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

Chapter 286 Chen Jin VS Zhang Benzhihe! Short, three jumps and no performance!
2024 11 Month 24 Day.

WTT Fukuoka Finals, Singles Finals Day.

Local time, 3:30 p.m.

There is still half an hour until the start of the men's singles final.

The sea breeze, carrying the chill of early winter, lingered around the Kitakyushu Municipal Gymnasium.

The trailer for the showdown between Chen Jin and Zhang Benzhihe is playing on a loop on the LED screen embedded in the wall.

A passionate yet somewhat childish voice assaulted the eardrums, incredibly catchy: "This will be a bloody final battle. Will the lone wolf of the Empire prevail, or will the tiger of Reiwa ultimately defend the glory of Japan? Let's wait and see!"

Outside the stadium, there was a huge crowd.

in the crowd.

Sakura Toyama, dressed in a JK uniform, stood on tiptoe and held the support sign above her head.

A pink butterfly headband, a pleated skirt, and long, straight black hair fluttered in the wind.

"Takashi!"

Glancing at the time, Sakura Toyama grabbed her younger brother's hoodie hood and dragged him to her side. "Stop dawdling and come in with me."

With his hands in his pockets, Takashi Toyama wore a reluctant expression on his somewhat youthful face.

A cold glance revealed the support sign that Sakura Toyama had stayed up all night making by hand. It prominently displayed the words "Zhang Ben Zhihe, victory is certain" and a chibi-style portrait.

"I really don't understand, what's so interesting about a table tennis match?"

Takashi Toyama snorted coldly, "And that guy named Tomokazu Harimoto, he's clearly Chinese, I don't understand why you like him so much?"

"What do you know!"

Sakura Toyama rolled her eyes. "Do you know how much pressure Tomokazu is under? Do you know how hard Tomokazu works?"

"At two or three in the morning, when his teammates were all resting, he was still practicing hard."

"This pure passion is the most captivating thing."

As she spoke, a blush of infatuation spread across the young girl's face.

"What's two or three in the morning?"

Takashi Toyama scoffed, "I often stay up all night to watch the Dodgers' baseball games after you and Mom and Dad have fallen asleep..."

The words were not finished.

Suddenly, he felt two tangible killing intents shooting towards him.

He was so frightened that he quickly shut his mouth.

"Cut the nonsense!"

Holding a support sign in one hand and grabbing Takashi Toyama's hood with the other, Sakura Toyama dragged him into the stadium like she was walking a dog. "Let's go!"

Looking at Takashi Toyama's expression, he was as stubborn as an Akita Inu, yet helpless in front of his older sister.

"Sakura Toyama, be gentle."

Takashi Toyama complained, "You're choking me to death, cough cough..."

Eight Extreme Fields.

The lights cascaded down, illuminating the central table tennis table.

This is the battlefield of the finals.

Although the competition hasn't started yet, you can already feel a strange tension.

Sakura Toyama wouldn't let go, pulling her younger brother along, and they finally managed to squeeze into a seat.

Then I noticed that a girl dressed in Hanfu was sitting next to me, also holding a support sign.

However, the person supported by the Hanfu girl is Chen Jin.

"He looks like a Chinese student."

Sakura Toyama's gaze sharpened. "Is it time to test my voice?"

Seeing this, Takashi Toyama pushed up his slipping glasses and shrank back slightly: "The situation is tense."

After sitting down, I looked around.

The venue, which can accommodate 3,000 people, still has many empty seats.

"cut!"

Takashi Toyama scoffed, "There are only so few people."

In Japan, table tennis is almost ignored compared to baseball.

If it weren't for Sakura Toyama insisting on dragging him to watch Tomokazu Harimoto's match, he would have preferred to stay home on the weekend, lying down watching anime or playing video games.

"Isn't my dream more beautiful than this?"

Sitting in the audience, the enclosed indoor environment made Takashi Toyama feel a little stuffy.

My eyelids are drooping, and I feel drowsy.

I do not know how long it has been.

Sudden.

The lights suddenly dimmed.

Dozens of ring-shaped spotlights, like a sword array suspended overhead, focused on the arena, illuminating the table tennis table in every detail.

Followed by.

The host's voice echoed throughout the venue: "Ladies and gentlemen, let's count down from five and welcome our two main characters today with applause and cheers."

"five!"

"Four!"

"three!"

"two!"

"one!"

"First of all, welcome, the Tiger of the Reiwa Era—Tomokazu Harimoto!"

The host's deliberately drawn-out tone vibrated in my ears and gave me goosebumps.

Instantly.

The stands erupted in cheers.

Clapping, cheering, screaming... mingled with the glow of the light sticks, filling the vast venue.

Sakura Toyama stood up, waving her support sign high in the air, her face full of excitement, her scream piercing the air.

"Zhihe-kun, you've just finished!"

"Just got it!"

"Must win!"

Like a demonic sound piercing his ears, Takashi Toyama leaned to the side, trying to stay as far away from his older sister as possible, covering his ears with his hands as if he were wearing a mask of pain.

