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

Chapter 327 Table Tennis Super League Finals
January 1, 2025, New Year’s Day.

The second day of the twelfth lunar month.

6:30 pm.

Magic City Stadium.

Red flags were waving, and crowds of people were everywhere.

The popularity of the Chinese Table Tennis Super League finals far exceeded expectations.

Many fans traveled from afar just to support their favorite players.

Of course, sandstorms, dice, and sand dust are the most common.

In light of this, the organizers designed merchandise such as figurines and keychains.

The profits brought by fan traffic have made the event organizers extremely happy and they've made a fortune.

There is still half an hour until the men's team final.

Both players finished their training early and went to the waiting area.

Led by the host, the entrance ceremony was rehearsed once.

Chen Jin took out his racket from his backpack, applied some cleaning agent, and carefully wiped it clean.

"what?"

Yan Sheng immediately recognized it: "A new racket?"

"Correct."

Chen Jin smiled and said, "It's a new product developed by Xuperman."

He did not use it in the semi-finals.

This time, I'll be testing my skills in the finals.

"xuperman?"

Others may not have heard of it, but as a penhold grip player, how could Yan Sheng not know this brand? "Xu Xin's self-created brand?"

"Ah."

Chen Jin nodded.

"It looks pretty good."

A hint of anticipation appeared in Yan Sheng's eyes. "May I take a look?"

"of course can."

Chen Jin generously handed the racket to Yan Sheng.

Upon gripping it, Yan Sheng's eyes lit up: "This handle feels so comfortable to hold."

Did you polish it?

In today's table tennis world, the mainstream blade brands are nothing more than Double Happiness, Butterfly, and Stiga.

In terms of handle design, almost all of them are designed for shakehand grips, which is extremely unfriendly to penhold grip players.

Due to the different grip style, the index finger of a penhold grip player needs to grip the shoulder of the handle.

If you don't polish it, you'll definitely cut your hand.

Even with polishing, calluses will still form on your index finger.

For example, when Chen Jin first practiced penhold grip, his index finger even rubbed raw, causing him great pain.

It wasn't until calluses formed that they fully adapted.

Yan Sheng also uses a penhold grip, so how could he not understand the hardships involved?

However, the handle of this straight blade is clearly the result of a meticulous and special design.

It's clearly designed specifically for penhold grip players.

"This feels so good!"

Yan Sheng switched between forehand and backhand, swinging his arms a few times, seemingly with greater ease and fluidity, which surprised and delighted everyone.

As expected of Xuperman's new product, only a candybar phone truly understands candybar phones!
After handing the racket back to Chen Jin, Yan Sheng asked, "How much did this blade cost?"

It's clear that he genuinely likes this baseboard.

"free."

Chen Jin smiled and said, "Perhaps for now, I only have these two pieces in my hands."

"what?"

Yan Sheng was somewhat disappointed. "Chen Jin, could you ask Brother Xin if you could get me one too?"

"I feel that if I changed this base plate, I could score at least 200 points higher."

Chen Jin hadn't expected that Yan Sheng would be so fond of the racket handle alone: ​​"Okay, I'll ask around for you after the match."

However, it is normal to think about it.

For penhold grip players, the handle is indeed a perpetual source of frustration.

time flies.

Half an hour passed quickly.

"Two minutes until entry. Please get ready."

Staff reminded them.

"Whoo~"

Yan Sheng let out a long breath, his face showing visible tension.

Although he has played in so many competitions over the years, this is the first time he has stood on the final stage.

They were so close to winning the championship.

Tense, excited, afraid, worried... all sorts of emotions tangled together in his heart, causing Yan Sheng's body to tremble involuntarily.

"Relax."

Chen Jin reached out and gently patted Yan Sheng's shoulder, "Just treat it as an ordinary match."

Looking at Chen Jin's somewhat immature face, Yan Sheng suddenly felt a sense of disillusionment.

