennis world was shocked.

Just like that year, the sixteen-year-old Fan Zhendong defeated Ocharov.

Even worse.

To know.

Moregaard and Felix, who just won the silver and bronze medals respectively at the Paris Olympics, are now at the peak of their careers in the European table tennis world.

European fans all saw the hope and dawn of resurgence.

It was as if the flame of revival had been ignited.

however.

The Lima Regular Challenge, Macau Championship and BJ Grand Slam were ruthlessly extinguished by Chen Jin's kick.

How could the European table tennis world not unite against this beast like Chen Jin?

In this Montpellier Championship, blocking Chen Jin and nipping this guy in the bud became one of the goals of the European generals.

only.

Duda never thought that the task of stopping Chen Jin would fall on him.

Hallelujah, the pressure is on!
Duda couldn't help but turn his head and look at Chen Jin who was sitting in the back row.

"Duda?"

Chen Jin nodded.

"Don't underestimate Duda."

Wang Hao sat next to him, crossing his arms. “Although Duda’s world ranking is not as high as Ocharov, Qiu Dang and Francesca, and he is also a veteran in his thirties, his strength is definitely not weak.”

"Especially his backhand, which is not inferior to those of Darko, Francesca and others."

Chen Jin nodded and said, "I understand."

All the players who are invited to participate in the Montpellier Championship are ranked high in the world.

Although the points ranking cannot represent the strength ranking.

But it can also reflect something.

Duda is a veteran in his thirties, but he is still ranked among the top 20 in the world. His strength should not be underestimated.

Chen Jin was very clear about this.

Once he steps onto the field, he will never underestimate any opponent.

Giving your all is the greatest respect for your opponent.

“Tomokazu Harimoto is also in the lower half.”

Chen Jin looked up at the large LED screen in front of him, his eyes narrowed slightly, "This means that if both of us can make it to the semi-finals, we will have a chance to play against Zhang Benzhihe."

Tomokazu Harimoto's father also came from the S Province team.

He once partnered with Chen Longcan, head coach of the S Province team, in men's doubles and won a bronze medal at the National Games.

Therefore, there is some connection between Chen Jin and Zhang Benzhihe.

Zhang Benzhihe became famous at a young age. At the beginning of his debut, he defeated famous national table tennis players such as Zhang Jike, Ma Long and Fan Zhendong.

The battle with Fan Zhendong at the Paris Olympics was a classic.

At the just-concluded Asian Championships, Tomokazu Harimoto defeated Lin Shidong to win the men's singles championship of the Asian Championships.

The 21-year-old Tomokazu Harimoto is worthy of being the number one enemy of the Chinese national table tennis team during the Los Angeles Olympic cycle.

Whether or not one can defeat Tomokazu Harimoto on the court is definitely one of the criteria for measuring players within the national table tennis team.

If Chen Jin wants to truly gain a foothold in the national table tennis team and become an absolute main force, then Zhang Benzhihe is a hurdle he must cross.

"In the first two matches, I failed to compete with Zhang Ben."

Chen Jin's eyes sank slightly, "I hope you won't let me down this time."

(End of this chapter)