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

Chapter 337 The Bizarre Lottery Draw!
"Crench!"

Xie Mingyang pushed open the door to the lounge.

Sweat still clung to his forehead, his bangs and sideburns resembling mushy noodles.

The cold air from the indoor air conditioner hit him in the face, making him shiver.

"congratulations."

Chen Jin stood up, a genuine smile on his face, "3-0, advancing to the next round."

Anyone with eyes can see that Xie Mingyang has improved a lot recently.

Perhaps this Singapore Grand Slam will allow for a breakthrough.

"Thanks."

Xie Mingyang twitched the corner of his mouth.

For him, it was just winning a qualifying match; he was still a Mount Everest away from the championship, so there was nothing to be happy about.

"Young Chinese table tennis players achieve a winning start at WTT..."

Zhang Jiahao fiddled with his phone, a hint of sarcasm in his voice, "Let me see, which young national table tennis player just finished a match and suddenly jumped to tenth place on the trending topics?"

Hear the words.

Xie Mingyang frowned slightly.

"On the trending topics page, there are fewer than ten comments, and they are all from marketing accounts."

Zhang Jiahao continued, a mocking glint in his eyes, "Topic host, Beijing Daily."

"Damn, they won a qualifying match but haven't even qualified for the main tournament yet, and they've already jumped to tenth place on the trending topics list."

"It's making me want to join the Beijing team too."

Faced with Zhang Jiahao's sarcastic and veiled sarcasm, Xie Mingyang remained expressionless and silent.

A hint of disgust flashed deep in his eyes.

This is not directed at Zhang Jiahao.

Instead, it made him suddenly appear on the trending topics list.

As Zhang Jiahao said, it was just a qualifying match, not a championship, so why should it be trending on social media?

Huang Youzheng, who also won the qualifying round, didn't make a ripple on the trending topics list.

This is clearly a marketing tactic by the Beijing team.

Just like how they heavily promoted Wang Chuqin.

He trends on social media every day in different ways, even more frequently than those popular celebrities.

Those who didn't know the reason might have thought that Wang Chuqin was going to debut on the spot, singing, dancing, rapping, and playing basketball.

The problem is that Wang Chuqin, who failed to win any of the three major competitions, is not worthy of his position due to his strength and record.

Therefore, Wang Chuqin's reputation was mixed.

Now that Xie Mingyang has signed with the Beijing team, the team clearly wants to mold him into "the next Wang Chuqin".

Various resources were mobilized.

Regardless of their actual abilities and achievements, they should at least get noticed on the trending topics.

But Xie Mingyang was ultimately not Wang Chuqin.

He knew very well that without the support of real strength, even the largest online presence was just a castle in the air.

Sooner or later, they will all turn on you.

In fact, some passersby have already begun to question the trending topics.

"Xie Mingyang, who is he? He won a qualifying match and suddenly jumped to tenth place on the trending topics? Has the Chinese national table tennis team produced a new crown prince?"

"Upon seeing the host of the discussion, it was clear: 'Okay, case solved, everyone can go home now.'"

"It's not too late to buy trending topics after this young player wins the Singapore Grand Slam. Why buy them now? Is it because you have too much money to burn?"

……

The number of comments is very small.

The entire topic quickly disappeared from the trending search list.

The atmosphere in the lounge froze instantly.

Chen Jin glared at Zhang Jiahao and quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "Jiahao, did you rinse your mouth with aged vinegar? Why does it taste so sour?"

"I……"

Zhang Jiahao was about to defend himself.

But Chen Jin stopped him with a single look.

Chen Jin turned to look at Xie Mingyang, his eyes firm: "I believe that one day, you will be able to silence all those who doubt you with your own strength."

Back then, Ma Long was also ridiculed by outsiders as a "princeling".

However, Ma Long silenced all doubts with his double Grand Slam achievement and the ITTF's "GOAT" certification.

Of course, there will always be flies and mosquitoes.

"I believe too."

Xie Mingyang nodded, his gaze sweeping over Zhang Jiahao.

"What are you looking at me for?"