Looking at Sakura Toyama, who was practically screaming that she was suffocating, Takashi Toyama pursed his lips and yawned: "I really don't understand, what is it about this man that's so attractive?"

His eyes turned.

A young man in a red jersey slowly walked out of the players' entrance tunnel.

"Ok?"

Takashi Toyama was taken aback. "This person... is so young."

"Cough cough cough."

At this moment, Sakura Toyama regained her composure, sat down again, coughed a few times to clear her slightly sore and hoarse throat, and said, "His name is Chen Jin, and he is Tomokazu's opponent tonight."

"I heard that he is only fifteen years old and has already ranked third in the world after only three months since his debut."

"In our last encounter, Tomokazu lost."

"This is Zhihe-jun's chance to get revenge!"

"Roar, Tomokazu-kun!"

While talking.

The girl in Hanfu sitting next to me was just as elegant and refined as Sakura Toyama.

However, the person she was cheering for was not Tomokazu Harimoto, but Chen Jin.

"Fifteen years old?"

Takashi Toyama was taken aback. "Then he must be about my age?"

"correct."

Toyama Sakura glanced at him, "We're both fifteen years old, look at her, and then look at you. It's true that there's no harm without comparison."

"cut!"

Takashi Toyama scoffed dismissively, "My dream is to become a baseball star like Shohei Ohtani, not a table tennis player."

"What makes you think you can look down on table tennis players?"

Sakura Toyama raised an eyebrow. "Do you think table tennis players are like two ancient swordsmen locked in a life-or-death duel?"

"An ancient great swordsman?"

Takashi Toyama was stunned.

He turned his gaze back to the center of the arena.

The lamp is like the moon, its light like frost.

The reflection on the pool table resembles a battlefield.

The young man was full of vigor and ambition.

With broad strides, I seem poised to ascend to the heavens, amidst the winds and thunder of the eight directions.

A boy in red and a young man in blue stand facing each other, each holding a racket.

"This racket is specially made by Xuperman, with an outer carbon fiber plate and a net weight of 82 grams. The forehand is a Double Happiness Hurricane, and the backhand is a Butterfly D09C."

"Great shot!"

"It was indeed a great shot!"

"This racket is specially made by Butterfly, with an internal structure, a paulownia wood core, and a net weight of 85 grams. The forehand is Butterfly D09c, and the backhand is Butterfly T05."

"Great shot!"

"It was a good shot!"

The two looked at each other's rackets.

Then, they tossed a coin to guess who would go first.

A coin flicked from the referee's fingers and soared into the air.

Chen Jin has the right to serve.

Next.

Pre-match practice.

Takashi Toyama immediately noticed something was off: "Why do their rackets seem a little different?"

Tomokazu Harimoto grips his racket horizontally, like the legendary Muramasa sword.

The red rubber, illuminated by the lights, shimmered with a blood-red hue, like the glow of a sunset over the sea in Japan. Chen Jin gripped the handle of the racket like a sword from the heavens.

The pitch-black rubber sheet mirrored his eyes, which were filled with murderous intent.

"You have a good eye for observation."

Whether it was a compliment or a subtle dig, Sakura Toyama said, "Tomokazu's racket is a shakehand grip, while Chen Jin's racket is a penhold grip, so the grips are naturally different."

"Horizontal board?"

Takashi Toyama still looked bewildered. "A straight-edged sword?"

"Anyway, you're not interested, so there's no point in telling you anything more."

Sakura Toyama said, "When Tomokazu wins, all you need to do is cheer loudly."

So I'm just a heartless refueling machine?
Takashi Toyama shrugged slightly, looking completely indifferent, and simply said "Oh."

The sparring session is over.

The game is about to begin.

Chen Jin holds a racket in one hand and a ball in the other.

When he bent down, the scene immediately fell silent.

The sudden silence was so profound that you could hear a pin drop, and Takashi Toyama found it somewhat unsettling.

He squinted slightly, his eyes fixed on the field.

A white pellet, smaller than a chicken egg, was tossed up twelve inches and seven fen high.

Chen Jin suddenly jerked his wrist.

This tremor conceals a change.

The moment the ball touches the rubber, it hisses like a venomous snake spitting its tongue.

It barely cleared the net.

Tomokazu Harimoto swung his racket like drawing a sword, intending to use a backhand flick to the inside of the table.

However, the gesture froze in mid-air.

The blade missed the ball by a hair's breadth.

Unexpectedly, the ball resembled a dying butterfly wing, offering no leverage.

1: 0.

"what happened?"

Takashi Toyama couldn't see it clearly and looked puzzled. "I think I saw the ball suddenly turn a corner?"

"You haven't seen it; it's lateral rotation."

Sakura Toyama is no ordinary fan, but a true connoisseur of the sport. "When Chen Jin served, he added sidespin, which prevented Zhihe from hitting the ball properly."

"Side rotation?"

Takashi Toyama frowned.

Having never paid attention to billiards before, he had no idea what sidespin was.

While talking.

Chen Jin continues serving.

The crimson light of the blade suddenly surged.

The long ball slashed out, heading straight for the white edge of the table.

