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

Chapter 306 Advances to the Finals!

eight pm.

World Youth Championships U19 Singles Semifinals.

Four matches were played simultaneously.

The stadium lights illuminated the four ping-pong tables in the center of the court.

The match between Chen Jin and Wu Juncheng was at table number three.

Next door were Xie Mingyang and Sakai Xiongfei.

After the contestants entered the venue.

Through the thin air, Chen Jin and Xie Mingyang exchanged a glance.

The match has not yet started.

Standing on the sidelines, Wu Juncheng stretched his muscles while listening to Coach Kim's tactical instructions.

"Chen Jin has already played four games today, so it's inevitable that his physical condition will decline."

Coach Kim shared the same idea as Oh Jun-sung: "Under these circumstances, Chen Jin will definitely want to make the first three shots and finish the game quickly. We must not give him that opportunity."

Wu Juncheng bent down, picked up the water bottle, took a small sip, and hummed in agreement.

In today's semi-final, due to physical limitations, Chen Jin's playing style was almost completely predictable.

For Wu Juncheng, this is undoubtedly a rare opportunity to defeat Chen Jin.

"God is still looking out for me."

Wu Juncheng secretly rejoiced.

Similar situations have happened to him more than once.

During the Asian Championships, in the men's singles round of 16, he was able to defeat Wang Chuqin, the world's number one ranked player, with a score of 3:1. To some extent, this was due to Wang Chuqin's physical condition of competing in three events.

Of course, this is also closely related to Oh Jun-sung's own abilities.

This time, in the semifinals, he faced Chen Jin, who was competing in four events and five matches in one day.

Isn't this just divine favor?

"If you do not take what Heaven gives you, you will suffer the consequences."

Wu Juncheng clenched his fist, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit. "Defeat Chen Jin tonight!"

As for the crushing defeats in men's doubles and mixed doubles, he had long since put them out of his mind.

Moreover, in doubles matches, there's the risk of having a teammate who drags you down.

Only singles matches can truly showcase one's abilities.

Coach Jin continued, "The semifinals are best-of-seven, which requires higher physical fitness and allows for more mistakes, all of which are advantageous to us."

"So even if you lose the first two games, don't rush or panic, just play slowly."

"But you must remember that in the first two games, you cannot let Chen Jin launch a first three-ball attack. You must control him and limit his opportunities."

"Try to engage in a long-range battle with him, open up the landing points, move Chen Jin around the table, and exhaust his energy as much as possible."

"As long as we execute our tactics well and get through the first two games, the rest of the game will be ours."

Speaking of which.

Coach Kim wore a confident smile and patted Oh Jun-sung on the shoulder.

"If you defeat Chen Jin, even if you don't win the championship, you can still shake the world of table tennis after tonight."

Coach Kim smiled and said, "Your father will be incredibly proud of you."

Hear the sound.

Wu Juncheng felt a chill run down his spine.

In an instant, the image of myself at the age of three, practicing ball while crying, flashed into my mind.

It's all because he has a father named "Wu Shangyin".

Of course, perhaps due to inheriting his father's genes, Wu Juncheng's talent in table tennis is also quite outstanding.

At the age of eleven, he reached the top 32 in the Korean Championships. At sixteen, he participated in the World Junior Championships for the first time and was selected for the Korean national table tennis team.

Two months ago at the Asian Championships, they defeated Wang Chuqin with a score of 3:1.

I still remember how excited my father was at that time.

The thought of his father's smile filled Wu Juncheng with a honey-like happiness.

"I'm sure I can beat Chen Jin tonight!"

Taking a deep breath, a flame seemed to flicker in Wu Juncheng's dark eyes.

At this moment.

The referee's voice rang out: "Please enter the arena, both players."

……

13: 15.

11: 7.

9: 11.

The score is 1-2.

Xie Mingyang, expressionless, put down his racket, picked up a towel, wiped the sweat from his brow, and walked towards the sidelines.

As Chen Jin said before the match, Sakai Yuhi's defensive counter-attack is indeed quite effective.

In the first three games, Xie Mingyang launched several powerful attacks, seemingly poised to win, but Sakai Yuhi thwarted them all, putting Xie in a passive position and ultimately leading to his defeat.

"The prerequisite for a defensive counter-attack is to have a firm footing."

Xie Mingyang pondered to himself, "Was my placement too precise?"

My mind hasn't changed.

Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the next room.

Chen Jinzheng was seen shaking hands with Wu Juncheng after the match.

Wu Juncheng looked utterly dejected; the outcome of the match was obvious.

"So fast?"

Xie Mingyang raised an eyebrow slightly.

It should be noted that Oh Jun-sung is no nobody.

As the son of Oh Sang-eun, a legend in South Korean table tennis, Oh Jun-sung has been in the spotlight since his debut.

He recently defeated Wang Chuqin at the Asian Championships, which made him an instant star.