Putting his phone back in his pocket, Zhang Jiahao pursed his lips. "This trending topic is clearly someone deliberately trying to flatter you to death. I'm just reminding you."

"Ah."

Xie Mingyang snorted, "I'm going to take a shower."

Having said that, he picked up his backpack and headed towards the shower room.
Hot water washed over his body from above, but Xie Mingyang's thoughts gradually drifted away.

Zhang Jiahao was right; that trending topic was indeed unusual.

I'm just a new player, I don't have Chen Jin's achievements. In the first round of the qualifiers, my opponents were nobody, how could I possibly make it to the trending topics?
The only explanation is that it was done by the Beijing team.

"Resources no less than Wang Chuqin's?"

Recalling the terms of his contract with the Beijing team, Xie Mingyang sneered inwardly, "They arranged it so quickly, they really spare no effort."

However, this time, he did not resist fiercely.

His older sister was also present when he signed the contract with the Beijing team.

My older sister finalized all the contract details.

"Resources no less than Wang Chuqin's" was clearly also the older sister's idea.

Moreover, as Chen Jin said, only strength and achievements can prove oneself.

Xie Mingyang clenched his fists secretly: "I will prove with my strength that I deserve such resources."

……

The next day.

Half past five in the afternoon.

The lottery ceremony began on time.

The huge venue was decorated in a magnificent manner, with Spring Festival decorations hanging and pasted everywhere.

The organizers even prepared a lion dance performance, giving people a strong sense of the Spring Festival atmosphere.

However, Xie Mingyang walked into the venue and saw the words on the background wall, raising an eyebrow.

"what happened?"

Chen Jin noticed his expression and asked in a low voice.

"It says 'Happy Lunar New Year' on it, not 'Happy Chinese New Year'."

Xie Mingyang said in a deep voice.

"What's the difference?"

Chen Jin and Zhang Jiahao are not very good at foreign languages.

Upon hearing Xie Mingyang's explanation, Zhang Jiahao immediately exploded: "Damn it! This organizer's underhanded behavior is like trying to eat my food and then smashing my pot, isn't it?"

As China's national sport, table tennis fans in China support half of the world table tennis scene.

However, they were bullied and treated unfairly by the International Table Tennis Federation.

Where are the organizers?

Zhang Jiahao was filled with righteous indignation and looked around. "I'm going to go and talk to them."

"If they can't understand human language, I do know a little bit of martial arts."

They knew that Zhang Jiahao was capable of anything once he lost his temper.

If things go wrong, then it won't be as simple as just being sent back to the provincial team.

Chen Jin quickly pulled him back: "Calm down."

"correct."

Zhang Jiahao suddenly remembered, "Isn't Coach Liu the First Vice President of the International Table Tennis Federation and the Chairman of the WTT (World Table Tennis Federation) Board of Directors?"

"After something like this happened, isn't he going to come out and walk around?"

Chen Jin and Xie Mingyang exchanged a glance.

My gaze shifted, and I saw that the ITTF leaders sitting in the front row were all foreigners.

Besides Liu Guoliang, there were no other Chinese people.

"We still have a relatively low voice."

Xie Mingyang said softly, "Moreover, the ITTF will be holding a leadership change this May."

"not sure."

Chen Jin shook his head.

While talking.

The host announced that the lottery ceremony would begin.

The Singapore Grand Slam is one of the four WTT Grand Slams.

The competition consists of five events: men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles. Except for singles, there are no qualifying rounds for the other events.

January 30th - February 1st, Qualifying Rounds.

The main competition will be held from February 2nd to February 9th.

Although the qualifying rounds were not yet over, the draw was still imminent.

The first event to be drawn was the men's singles.

As the second seed in this competition, Chen Jin was placed at the bottom of the lower half of the draw.

Top seed Wang Chuqin is in the upper half of the draw.

The two will not meet unless they are competing for the championship in the finals.

soon.

The results of the lottery have been released.

"The bottom half of the bracket is truly a group of death."

Looking at the draw list displayed on the big screen, Zhang Jiahao clicked his tongue and stuck out his tongue. "Moregard, Zhang Benzhihe, Lin Yunru... the foreign aid F4, three of them are in the lower half of the draw."

