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

Chapter 297 God-level Prediction
"YES!"

Zhang Jiahao clenched his fist the moment he won the second game.

Sweat streamed down his face, shimmering under the spotlight.

His gaze grew increasingly firm, and his expression increasingly composed.

He was well aware of what this World Youth Championship meant to him.

The tension and pressure were self-evident.

Especially after losing the first game, he appeared cheerful on the surface, but inside he was panicking.

Fortunately, they won the second game.

This greatly boosted his confidence and made him more stable in his mindset.

He gently put down his racket, picked up his towel, turned and walked towards the rest area on the sidelines. His steps were so light and quick that he seemed to be floating, as if he was about to take off.

"Forget Sweden and Switzerland, or Odin's math competitions, it's still my Zhang family's ancestors who are the best!"

Zhang Jiahao winked and grinned smugly.

His voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement.

"The competition isn't over yet, don't get too cocky."

Li Qian handed over the water bottle and smiled slightly.

It must be said that Zhang Jiahao's strength has indeed improved a lot since the Lima regular challenge, after a period of training.

His footwork, awareness, and feel, especially his ability to counter-loop from mid to long distance, clearly show the influence of Xu Xin back in the day.

more importantly.

Back in the day, Xu Xin's strength lay in his forehand, particularly his mid-to-long-range counter-looping.

The backhand is relatively weak.

Running around the entire island relies entirely on footwork.

But Zhang Jiahao is different.

He uses a penhold grip and has a backhand topspin from mid-to-long range, which is stronger than Xu Xin's.

Therefore, it is sufficient to make up for the problem of insufficient protection area caused by height and wingspan.

"The score is now tied at one to one, so you're back to square one."

Li Qian continued, "The upcoming matches are essentially best of three, so we can't afford to be careless or underestimate our opponents in any of them."

Zhang Jiahao stuck out his tongue and suppressed his smile.

I gulped it down a few mouthfuls.

"understand!"

Zhang Jiahao nodded, his gaze becoming even more focused.

"In the third game, Julian will definitely intensify his aggressive play in the first three shots."

Li Qian's expression was serious, and his voice was deep as he said, "Your first three attacks were noticeably weaker than Julian's."

The key to a successful first three shots lies in two things: the serve and the explosive power and speed.

Zhang Jiahao's serving routines are quite varied.

Unfortunately, its power and speed are slightly weak, making it easy for opponents to defend and turn the ball back when it tries to attack in the first three shots.

Of course, in addition to power and speed, the first three shots of the attack technique can also be surprisingly effective if combined with the placement of the shots.

But this puts even greater demands on the player's ball control skills.

"Your strength lies in mid-to-long-range close-quarters combat, so you must find a way to control the pace of the game within your comfort zone."

Li Qian said.

The opposing coach is by no means mediocre.

The second game will undoubtedly reveal the strengths and weaknesses of both Zhang Jiahao and Julian.

Next, we will definitely develop corresponding tactics to counter Zhang Jiahao's playing style, and strive to resolve the first three rounds quickly to avoid a protracted battle with Zhang Jiahao.

The key to their victory lay in this.

It all comes down to who can control the pace of the game and outmaneuver their opponent.

"So what exactly should I do?"

Zhang Jiahao asked.

"Uh……"

Li Qian hadn't spoken yet.

But then Chen Jin said from the side, "Combine long and short serves, focusing on spin and no spin, and try to give him the small corner forehand to limit his initiative in the first three shots."

"When receiving a serve, either chop the ball into the middle or flick it towards his body. Julian players are tall and have long reach, so although they cover a large area of ​​the table, the middle is their weakness."

"With your strength, don't think about winning in one shot. The key is to get onto the table steadily, strengthen your topspin, control the arc, hit more landing points, and attack the middle."

"Also, keep an eye on his serves; I suspect he'll try to get a long serve at the start."

Chen Jin's voice was calm and steady, each word clear and distinct, reaching Zhang Jiahao's ears.

Zhang Jiahao listened intently, mentally simulating Chen Jin's tactical arrangements.

"Correct."

Li Qian nodded and said, "Chen Jin is right, we'll listen to him."

at this time.

A referee's announcement rang out from nearby: "Time!"

"come on!"

After high-fiving his teammates, Zhang Jiahao strode confidently onto the field.

The third round.

Julian served first.

They started with a long ball to open the way, trying to sneak up on Zhang Jiahao's backhand.

"Fuck!"

Zhang Jiahao exclaimed inwardly, "As expected of my Brother Jin, he's incredibly insightful!"

As if divinely inspired.

At the moment Julian serves.

Zhang Jiahao had already calculated the trajectory of the landing point, turned sideways in advance, and prepared to unleash his power.

"Snapped!"

He fell to the ground and then sprinted forward.

A thunderclap suddenly rose from the ground.

The small ping-pong ball, carrying a powerful force and spin, was like a white lightning bolt, piercing through a straight line and instantly shattering Julian's forehand.

"Choo-hoo!"