In this World Junior Championships, Wu Juncheng was also the number one seed in the men's singles, demonstrating his exceptional strength.

In addition, Chen Jin's five matches a day will inevitably have some impact on his physical strength.

Under these circumstances, even Xie Mingyang felt that even if Chen Jin ultimately won this battle, it wouldn't be an easy one.

Unexpectedly, Chen Jin's match ended after he had only played three games, and he was the first to advance to the finals.

Wu Juncheng was also caught off guard.

He and his coach were well-prepared for the semi-final match against Chen Jin.

Moreover, there were no problems with the tactical arrangements.

Just like Coach Kim thought.

In the first two games, Chen Jin launched a particularly fierce attack in the first three shots in order to finish the game quickly.

They won the game with lightning speed.

However, in the third set, as his energy waned, Chen Jin's pace noticeably slowed down.

In the latter half of the match, his physical strength declined more noticeably, and even his powerful side-step forehand smash was successfully defended and countered by Wu Juncheng.

Wu Juncheng was overjoyed at the sight, thinking that his time to make a comeback had come.

The relentless, continuous attacks were like a barrage of bombardments, resulting in several beautiful shots of above-average quality.

Unexpectedly, Chen Jin took the initiative to request a timeout.

After the timeout, tactical adjustments were made.

No matter how Wu Juncheng attacked, Chen Jin defended the mid-to-close range, using the opponent's force against them, with quick forehand drives and quick backhand smashes, and even resorting to defensive counter-attacks.

It's important to understand that mid-range and close-range play is inherently a domain for penhold grip players.

In a head-to-head contest of mid-to-close range speed, Wu Juncheng is no match for Chen Jin.

Once he leaves the stage, even with Wu Juncheng's strength, he won't be able to break through Chen Jin's tight defense.

In the end, Wu Juncheng, filled with despair, suffered a crushing defeat, losing 0-4.

"Chen Jin is not Wang Chuqin after all."

Wu Juncheng looked up at the sky and sighed.

Despite both being physically exhausted and facing each other for the first time, he was able to defeat Wang Chuqin, but when facing Chen Jin, he was completely helpless.

Little did he know that Chen Jin and Li Qian had already guessed before the match that his tactical focus in this semi-final would be on the later games.

Therefore, Chen Jin seized the opportunity and, taking advantage of his abundant energy, won the first two rounds with lightning speed.

In the following two games, the team switched from offense to defense, which was also within Chen Jin's tactical calculations.

In a match, tactics can sometimes compensate for a lack of skill.

However, strength is always the greatest support for tactics.

Without the support of absolute strength, even the most ingenious tactics are nothing but empty talk.

"Chen Jin has already advanced to the final, but what about me? I'm down 1-2."

Xie Mingyang gripped the towel tightly.

An unprecedented surge of fighting spirit rose from the depths of his heart.

In my eyes, flames raged.

When he returned to the field, his entire demeanor changed.

Like a newly forged, peerless sword, it exudes a chilling killing intent.

Even his opponent, Sakai Yuhi, couldn't help but gasp: "What's going on? Has this kid been provoked by something? Why does he seem like a completely different person all of a sudden, with such a strong killing intent?"

The weight wasn't just in the killing intent; it was also in every single attack by Xie Mingyang.

The key point is that in the fourth game, Xie Mingyang changed his tactics from the first three games, and strengthened his placement and line changes.

Yuhi Sakai's best playing style is undoubtedly defensive counter-attacking.

His backhand defense is absolutely superb.

Just like his teammate Tomokazu Harimoto.

In fact, Yuhi Sakai's forehand is far inferior to Tomokazu Harimoto's.

Once you lose your footing, you'll make more mistakes.

His attacks lacked a decisive blow.

It's difficult to break through Xie Mingyang's defenses and pose a sufficient threat to him.

11: 6.

The score is 2-2.

Xie Mingyang equalized the score.

"Chen Jin was right after all."

During a break on the sidelines, Xie Mingyang sat alone in silence, tilted his head back and took a sip of water. "The decisive factor in winning or losing is indeed the placement of the ball."

The reason why he was down 1-2 in the first three games was actually related to his rebellious mentality.

Knowing that Yuhi Sakai was good at counter-attacking, he still wanted to break through the opponent's defense.

As it turned out, Chen Jin was right.

But the more this was the case, the more Xie Mingyang felt how terrifying Chen Jin was.

"He probably already anticipated that I wouldn't be able to break through Sakai Yuhi's defense..."

"To achieve this, you need to understand not only Sakai Yuhi's strength, but also my strength."

Xie Mingyang let out a long breath.

However, he was not discouraged.

A smile curved his lips, and his eyes sharpened: "Such an opponent is more challenging, and that's what makes things interesting."

"I also want to see how big the gap is between me and Chen Jin after three months and when we face each other again."

