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

Chapter 288 Is there no one in this world who can beat Chen Jin?

Zhang Benzhihe started playing badminton at the age of two.

He participated in the Japan Championships at the age of nine.

At eleven, he became a citizen of Japan and began his journey to conquer the world.

At the age of twelve, he participated in the ITTF World Tour Open for the first time.

At the age of thirteen, he won the Neon Open U21 title and the World Junior Championships men's singles title.

At the age of fourteen, he defeated Boll to win the men's singles title in the adult division of the tour.

At the age of fifteen, he successively defeated top Chinese table tennis players such as Zhang Jike, Ma Long, and Fan Zhendong.

In the same year, at the ITTF World Tour Grand Finals, he defeated Lin Gaoyuan to become the youngest champion in the tournament's history.

He achieved fame at a young age and his talent was immediately apparent.

As he's grown older, the young man who once boasted that he would defeat the Chinese team at the Tokyo Olympics, win the gold medal, and bring glory to his country has long lost his former arrogance.

However, his love for table tennis remains as strong as ever, and has only grown stronger.

This Fukuoka Grand Finals is a home game for Tomokazu Harimoto, who naturally carries the expectations and hopes of many.

Therefore, Zhang Ben faces even greater pressure in this match against Chen Jin than he did at the Paris Olympics.

Moreover, in the first two games, although Zhang Benzhihe tried his best, he was still crushed by Chen Jin, which inevitably affected his mentality and caused some fluctuations.

Kunifumi Tase put his hand on Tomokazu Harimoto's shoulder, offering words of comfort like an old father.

"It's okay, don't put too much pressure on yourself. You don't owe anyone anything."

"Given Chen Jin's strength, we should be able to accept whatever outcome we achieve," said Taeshi Kunihiro.

"Don't have any psychological burden, just play freely, give it your all, and enjoy the game."

As a veteran who has competed for many years, Tomokazu Harimoto adjusted his mindset and quickly calmed down after being comforted by Kunifumi Tasei.

While drinking water, he discussed tactics for the third game with Kunifumi Tase.

After much thought, there was no other way but to "fight to the death".

"Tomowa-kun!"

Kunifumi Tase stood up, clapped, and said, "There is no such thing as failure in the world. There is no failure when you take on a challenge. Failure is when you give up."

"Whoo~"

Standing in front of the table tennis table, Zhang Benzhihe let out a long breath, trying to relax on the outside but tense on the inside.

Beads of sweat slid down his forehead.

Chen Jin, sitting opposite him, bent down to straighten his shoelaces, looking calm and collected.

The noise from the stands was completely shut out, leaving only the soft sound of ping-pong balls bouncing on the table.

"Da da da, da da da..."

Like a heartbeat.

Like war drums.

The competition hadn't even started yet, but a tense atmosphere was already quietly spreading.

Looking at the two players standing face to face on the field, another fierce battle is about to unfold.

Takashi Toyama felt a slight tightness in his chest, as if a pair of large hands were gripping his heart tightly.

0: 0.

Chen Jinfa went to the ball.

A short, sideways ball, like the starting move in Tai Chi.

It appears weak and powerless, but in reality, it harbors deadly intent.

With his left hand fingers habitually spread open, Zhang Benzhihe stepped forward and seized the landing point.

The reverse twisting motion has reached a level of consummate skill.

However, he was ultimately a bit cunning.

The shot was 0.01 seconds faster.

In a fleeting moment, youth faded away.

The ball slipped away from the edge of the racket, like a fish escaping a hook.

"boom!"

The racket bumped against the table.

Zhang Ben suddenly laughed.

The smile was tinged with bitterness, more bitter than eating ten bitter melons in one go.

Behind him, Kunifumi Tase shouted, "Calm down, don't rush!"

1: 0.

Second ball.

Facing Chen Jinfa's short forehand, Zhang Ben showed no mercy whatsoever.

Backhand inside the table!
Like a swift blade, it slashes towards the right half of the platform.

Chen Jin pushed off with his feet and leaped out.

The racket traced a crescent arc in the air, like a delicate flourish of a sword.

Low-altitude arc, counter-pull to the center line.

Zhang Ben swung his hand across Chen Jin's chest, raised his elbow to defend, and aimed directly at Chen Jin's backhand.