"Zhu--"

Li Qian clenched his fist and roared.

After falling to the ground, Zhang Jiahao braced himself with one hand, swept his leg, and stood up, running a lap around his half of the court.

His expression grew increasingly resolute and confident.

Julian, on the other hand, stood there dumbfounded, clearly not having reacted yet.

"Gulu!"

Coach Andrei's pupils suddenly contracted, his eyes fixed on Zhang Jiahao, his brows furrowed. "This kid actually figured out my tactical plan?"

The strategy of starting strong was originally a tactic designed by Coach Andrei for Julian.

The intention is to fight fiercely and seize the initiative.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Jiahao turned to the side in advance, clearly having anticipated that Julian would steal a growth spurt.

"An unknown person actually has such a strong sense of tactics and techniques."

Andrei couldn't help but exclaim, "The Chinese team truly lives up to its reputation."

Little did he know that the person who saw through his tactical arrangement was not Zhang Jiahao.

But someone else.

Seeing that Julian had indeed gained an early advantage, Huang Youzheng couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

Unable to resist, she turned to look at Chen Jin.

His eyes were filled with shock.

"He actually anticipated the opponent's tactics?"

Huang Youzheng gasped in shock.

In table tennis, it's not just about strength.

It is a contest in which two players, within a 0.01-second reaction time, react to each other's moves, use the fastest and sharpest perception to find the opponent's weakness, and combine spin, speed, footwork, landing point and timing to put the opponent in a deadly situation.

It's both skill and talent.

In addition, there is another point that is equally crucial in the game.

That is experience!
The wealth accumulated gradually from countless successful and unsuccessful matches.

Only when strength, talent, and experience come together can one anticipate the enemy's moves before the battle even begins.

To reach such a level is extremely rare, with very few exceptions in the world of table tennis.

At the very least, this shouldn't happen to a young player.

The problem is, Chen Jin actually did it.

He had long heard of Chen Jin's deeds and knew of Chen Jin's power.

Unfortunately, with his current skill level, he is not yet qualified to compete against Chen Jin on the field.

If he hadn't seen and heard it with his own eyes and ears, Huang Youzheng wouldn't have easily believed it: "Could it be that Chen Jin just stumbled upon it by sheer luck?"

And at this time.

Julian finally came to his senses and looked at Zhang Jiahao with a somewhat shocked gaze.

"Did he guess I would secretly grow taller?"

Julian took a deep breath and quickly calmed himself down. "But you guessed the first one, can you guess the second one?"

Second serve.

Julian still chose to steal the long run.

This was also a tactic that Coach Andre had planned long ago.

"I refuse to believe you can defend against this... Hey, hey?"

Coach Andre, who had been confident of success, was suddenly dumbfounded.

He had thought of everything beforehand, except for one thing.

— Julian's serve went astray.

Perhaps due to some nervousness, the force with which he sprinted the ball was slightly excessive.

歘!
The ball went out of bounds.

"..."

Julian himself was stunned.

Looking back at Coach Andre and his teammates, he was filled with regret.

There are risks involved in growing too tall!

Coach Andrei was quite helpless; he had no choice but to encourage Julian. 2-0.

With the serve in hand, Zhang Jiahao glanced at Julian's position as if by chance.

He immediately had a plan: "I'll treat them the way they treat me."

"If you like to steal my strengths, then I'll steal yours too."

However, just a second before serving, Zhang Jiahao put on an act, deliberately glancing at Julian's backhand.

The look in his eyes was meaningful.

Julian "keenly" noticed: "He's trying to steal my backhand longsword?"

Julian curled his lips into a smile, his eyes flashing with a fierce light: "It'll be perfect for you to experience my side-step burst!"

Anticipate the landing point and turn to the side in advance.

however.

The instant Julian slid to the side, the ping-pong ball hurtled toward his forehand corner at incredible speed.

"F**k!"

Julian realized what was happening, but it was too late.

3:0
Zhang Jiahao reached out and touched the pool table, grinned, and chuckled to himself.

"This boy!"

Li Qian laughed and said, "After being sent back to the provincial team, you must have read a lot of Sun Tzu's Art of War, right? You've even learned how to use feints to the east while attacking in the west."

In the midst of laughter and conversation.

Zhang Jiahao continues serving.

The forehand is short.

Do not forward.

Julian takes the next step and twists the diagonal line.

Zhang Jiahao countered by tearing apart the middle lane.

Julian countered Zhang Jiahao's left-hand forehand small triangle.

Zhang Jiahao lunged forward and pulled low into the air.

歘!
The ping-pong ball traced a C-shaped arc in the air, bypassed the net, and flew out, almost touching Julian's table.

—The President's Ball!
The curve is low, and the side turn is strong.

Julian tries to catch the ball.

But the moment the ball touched the rubber, it slipped and went straight into the net.

"What?"

Julian stared wide-eyed at Zhang Jiahao.

He was first taken aback, then shocked, and an incredulous expression appeared on his face.