During this period, he spent every day with Chen Jin, training together, exchanging skills, and discussing tactics, and he felt that his strength had improved a lot.

Compared to the selection competition, he is no longer the same as before.

This made him even more eager to fight Chen Jin.

"Therefore, I must make it to the finals."

Xie Mingyang suddenly stood up, his fighting spirit surging like a tidal wave.

The fifth inning begins.

Sakai Yufei clearly felt that Xie Mingyang's shots had become even more aggressive.

Each swing of the blade was accompanied by the sound of wind and thunder cutting through the air, shaking the soul.

"Snapped!"

"Snapped!"

"Snapped!"

……

Xie Mingyang was like a ruthless swordsman, wielding his racket like a knife.

The knife moved like a gust of wind.

Each cut was heavier than the last.

Even Sakai Yufei's proud close defense began to crumble under Xie Mingyang's fierce attacks.

"We've already played five games, so our stamina should have started to drop."

Sakai Yuhi was secretly alarmed, "But why is this guy's ball getting more and more powerful and explosive?"

11: 7.

11: 5.

Xie Mingyang won three consecutive victories.

With a score of 4-2, he reversed the score and defeated Sakai Yuki, and will meet Chen Jin in the final.

……

S Province Gymnasium.

Early in the morning, Wang Hao arrived at the training hall with dark circles under his eyes, yawning incessantly.

To everyone's surprise, Liu Guoliang was the first person they encountered upon entering.

My previously drowsy spirits immediately lifted.

"Coach Liu."

Wang Hao quickly greeted them.

"A panda has been discovered to have escaped."

Liu Guoliang looked Wang Hao up and down and said with a smile, "Call the zoo right away."

"Uh……"

Wang Hao chuckled sheepishly, "I watched the game last night and didn't go to sleep until very late."

"Watching the game?"

Liu Guoliang asked, "What competition?"

"World Youth Championships".

Wang Hao rubbed his temples. "We won all the U15 and U19 team, doubles, and mixed doubles championships."

"They all made it to the finals in singles as well."

"I have a feeling that we can sweep all the championships in this World Junior Championships."

Hear the words.

Liu Guoliang smiled with satisfaction.

Such results are enough to answer the doubts from the outside world about the development of the national table tennis team.

This made him feel even more gratified.

"very good."

Liu Guoliang crossed his arms, looked around, and seeing that no one was passing by, suddenly coughed, "By the way, where are Chen Jin and Xie Mingyang?"

Wang Hao's heart skipped a beat, but he said calmly, "They've all made it to the finals."

"Oh?"

Liu Guoliang looked at Wang Hao and lowered his voice, "Have you... talked to Chen Jin?"

"We've already talked."

Wang Hao's expression became somewhat complicated.

"how?"

Liu Guoliang, with his sharp eyes and keen observation skills, immediately noticed something amiss. "Chen Jin won't agree?"

"No."

Wang Hao quickly said, "However, when I was discussing this with Chen Jin, a small accident occurred..."

"What accident?"

Liu Guoliang frowned slightly.

“It was already past four in the morning, so I made a voice call to Chen Jin, thinking that at least I could comfort him.”

Wang Hao had already prepared his story, and his expression and words were all sincere, as if it were true. "But I didn't expect that Xie Mingyang was right next to Chen Jin, and he overheard it..."

"what?!"

Liu Guoliang frowned even more deeply.

His dissatisfaction was evident in his words.

Xie Mingyang said that if that were the case, he would rather withdraw from the final.

Wang Hao sighed, "Xie Mingyang is a stubborn kid. I'm worried that if we force him, he'll do exactly what he says."

When he first brought up the matter, Xie Mingyang refused on the spot.

Later, Xie Mingyang sent him several more messages, reiterating his determination to fight Chen Jingong.

This clearly shows the young man's character; he cannot tolerate even the slightest imperfection.

Especially those related to the competition.

It is truly rare for someone of such background to be able to stay true to their principles.

This gave Wang Hao the confidence to report the matter.

Liu Guoliang's face was gloomy, his brows were tightly furrowed, and although he did not speak, it was as if a storm was brewing.

There was a pause.

Liu Guoliang then spoke up: "I went through a lot of trouble to persuade the ITTF people to give this World Youth Championship U19 singles champion a spot in the World Cup. I just wanted to give our players an extra spot and an extra opportunity."

"Now look what happened, it's all been wasted."

As she spoke, she glared fiercely at Wang Hao.

Wang Hao looked ashamed and lowered his head, saying, "It's my fault... Should I try to persuade Chen Jin and Xie Mingyang again?"

"never mind."

Liu Guoliang waved his hand, "Tell Chen Jin and Xie Mingyang to play their best in the finals, and not to hold back..."

"No!"

“I spoke to them personally.”

(End of this chapter)