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

Chapter 320 Falling to the ground and exploding? You fucking exploded onto the floor!

12 month 16 day.

Eleven o'clock in the morning.

The gymnasium at Central South University was packed with people.

"Wang Chuqin, you're the best!"

"Go for it, Wang Chuqin!"

Frenzied screams and cheers echoed throughout the audience.

If you didn't know better, you'd think this was a concert by one of the most popular young male celebrities in the Chinese entertainment industry.

The hashtag "Wang Chuqin Doubles" has already been trending on social media.

The trending topics section was bustling with activity.

"Wow, finally we can see Big Head doubles again."

"Watching Big Head doubles is the most enjoyable thing in the world."

"Our coach Chu Qin is a doubles Grand Slam champion... Just to give you some background, a doubles Grand Slam is much more prestigious than a singles Grand Slam, because it not only requires players to have outstanding individual skills, but also puts a lot of pressure on teamwork, making it more difficult than singles."

"Go, Big Head, take down the Crown Prince!"

"I hope Liang Jingkun won't hold our Da Tou back."

……

The game hasn't started yet.

Fans immediately mobilized and launched a massive online campaign to control the comments section.

It seemed as if victory was assured.

This scene makes one sigh that the "Loan Master" truly lives up to his reputation.

at the same time.

Both players have now taken to the field.

They were doing their final warm-up preparations in their respective rest areas on the sidelines.

The fans at the scene chanted Wang Chuqin's name in unison, cheering him on, making everyone's heads buzz.

Yan Sheng picked at his ear and couldn't help but steal a glance at the next room, where he saw Wang Chuqin and Liang Jingkun sharpening their knives, exuding murderous intent.

"I never expected Wang Chuqin to play doubles."

Yan Sheng said in a low voice, "He's still with Liang Jingkun."

"This doubles pair has previously won the WTT Singapore Grand Slam men's doubles title."

Both of them were already very strong individually.

In addition, his experience in doubles and the team's experience on the court inevitably made him worry about Chen Jin and Lin Yun-ju.

So far, in the first stage, only the S Province team and the Weiqiao team have maintained a perfect record.

This match is a battle for first place between the two sides.

Comparing the personnel of the two teams, Weiqiao team boasts two mainstays of the Chinese national table tennis team, Wang Chuqin and Liang Jingkun, one ranked number one in the world and the other ranked number eight in the world.

As for Huang Youzheng and Zhou Qihao, they are both players on the national table tennis team and their strength should not be underestimated.

In contrast, the S province team...

Chen Jin is indeed incredibly strong, but this is a team competition, and to win, the performance of his teammates is also necessary.

Lin Yun-Ju's latest world ranking is below the top ten, and his previous head-to-head records with Wang Chu-Chin and Liang Jing-Kun are also mixed.

Once you face off, the outcome is uncertain.

Of course, the real weakness of the S Province team lies with Yan Sheng.

Let alone Wang Chuqin and Liang Jingkun, it's questionable whether he can even beat Huang Youzheng and Zhou Qihao.

That is why the outcome of doubles matches is particularly crucial.

If we can win the doubles, the pressure in the later matches will be much less.

Even if Chen Jin scores two points by himself, there is still a risk of losing the game if they lose.

Based on Weiqiao team's previous lineup, Wang Chuqin was originally expected to secure one winning order.

But this time, he personally presided over the doubles match.

It was clear they were determined to win.

However, Chen Longcan, being experienced, had already anticipated that Weiqiao team might make such a move last night.

"WTT Singapore Grand Slam?"

Chen Longcan smiled calmly, his expression revealing a hint of disdain and contempt.

It's worth noting that back then, he and his teammate Wei Qingguang won the men's doubles title at the 39th World Table Tennis Championships in 1987.

Moreover, he and Wei Qingguang also won the first-ever Olympic men's doubles gold medal in the history of Chinese table tennis.

When it comes to doubles experience, Wang Chuqin would have to call Chen Longcan his "ancestor."

"When receiving a serve, try not to fight it close to the table. Quickly chop a long ball on the left side of the table, and then have the other person ready to counter-loop at any time."