After all, Chen Jin is much younger than him.

And now, as a senior, I am being comforted by a young man.

On the contrary, it belongs to Tiangang.

However, although Chen Jin was young, his composure and calmness were far beyond what Yan Sheng could match.

"If I had Chen Jin's skills, why would I be nervous?"

Yan Sheng chuckled to himself.

At this moment.

With the staff reminding them again, the coaches and players lined up and headed towards the field.

In the passageway, we unexpectedly encountered the Weiqiao team.

Wang Chuqin walked at the front, glancing at Chen Jin out of the corner of his eye.

Chen Jin looked straight ahead without glancing to the side.

"Wow—"

He appeared on the field as soon as he arrived.

A thunderous roar of cheers and applause erupted from the crowd.

"Go Wang Chuqin!"

"Liang Jingkun, keep going!"

"Weiqiao team will win!"

……

"Chen Jin, keep it up!"

"Lin Yunru, keep it up!"

"Lift the trophy, Team S!"

……

Although the Shanghai team was not in tonight's final, Wang Liqin was present in the audience.

Sitting next to him was a middle-aged man.

It was obvious that the middle-aged man was watching the game live for the first time, and he seemed a little nervous and uneasy.

When the contestants entered the arena, the middle-aged man suddenly became excited, his face turning red as if he were drunk.

The two teams of players stood in the center of the arena.

As the host introduced the situation of both sides, Chen Jin slightly raised his head and looked towards the audience, as if searching for something.

Suddenly, his gaze sharpened.

A smile appeared on his lips.

……

S Province Team 0:0 Weiqiao Team.

Game 1.

Chen Jin/Lin Yun-Ju VS Liang Jing-Kun/Huang You-Zheng.

Courtside.

The four of them were making their final warm-up preparations before going on stage.

"This time in doubles, our opponent is Huang Youzheng, so we shouldn't be under as much pressure as last time."

Chen Longcan said in a low voice, "Huang Youzheng, this young player, is not as consistent as Liang Jingkun, so keep a close eye on him and beat him hard."

Every word he uttered was filled with murderous intent.

"clear."

Chen Jin and Lin Yunru nodded at the same time.

"come on!"

After exchanging high-fives, the two walked toward the arena.

I glanced at the Dragon Cup not far away, which gleamed under the lights.

A sharp glint flashed in the depths of Chen Jin's eyes.

Toss a coin to guess who will go first.

Weiqiao team gets the serve.

Huang Youzheng serves.

The right half of the platform is short and sideways.

Lin Yunru smoothly reversed his hand and twisted the diagonal line.

The angle was so wide that it almost reached Liang Jingkun's forehand corner.

Liang Jingkun leaped into the air and managed to touch the ball, but he couldn't control the force and hit the ball out of bounds.

0: 1.

"Choo-hoo!"

"Zhu--"

Chen Jin clenched his fist and roared.

He won the first point without even touching the ball.

However, since it's a doubles match, the emotional value must be maximized for the teammate.

"Don't panic."

Liang Jingkun whispered to Huang Youzheng, "Stay calm."

It's clear that the young player next to me is visibly nervous as he steps onto the final stage to face such a formidable opponent.

"Ah."

Huang Youzheng took a deep breath and calmed himself down.

Second serve.

It's still a short ball to the side.

This time, however, the arc was controlled even lower, almost touching the net, flying towards the opponent's right side of the table.

Lin Yunru dared not make a move lightly, lest he make a mistake, so he gently touched the spot and placed it on the short center line.

Liang Jingkun swings back.

The landing point was controlled with great skill, landing in the small triangle on the right side of the table. Chen Jin stepped forward with his right leg, lowered his arm, and lowered his body, using a thin skin friction to execute a high loop.

Seeing Chen Jin raise the board, Huang Youzheng took a step forward, already on high alert.

Knowing that the ball had a lot of spin, Huang Youzheng did not dare to easily counter-attack and tried to defend closely.