Using the opponent's force against them, the speed is extremely fast.

Moreover, the angle of movement is so great that it spans the entire island of Taiwan.

"Oops!"

Takashi Toyama's heart tightened, and he thought to himself, "It's too late."

My mind hasn't changed.

next second.

Chen Jin went berserk and lunged towards his backhand side.

They barely managed to save the ball.

Unfortunately, the arc wasn't long enough, and the return shot hit the net.

"Wow--"

Sakura Toyama danced and jumped for joy.

Unbeknownst to him, a hint of shock flickered across Takashi Toyama's previously calm face.

"Is he crazy?"

Takashi Toyama stared intently at Chen Jin. "It's not a home run, why are you going to such lengths?"

1: 1.

Switch sides and serve.

Tomokazu Harimoto changed his stance and switched to a reverse rotation.

After the ball crossed the net, it plummeted downwards.

Chen Jin remained calm and composed, his wrist trembling slightly as he slashed the racket diagonally like a sword.

The ping-pong ball traced an uncanny arc, flying straight towards Tomokazu Harimoto.

Split it long!

This ball was fast, high, and had strong spin.

Zhang Benzhihe barely managed to get a hook shot.

"Snapped!"

Chen Jin's backhand explosive shot.

Penetrating the base plate.

The crisp sound of the ball hitting the ground was like a thunderclap.

It instantly broke through Zhang Ben's defense.

1: 2.

Zhang Benyuan wanted to continue with his reverse spin serve.

But after thinking it over, in the end, I switched back to my forehand serve.

Side down.

The forehand is short.

Chen Jin stepped forward and swayed slightly.

The trajectory and landing point were perfectly controlled.

Tomokazu Harimoto wanted to swing back, but he clearly underestimated the short spin of Chen Jin's swing.

Eat and turn.

But I didn't disconnect from the internet.

The ping-pong ball rolled down the net, like a hairpin left behind in a geisha's hair.

It's net cleaning again!

Moreover, they also wiped away the dead netting.

Even if Chen Jin restarted the machine quickly, it was too late to save it.

"Sorry."

Tomokazu Harimoto raised his hand, his face full of apology.

Chen Jin's expression remained completely unchanged in the face of this.

2: 2.

For Tomokazu Harimoto, this is already the best possible start. The match continues.

The white ball was tossed ten inches into the air, and Chen Jin's fingers and wrists trembled slightly, his spinning motion incorporating subtle feints.

As expected, Tomokazu Harimoto fell for the trap.

The intention was to cut short, but the arc went too high.

"Snapped!"

Chen Jin's body moved like a phoenix with two wings, explosively striking a straight line.

I thought this goal was a sure thing.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Ben miraculously defended against it.

Fortunately, the speed wasn't fast.

Chen Jin reacted even more quickly.

He leaped and launched a powerful attack, but before he could even regain his footing, he instinctively reached out to block, relying on muscle memory.

The ball was barely managed to get onto the table, with absolutely no quality.

At that moment, seeing a rare opportunity, Tomokazu Harimoto slid sideways at lightning speed.

A powerful forehand smash!

With his feet moving as if on fire, Chen Jin quickly retreated from the table to deflect the force and save the ball.

Tomokazu Harimoto adjusted his position, waiting for the opportune moment.

"Snapped!"

A powerful forehand cross-court shot.

This shot required no skill whatsoever.

Vigorously miracle.

The small ping-pong ball, like lightning, hurtled towards Chen Jin's forehand corner.

Chen Jinfei makes a save.

"Snapped!"

Zhang Benzhihe turned his racket around and attacked Chen Jin's left side of the table.

Although Chen Jin's movements were somewhat clumsy, he managed a backhand slice, sending the ping-pong ball flying with a light, airy arc towards the opposite side of the table.

Knowing that the ball had extremely strong spin, Tomokazu Harimoto dared not be careless.

Squat down, low backswing, like pulling up a scallion from dry land, high overhead topspin.

This gave Chen Jin a chance to catch his breath and regroup.

"Snapped!"

Chen Jin turned sideways and pulled back.

Zhang Benzhihe's recovery was a bit slow, and he hastily applied defensive measures.

In this way, the roles of offense and defense are reversed.