Taking advantage of the last bit of time, Chen Longcan spoke very quickly but clearly, making tactical arrangements: "If we have no choice but to play it safe, we must control it well and never give the other side a chance to play it safe."

"Once you get hit by a high lob from your opponent, it's easy to lose your rhythm, make it harder to get back into the game, and lead to more mistakes."

"Also, get your feet moving, and make sure your landing points are open..."

Not finished yet.

The referee's voice rang out: "Time's up, please enter the arena."

"come on!"

Chen Longcan clapped and said, "Pay attention to positioning, pay attention to covering, don't stand still, you must run."

Amid cheers from the coach and teammates.

Chen Jin and Lin Yun-ju, carrying rackets and towels, walked towards the court while talking in hushed tones.

soon.

Move to the left of the referee.

He stood facing off against Wang Chuqin and Liang Jingkun from afar.

They were all old acquaintances.

When shaking hands, make eye contact and give a friendly smile.

Only Wang Chuqin had that sour face, as if the whole world owed him a fortune.

As is customary, a coin is tossed to determine who goes first.

Chen Jin and Lin Yun-ju were awarded the right to serve in the first round.

Then, they practiced warm-up exercises.

One minute later, the match officially began.

Chen Jinfa went to the ball.

Liang Jingkun receives the serve.

Both sides had already set up their battle formations, as if two armies were facing off, and war was about to break out.

Chen Jin lowered his left hand and quickly clenched his fist.

Seeing this, Lin Yunru immediately understood, and had already figured out how to respond to Liang Jingkun's serve and take the next shot.

Chen Jin stood to the right of the racket and gently tossed the ball.

Compared to singles, the serving motion is much smaller in order to accommodate the partner's positioning.

Hook your hand.

No spinning short ball.

The moment the ball was served, Chen Jin pushed off with his feet, his body shooting out like an arrow, already pulling away to the right and back.

Lin Yun-ru quickly filled in for him.

the other side.

Liang Jingkun stepped forward, attempting to shrug.

However, his hand control was slightly lacking.

The ball bounced high.

"Oops!"

Liang Jingkun had no time to think about it and quickly moved to create space for Wang Chuqin to hit the ball.

Lin Yun-ju seemed to have anticipated that the ball would go high, and suddenly leaped and flicked it across the crosscourt.

"Snapped!"

The ping-pong ball shot towards the opponent's left side of the table like a bullet.

"Fuck!"

Wang Chuqin took a cross step and lunged for a forehand.

Unfortunately, it's half an inch too short.

The ball hits the edge of the paddle and flies out of bounds.

1: 0.

Wang Chuqin frowned slightly and glanced at Liang Jingkun beside him with some dissatisfaction.

If Liang Jingkun hadn't missed the serve, I wouldn't have been in such a passive situation, running around so much.

Don't wait for him to speak.

Liang Jingkun raised his hand apologetically and said, "It's my fault, I didn't keep an eye on the serve."

"Ah."

Wang Chuqin remained expressionless. "Keep your eyes on the ball."

Second serve.

Chen Jin hooked a short ball to the side.

This time, Liang Jingkun remained composed, neither overstepping his bounds nor making any rash moves.

Following Chen Longcan's pre-match tactical plan, Lin Yunru did not linger on the inside of the table and decisively thrust the ball long.

The trajectory is low and flat, with strong spin, heading straight for the opponent's left side of the table.

"what--"

Wang Chuqin shouted and swung his forehand diagonal shot forward.

Chen Jin countered by tearing through the middle lane.

Liang Jingkun applied defensive measures.

Lin Yun-ju uses a forehand reverse loop.

Wang Chuqin slid to the side, fell to the ground, and then charged forward.

Chen Jin took half a step back and forcefully pulled back.

Liang Jingkun leaned back as if he had been hit by a truck, barely managing to return the ball.

Lin Yunru quickly stepped forward, swung his forehand, and charged forward with explosive force.

And at this time.

Because of his explosive dive and charge in the previous goal, Wang Chuqin's movements were too exaggerated, and he hadn't yet regained his footing.

Looking up, the ball was already flying right in front of me.