What he didn't expect was that Chen Jin's high-loop loop not only had strong spin and a low arc, but also a shallow landing point.

Huang Youzheng has switched places.

"laugh!"

The ping-pong ball, spinning intensely at 147 revolutions per second, struck Huang Youzheng's racket and then sank heavily downwards.

It seemed like the ball slipped, and the return shot hit the net.

"Improving!"

Huang Youzheng's expression changed slightly.

My mind hasn't changed.

Then someone shouted anxiously from behind: "Huang Youzheng, why are you standing so far away? Move forward!"

Without even turning around, just by listening to the voice, you can tell who's giving orders from the sidelines.

"fine."

Liang Jingkun seemed oblivious to the noise from outside the court, and quietly comforted Huang Youzheng, "Take your time, there's no rush."

"Pay attention to transitions and positioning."

Switch sides and serve.

Lin Yunru held the ping-pong ball in his hand, glanced down at the hand gestures Chen Jin was making from below the table, and his mind cleared.

Right half of the platform.

Do not forward.

Liang Jingkun's move was short, and he rose slightly.

"Oops!"

The instant he made his move, Liang Jingkun knew something was wrong.

Unfortunately, there's no turning back once the project starts.

A fleeting glance during a break in the movement.

Suddenly, Chen Jin leaped up, like a roc spreading its wings, shifting his weight forward and launching himself into a powerful upward thrust.

"Snapped!"

The power of this explosive flick was in no way inferior to Chen Jin's forehand smash.

The force penetrated the bottom plate, producing a sound like thunder.

The white ping-pong ball, like a bolt of lightning, hurtled straight ahead and instantly pierced through Huang Youzheng's backhand.

Huang Youzheng flicked the ball haphazardly with his backhand, and there wasn't even a glimpse of it.

A look of helplessness appeared on his face.

"Choo-hoo!"

Lin Yunru roared, "Braise!"

Chen Jin's flying, explosive attack suddenly reminded him of an old friend.

3: 0.

"mine."

Liang Jingkun reached out and touched the table tennis table. "It was my fault for not positioning it properly."

"Brother Kun, how about we just get started?"

Huang Youzheng said in a low voice, "In this kind of internal competition, it seems we are no match for them."

"Row"

Liang Jingkun nodded.

He indeed changed his strategy on the next serve.

Although it was a forehand position, Liang Jingkun shifted his body to the right and forcefully flicked the ball to the center line with a backhand.

Chen Jin twisted his waist and pulled back with his forehand.

Huang Yu-cheng, based in central Taiwan, adjusted his pace and leveraged resources to accelerate development.

Lin Yun-ru quickly rips a diagonal line with a backhand.

Liang Jingkun lunged forehand and hit a high ball.

"Snapped!"

Chen Jin suddenly burst out laughing.

Huang Youzheng leaps to save the ball.

Watching the ping-pong ball fall through the air in an arc, Lin Yunru predicted its landing point, calmly gripped the paddle with his left arm, and secretly gathered his strength.

When the ball lands in front of him, he intends to smash it violently.

However, unexpectedly.

This ball barely grazed the edge of the net.

Lin Yunru was caught off guard, and it was too late for him to change his tactics.

1: 3.

Liang Jingkun immediately raised his hand in response.

They thought they had the victory in their grasp, but then a lucky shot came their way.

Lin Yunru looked somewhat helpless and exchanged a smile with Chen Jin.

"mine."

Chen Jin blamed himself, saying, "I was too soft-hearted and didn't kill him with one blow."

Of course, Huang Youzheng's save was also commendable.

However, in a competition, victory cannot be won solely by luck.

In the following matches, Chen Jin and Lin Yun-ju went all out.

Compared to Wang Chuqin, Huang Youzheng is indeed lacking in both individual strength and doubles experience, making him a target for exploitation.

11: 4.

11: 7.