I couldn't help but applaud Zhang Jiahao.

Then, as if realizing something, he quickly lowered his hand and awkwardly touched his nose.

"He is my opponent, how can I applaud my opponent?"

"But that shot of his was really amazing."

Zhang Jiahao raised his right hand, pointing his index finger, appearing calm on the surface but his heart was in turmoil.

Even Li Qian, watching from the sidelines, could sense: "Zhang Jiahao's form and touch are pretty good."

"Not just a little."

Chen Jin smiled slightly, "Given his current condition, even I would break out in a sweat trying to beat him."

"what about me?"

Xie Mingyang asked.

"Hard to say."

Chen Jinwei shrugged.

In the following game, although Julian continued his aggressive tactics in the first three shots, Zhang Jiahao's touch was so good that Julian looked back at him several times.

Once the game entered the mid-to-long range rally, Zhang Jiahao's agile footwork, powerful loops, and precise shot placement made Julian suffer greatly.

No matter how he attacked, he felt as if he were fighting a Titanoboa.

The more you struggle, the tighter the restraints become.

Ultimately, he was strangled to death.

11: 6.

Zhang Jiahao scores another goal.

They took the lead by a large margin.

"Good fight!"

Li Qian stood up to greet him and handed him a water bottle, saying, "But don't let your guard down. Try to go all out and win the fourth game."

Zhang Jiahao nodded emphatically.

His jersey was already soaked through.

After three intense rounds, he was exhausted, but his eyes remained bright and alert.

"Chen Jin".

Li Qian turned to Chen Jin and asked, "How do you think we should play the fourth game?"

It was as if the boy beside him was the real coach.

"With Jiahao's current form, he can play any way he wants, so there's no need to deliberately plan tactics."

Chen Jin smiled and said, "The only tactic is to have unwavering confidence in victory."

Moreover, Julian's mentality has clearly begun to crumble.

As long as Zhang Jiahao doesn't make any fatal mistakes in the fourth game, the victory is basically assured.

"I will definitely win!"

Zhang Jiahao's voice was soft, but firm as iron.

The fourth game.

Julian's tactics remain focused on close combat.

However, his mentality was clearly fluctuating.

Not only have their serves and returns become much more conservative, but their attacks have also lost their previous sharpness.

In contrast, Zhang Jiahao became more and more courageous with each battle.

In just a few minutes, the score had reached 3:10.

Set point, also match point.

Julian held a ping-pong ball in his hand, his knuckles turning slightly white.

Even the hand holding the racket was trembling slightly.

"With such a large score difference, it's almost impossible to turn the game around."

Julian bit his lip, a faint taste of blood lingering on his tongue. "This round is already lost."

"No!"

"As long as the ball hasn't hit the ground, we can catch up point by point and there's still a chance."

"I must make good use of this serve."

"Let's go all out!"

Think of this.

Julian took a deep breath and finally calmed down.

Toss the ball and prepare to swing.

He made a reverse spin serve motion with his hand.

The moment the ball touches the wrist, a flick of the wrist releases a burst of power.

歘!
The ping-pong ball flew past at extremely high speed, suddenly attacking Zhang Jiahao's backhand side.

"Stealing growth again?"

Zhang Jiahao reacted quickly, ducking his body to barely block the ball.

"It's now!"

Julian slid to the side, channeling all his strength into a powerful forehand smash.

Snapped!
The ping-pong ball hurtled towards Zhang Jiahao's left side of the table like a meteorite.

The angle is large, and the arc is long.

Even if the Dragon King of Suzhou himself were to come, he might not be able to save us.

But Zhang Jiahao took a step across the ground, and without hesitation, leaped into the air and pounced.

A miracle eventually happened.

Just as the ping-pong ball was about to hit the ground, Zhang Jiahao miraculously caught it high in the air.

He had collapsed to the ground.

Knees and elbows slammed heavily to the ground.

Zhang Jiahao didn't care about anything else. He immediately leaped up, arching his back like a shrimp, ready to receive the next move.

Because he knew that although he managed to save the ball, the quality of his return was not high.

Julian will inevitably continue his explosive charge.

Unsurprisingly.

Julian gripped his racket tightly with his right hand, his eyes fixed on the trajectory of the incoming ball.

Full of energy, ready to be unleashed.

Sudden.

Hearing a sound like thunder and lightning, Julian pressed down on the ball's launch point and smashed it down with a powerful blow, tearing through the air.

Available in the next second.

laugh!
The ping-pong ball unexpectedly veered off course, bypassing Julian's racket and bouncing back.

Julian had not anticipated this.

Pump out the air forcefully.

Fourth set, 3-11.

The score is 3-1.

Zhang Jiahao defeated Julian, earning another point for the Chinese team.

"Zhu--"

The moment we won the game.

As if all his strength had been drained, Zhang Jiahao knelt on the ground with a thud, his fists clenched, and roared to the sky.

I won!
I did not let Brother Jin down!

They certainly lived up to the hard work of the past three months of training!

(End of this chapter)