"what?"

Wang Chuqin was taken aback. "My sudden charge after falling to the ground, and I didn't kill Chen Jin with a single blow?"

"He actually managed to react and come back to his senses?"

My mind hasn't changed.

Wang Chuqin quickly came to his senses and tried to pull the ball back.

However, Lin Yun-ru's well-prepared attack was no small matter.

In addition, the ball was aimed at him, making him unsteady on his feet and unable to adjust his footwork.

Wang Chuqin twisted his waist, almost falling over, but it was too late.

0: 2.

They were behind from the start. Even if it was only by two points, it was definitely not what Wang Chuqin wanted to see.

You should know that doubles is his specialty.

Within this field, how can we allow others to take the lead?
Wang Chuqin clenched his right fist, a sharp glint in his eyes: "We must catch up!"

Take a deep breath.

He leaned closer to Liang Jingkun and whispered, "Lin Yunru's control over the station isn't very good; he can't get the message across."

"clear."

Liang Jingkun nodded.

The game continues.

Liang Jingkun did as instructed and served a short, no-spin ball.

Unexpectedly, Lin Yun-ju had no interest in the small ball inside the table.

With a quick step, he flashed onto the right side of the table.

Lower your shoulders and raise your elbows.

Twist and pull diagonally with a reverse grip.

Back then, Lin Yun-Ju defeated Ma Long with this zero-frame start full-table topspin to win the men's singles title at the 2023 WTT Frankfurt Championships.

This is exactly what he's good at!

Wang Chuqin prevented Liang Jingkun from getting a spin on his serve because he wanted to replicate the first play by Chen Jin and Lin Yun-ju.

If Lin Yun-ju's serve goes too high, he will then launch a powerful lob.

Unexpectedly, Lin Yun-ru took matters into his own hands.

Fortunately, Wang Chuqin reacted extremely quickly, swiftly changing his move, shrinking his body, and using a backhand to defend.

Chen Jin seized the opportunity and turned to prepare his shot.

"Snapped!"

A powerful forehand smash that penetrates the blade.

Unlike Wang Chuqin's explosive charge after falling to the ground, Chen Jin's charge, in terms of power, speed, spin, and especially the landing point, far surpassed Wang Chuqin's.

Under Chen Jin's all-out attack, the small ping-pong ball instantly transformed into a cannonball, hurtling towards the opponent's left side of the table.

Liang Jingkun originally thought that Chen Jin's shot was aimed at his forehand side.

The feet were already poised to sprint down the right half of the platform.

However, just as he was about to start, he caught a glimpse of Chen Jin suddenly charging straight ahead.

He panicked and quickly turned around to save the ball.

"boom!"

The ping-pong ball slammed into Liang Jingkun's backhand racket.

A powerful shockwave made his hand tremble.

"What a powerful shot!"

Liang Jingkun couldn't help but gasp.

With hands and feet in disarray and movements out of control, how could they possibly suppress the power and spin of Chen Jin's explosive shot?
The ball went out of bounds.

0: 3.

Seeing the score widen again, Wang Chuqin frowned even more deeply.

"Hold on!"

Wang Chuqin whispered, "The next serve still won't spin."

"If Lin Yunru continues to be stubborn, I'll confront him."

Liang Jingkun nodded and said, "Okay."

Before the match, Coach Yin Xiao gave special instructions that Wang Chuqin should be the main player in this game.

Let Liang Jingkun follow Wang Chuqin's arrangements.

After all, Wang Chuqin won the World Table Tennis Championships doubles title and the Olympic mixed doubles gold medal, so he does have a lot of experience in doubles.

Liang Jingkun naturally wouldn't refuse.

Unsurprisingly.

Lin Yun-ju immediately recognized Liang Jing-kun's serve, which was also non-spinning, and didn't hold back.

Jump forward and twist the diagonal line.

But this time, Wang Chuqin had anticipated this and moved aside the moment Lin Yunru made his move.

"Snapped!"

With all his strength unleashed, Wang Chuqin collapsed to the ground and charged forward once more.

He was confident that once this ball was played, no one could stop it.