11: 5.

Chen Jin and Lin Yun-ju won three straight games, defeating the doubles pair Liang Jingkun and Huang Youzheng with a score of 3-0.

S Province team leads Weiqiao team 1-0.

"It's alright, it's alright, you played very well."

After the match ended, Yin Xiao kept reassuring her, "Losing in doubles was expected, and we can accept the current situation."

"The most important thing right now is the matches to come."

"Cheer up, Weiqiao will prevail!"

At this moment, Wang Chuqin had already stood up, taken out a headband, and put it on his head.

Warm up your hands and feet, get ready to go on stage.

The scene was already in an uproar.

The cheers for Wang Chuqin seemed to converge into an ocean, deafeningly loud.

"Gulu!"

Yan Sheng swallowed hard, cold sweat pouring down his face.

It was my first time facing Wang Chuqin, and the atmosphere at the scene only heightened my tension.

"Relax."

Chen Longcan said, "Wang Chuqin is only more famous and stronger than you, nothing else."

"Relax and play well. If you win, you'll make a fortune; if you lose, you won't lose anything."

"Just like Chen Jin said before, Wang Chuqin is taking advantage of his friends, and you are a penhold player with short pips rubber, so he may not be able to adapt to you."

"This competition is a rare opportunity for you."

"Come on, believe in yourself!"

A barrage of encouragement, like force-feeding chicken blood.

Yan Sheng gritted his teeth and finally gained some confidence.

Anyway, things have come to this point, there's no point in running away, so we might as well face it head-on.

"Damn it!"

"The opponent is the world's number one. If we can win even one point, we can break even."

"Damn it, I'm going all in!"

Take a deep breath.

Yan Sheng's eyes were sharp as he held his racket like a soldier going into battle with a sword in hand.

first round.

Wang Chuqin served first.

"Holy crap."

Yan Sheng frowned. "Using a hook right off the bat?"

"Brother, you think too highly of an unknown nobody like me!"

Wang Chuqin unleashed his trump card right from the start, clearly determined to win this match.

If I can't even beat such an unknown nobody, wouldn't my title of world number one be just a hollow boast?
After serving, Wang Chuqin was already prepared to unleash a powerful smash on his opponent.

Following Chen Jin's advice, Yan Sheng disregarded the spin of Wang Chuqin's serve and pushed the ball hard towards the opponent's middle position.

Simple and brutal.

Even Wang Chuqin was taken aback: "What kind of fighting style is this?"

By the time he realized what was happening, the ping-pong ball was already flying right in front of him.

The curve is low and flat, light and airy.

Furthermore, it landed exactly half a step in front of Wang Chuqin.

Neither a forehand nor a backhand, it precisely blocked his space to generate power.

Wang Chuqin forcefully turned to the side and pulled back with his forehand.

The moment the ball is touched.

"Ok?"

Wang Chuqin frowned inwardly, "Why is this ball so fast and so erratic?"

This left him with no way to leverage his strength.

The counter-attack went wrong, and the return shot went into the net.

0: 1.

"what?"

Yan Sheng was both surprised and delighted, "I never expected that I would be the one to get the first kill."

"It seems that Chen Jin was right. Wang Chuqin is indeed not used to my short pimple style of play."

"Regardless of winning or losing, at least now we're no longer at risk of losing our heads."

This greatly reassured Yan Sheng and boosted his confidence.

Wang Chuqin remained expressionless and continued serving.

Still a hook shot, supplemented by a big head.

Yan Sheng flicked his wrist and pushed forward, aiming straight for Wang Chuqin's forehand baseline.

The ball moves extremely fast, yet its trajectory dips downwards, as light as a feather, making it difficult to gain leverage.

Wang Chuqin pulled the net back down again.

He glanced down at the racket and frowned.

"Another point won?"

Yan Sheng was overjoyed. "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed that I could lead Wang Chuqin 2-0."

(End of this chapter)