Chen Jin took half a step back, his red shirt billowing with sword shadows, and with a backhand arc, he charged diagonally, drawing a crescent-shaped arc in mid-air.

"Well done!"

Tomokazu Harimoto's backhand rip is like splitting a coffin.

Snapped!
Snapped!
Snapped!
……

The sound of the ball hitting the ground was like thunder.

The penhold grip evokes the image of swords, while the horizontal grip unleashes the glint of blades.

Five boards press down on the middle road, each board knocks on the heavenly gate.

Unexpectedly, it took an unconventional approach.

Zhang Ben leaped to save her, his kneeling posture resembling that of a wandering swordsman who had just cleaved through the air, kneeling in the snow.

0: 2.

Chen Jin wiped his racket, as if gently removing the bloodstains remaining on the sword.

"What a fast sword!"

Takashi Toyama exclaimed inwardly in amazement.

Even he himself didn't realize that his palms were sweating slightly.

Seeing that Zhang Ben Zhihe was behind at the start, Toyama Sakura was so anxious that she was like an ant on a hot plate. She stood up and shouted hysterically, "Zhihe-kun, you just won!"

The girl in Hanfu next to him, not to be outdone, shouted: "Chen Jin, keep it up!"

On the field, the players compete fiercely.

Offstage, the fans were competing.

Switch sides and serve.

A two-meter throw, with a feint.

Chen Jin saw through it at a glance; it was a dead end.

The short strokes resemble plucking a flower.

Zhang Benzhihe hastily returned the ball.

A swordsman's blade, once drawn, always draws blood.

The tennis ball seemed to stir up an unexpected gust of wind, lifting the stray hairs in front of Chen's face.

1: 2.

Tomokazu Harimoto raised his hand to apologize: "Sorry."

The fourth goal.

Chen Jin's swift backhand attack was reminiscent of an avalanche on Mount Fuji.

Chen Jin stepped back to the side, drawing his racket back like a drawn bow.

"Snapped!"

The moment it surged forward, the steel frame of the stadium's dome resonated in unison.

The impact mark on the ball was deep enough to penetrate the wood.

Zhang Ben's tiger mouth trembled.

3: 1.

Through the live broadcast on the big screen, we witnessed a slow-motion replay of Chen Jin's explosive charge.

A chilling killing intent, like a tiger descending a mountain, almost bursts through the screen and rushes towards us.

Takashi Toyama suddenly felt a chill run down his spine: "Such a fast serve, and he was able to react in such a short time?"

"interesting."

Whether a hook shot has spin or not, it's just an ordinary serve.

However, Chen Jin's wrist rotation bore a resemblance to Wang Hao's style back then.

That was the swan song under the Yokohama moon in 09.

As the ball crossed the net, it suddenly raised its head, and the venomous snake transformed into a dragon.

Zhang Ben was not wrong at all, he used short shots and high shots.

In a battle between masters, every second counts.

Two beams of light, more terrifying than lightning, shot from his dark pupils.

"Snapped!"

Chen Jintai provoked him from within.

Its momentum was like thunder.

4: 1.

Next ball.

Zhang Ben started with an inside twist.

As they drew closer to the stage, their killing intent intensified.

However, Chen Jin used the opponent's strength against him, employing a technique of changing direction that was like using four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds.

Zhang Ben made a hasty rescue attempt, managing to get onto the stage.

"Snapped!"

Chen Jin smashes a high ball.

Zhang Ben stepped down from the stage, and several attempts were made to salvage the situation.

But the moment Chen Jin sucked in the short shot, the smooth surface of the racket reflected the tremor in Zhang Ben's pupils.

He will not appear on stage after three attempts.

Even with his swift pace, Tomokazu Harimoto could only sigh in despair.

"Oh my God!"

Sakura Toyama opened her mouth, a look of disbelief in her eyes, and muttered to herself, "What kind of touch does this Chen Jin have? Not only can he suck short, but he can also suck out a three-jump without going out?"

"is it hard?"

Takashi Toyama asked, puzzled.

Although he recognized the brilliance of Chen Jing's shot, he thought that as a professional athlete, it should be easy for him to do.

"It's hard."

Sakura Toyama said solemnly, "At least, I've never seen it in Tomokazu's matches."

His words and expression even carried a hint of admiration for Chen Jin.

But she quickly realized what was happening.

As a fan of Tomokazu Harimoto, how could I possibly boost someone else's morale and diminish my own?

"No!"

"I believe Zhihe-kun can do it too!"

Sakura Toyama said firmly, "It's just that there are too many risks involved in using short-range attacks during a match, and Tomokazu, who is always cautious, simply doesn't bother with it."

Seeing how hard Sakura Toyama was trying to explain for her idol, how could Takashi Toyama not understand?
It was obvious that Chen Jin's shot just now was not something that just anyone could do, as he had imagined.

"He seems really strong."

Takashi Toyama turned to look at the boy in the red shirt on the court, a different look in his eyes than before. "Besides, billiards doesn't seem so bad after all. It seems quite interesting."

(End of this chapter)