As it turned out, no one could stop that shot.

Even Chen Jin couldn't do it.

After all, the ball flew too high.

Chen Jin is neither a superman nor does he possess superhuman abilities; he could only watch helplessly as the ping-pong ball flew straight towards the ceiling.

"..."

Liang Jingkun's mind was in turmoil at this moment.

Is this some kind of explosive floor-mounted attack?

Want to test which is harder, you or the floor?
The ball flew out of bounds, and he collapsed to the ground, bursting into a lonely explosion.

Wang Chuqin stood up, his face expressionless, showing neither embarrassment nor self-reproach.

He simply shrugged, silently walked to the net, and reached out to wipe the sweat from his brow.

It's as if nothing happened.

Liang Jingkun didn't say anything about it, as he had long been used to it.

4: 0.

The serve returned to Lin Yun-Ju.

Diagonal, shorter on the lower side.

Wang Chuqin laid out a straight line.

Halfway through the performance.

Chen Jin squatted down, raised his paddle with a backhand, and executed a high loop drive.

Knowing that the ball had strong spin, Liang Jingkun dared not easily attempt a counter-attack.

So, gently apply the protective board.

Lin Yun-Ju forehand smash.

Wang Chuqin retaliated.

Chen Jin took advantage of the situation and quickly led the way.

Liang Jingkun pulled back.

Lin Yun-Ju's positioning was a little slow, and his shot went into the net.

4: 1.

Finally winning a point, Wang Chuqin clenched his fist and roared, "Cuo Le!"

"Zhu--"

The previously somewhat somber atmosphere suddenly rose up.

The fans at the scene cheered enthusiastically.

"Feel sorry."

Lin Yunru felt somewhat guilty, "I didn't keep a close eye on things, and I was a little slow."

"fine."

Chen Jin didn't take it seriously, saying, "We're still leading, let's take it slow, no rush."

Perhaps it was this shot that boosted the morale of Wang Chuqin and Liang Jingkun.

In the following match, the score remained very close, with the score fluctuating back and forth.

2: 4.

3: 4.

5: 3.

5: 4.

5: 5.

……

Chen Jin and Lin Yun-ju even found themselves at a disadvantage with a score of 8 to 9.

Fortunately, the two players adjusted in time and scored three points in a row.

11: 9.

Victory in the first game.

"Choo-hoo!"

"Zhu--"

Chen Jin and Lin Yunru simultaneously clenched their fists and roared.

Looking at Wang Chuqin, however, his face was dark and foul-smelling.

"We actually lost the first game."

Wang Chuqin frowned deeply.

He was initially very confident, believing that doubles was his domain.

With years of doubles experience, they will easily crush the hastily assembled pair of Chen Jin and Lin Yun-ju, forcing Chen Jin to swallow the bitter pill of his first defeat.

He even predicted before the match: "This match is a foregone conclusion, it will definitely be 3-0."

"If Chen Jin and Lin Yun-ju can win a game, I will consider it a loss."

Unexpectedly, the first game was so difficult.

At the start of the game, the score was initially overtaken by the opponent.

Although he and Liang Jingkun later reversed the score and led all the way to 9:8.

Unexpectedly, Chen Jin's forehand serve gave him a hard time.

They ultimately lost the first game.

"It's no big deal that Chen Jin won a game by luck."

Wang Chuqin gritted his teeth inwardly, "In the upcoming matches, I'll show him what it means to be the king of doubles!"

soon.

The second game has ended.

11: 7.

Chen Jin and Lin Yun-ju won another game.

"How can this be?"

"A hallucination! This is all a hallucination!"

Wang Chuqin was incredulous, his teeth almost grinding to powder, "A comeback from 0-2 down to 3-2, a stunning turnaround!"

More than ten minutes later.

Wang Chuqin, who lost the third game 11-13, was pale and looked as if he had lost his parents.

"Lost?"

"I actually lost to Chen Jin in doubles?"

Wang Chuqin felt his mind go blank, and he stood there completely stunned, his eyes glazed over, looking utterly lost.

Before the match, he correctly predicted the final score, but he failed to predict who would win.

(End of this chapter)