Chen Jin pressed forward relentlessly, unleashing a series of powerful forehand attacks.

Zhang Ben retreated repeatedly, forced into a passive defensive stance with his backhand.

One board!
Two boards!

Three boards!

……

Chen Jin's shots were like rising tides, each shot heavier than the last, relentless and continuous.

If a solid ping-pong ball were to hit Zhang Ben's racket hard, it would cause Zhang Ben's wrist to tremble.

Finally, on the sixth strike, it could no longer withstand the onslaught.

"Break!"

The ball hit the edge of the paddle and flew out of bounds.

3: 2.

"Choo-hoo!"

"Zhu--"

Wang Hao's furious roar echoed through the stadium.

That last shot was fraught with danger, yet it took an unexpected turn, shifting the balance between offense and defense, a rollercoaster ride that left everyone on the edge of their seats.

"Wonderful!"

Even a layman like Takashi Toyama found it breathtaking, like a rollercoaster ride, leaving him deeply moved and unable to calm down for a long time.

"With the changes in offense and defense, as long as the ball hasn't hit the ground, miracles can happen. It's even more nerve-wracking and tense than a home run."

Takashi Toyama took a deep breath.

however.

The next shot left him speechless as well.

Chen Jin hooked a short, forehand sideways shot.

Zhang Ben is short-sighted.

Chen Jin returned to the stage, halfway up the stage.

Zhang Ben sidesteps and executes a high loop drive.

Chen Jin makes a backhand side slice.

Zhang Ben feinted, then pulled the opponent straight ahead.

Chen Jin, who was almost tricked, twisted his waist, circled his arm, and hit the ball behind his back.

"What operation is this?"

Takashi Toyama's eyes widened.

Such an outrageous move is something I've never seen before in baseball.

As Tomokazu Harimoto pulled the ball into the net.

2: 4.

"elder sister."

Takashi Toyama stared at Sakura Toyama with his mouth agape. "What's going on with this ball?"

"That's it."

Sakura Toyama's expression was rather unpleasant.

"what?"

With his chin slightly tucked in, Takashi Toyama said, "I find Chen Jin's playing style more aesthetically pleasing than Zhang Ben's."

"What a fool!"

Yuanshan Ying's beautiful eyes were filled with anger. "This Chen Jin only knows how to do these fancy things to attract attention."

"Sister, you seem anxious."

Takashi Toyama laughed.

"Have it?"

Sakura Toyama turned her head and said, "Am I in a hurry? You must have seen wrong."

"It seems that Zhang Ben is destined to lose this match."

Takashi Toyama held the back of his head with both hands and said quietly.

"nonsense!"

Yuanshan Ying said with dissatisfaction, "If this is your first time watching a table tennis match, don't spout nonsense if you don't understand, lest you make a fool of yourself."

"Haven't you seen Zhang Benjun's form and touch getting hotter and hotter?"

Takashi Toyama smiled and said nothing more.

Don't argue with fans, or you'll just lower your own IQ!
Only facts are the sharpest knife.

As Takashi Toyama predicted, in the following matches, Tomokazu Harimoto fought hard and regained some of his form and touch.

However, when faced with a strong opponent like Chen Jin, his fighting seemed so pale and powerless.

When Chen Jin attacked, his momentum was like thunder, his power shattering the sky.

When Chen Jin was defending, his defense was as solid as a rock and unbreakable.

With the final ball in sight, Tomokazu Harimoto swung his forehand at nothing.

Ultimately, the score of the third game was 5-11.

"Ah~"

The cherry blossoms on the distant mountain could not conceal the sense of loss.

He vented all his resentment on Takashi Toyama.

"It's all your fault for jinxing me!"

Sakura Toyama punched Takashi Toyama a few times, saying, "I knew I shouldn't have brought you to Zhang Benjun's match."

"Hey, hey, it's Zhang Ben's skill that's inferior, what does that have to do with me?"

Takashi Toyama grinned.

"Ugh--"

Sakura Toyama sighed, "Is Zhang Ben really going to lose again? Is there no one in this world who can beat Chen Jin?"

Upon hearing this, Takashi Toyama lowered his head, raised his eyebrows slightly, and adjusted his glasses.

Behind the lenses, he shone with brilliance.

(End of this chapter)