Besides these three, Lin Shidong, Alex, Hugo... and many other top-notch external collaborators gathered in the lower half of the bracket.

In contrast, the upper half of the bracket...

"Liang Jingkun, Xiang Peng, Zhou Qihao, Dako, Ovtcharov..."

Zhang Jiahao said with a wry smile, "Brother Jin, I suspect you may have offended someone."

To this, Chen Jin smiled calmly and said, "It doesn't matter. True gold fears no fire."

Since the qualifying rounds are not yet over, Chen Jin's opponent in the first round is yet to be determined and is currently unknown.

"It could be me."

Xie Mingyang speculated.

"No way, absolutely impossible."

Zhang Jiahao waved his hand, "If I arrange for you to be my brother Jin's opponent, even if you make it to the main tournament, I guarantee you'll be eliminated in the first round."

"Then wasn't all that time spent trending on social media for nothing?"

"Hey Xie, I bet you'll be in the top half of the bracket."

In terms of draw placement, the pressure in the upper half of the bracket is clearly not as great as in the lower half.

Xie Mingyang did not respond.

Next up is the women's singles draw.

Next up was the men's doubles.

Because there weren't enough pairs to register for the men's doubles competition, some pairs will receive a bye in the first round and advance directly to the second round.

"May the ancestors of the Zhang family be above us, please let us have a bye, please let us have a bye, please let me and Brother Jin have a bye."

Zhang Jiahao clasped his hands together, muttered some words, and prayed silently.

Chen Jin and Xie Mingyang were already used to this and found it unsurprising.

Lin Shidong and Huang Youzheng, who were sitting nearby, couldn't help but find Zhang Jiahao's rambling manner somewhat amusing.

"Do you think you can just give someone a bye like that? Do you think WTT is your personal property?"

The two of them were internally complaining.

"Zhang Jiahao".

Lin Shidong looked at Zhang Jiahao and smiled, "Since you and Chen Jin were able to defeat me and Brother Tou together, your strength is definitely not a problem. There's no need to be so nervous."

"Brother Stone, you don't understand."

Zhang Jiahao chuckled, "The prize money for the top 24 in doubles is one thousand US dollars."

"If we can make it to the top 16, we can get an extra 500 US dollars, which is more than 3,000 RMB."

"Getting a bye means direct advancement, effortless and you can earn over three thousand more. Isn't that great?"

Xie Mingyang glanced at Zhang Jiahao and, seeing his greedy look, snorted coldly, "Poor bastard."

Zhang Jiahao was about to retort.

At that moment, the host announced that the men's doubles draw was over.

He hurriedly looked at the big screen.

"Fuck!"

Lin Shidong and Huang Youzheng gaped in astonishment. "It really is a bye."

"Is your mouth blessed? How come it's so effective?"

Faced with their shock, Zhang Jiahao slapped his hands together and raised them above his head, saying, "Thank you, ancestors. When we go back for Qingming Festival, I will definitely burn more mansions, cars, male and female models for you."

Lin Shidong: "..."

Huang Youzheng: "..."

I can understand villas and cars, but male and female models? What the heck?!

……

In the following two days, Xie Mingyang defeated Belgian player Cedric Nuytik and Austrian player Daniel Habesson in the qualifying rounds to advance to the main draw.

Just as Zhang Jiahao predicted, Xie Mingyang was indeed placed in the upper half of the draw.

His first-round opponent was Paraguayan player Marcelo Aguirre.

Chen Jin's opponent in the first round has already been decided.

—Huang Zhenting.

As a representative figure in Hong Kong table tennis, Wong Chun Ting, like Chen Jin, also uses the penhold grip.

This veteran player, nicknamed "The Great Sage," started out as a penhold grip player with short pips rubber.

Later, influenced by Wang Hao, he switched to a backhand style, and now he also uses inverted rubber on both sides.

Its playing style combines the traditional penhold serve and attack, side-step attack and table-side techniques, with the backhand topspin and fast-break system.

His playing style is similar to Wang Hao's.

He won a bronze medal at the 2016 Men's Table Tennis World Cup.

However, as he got older and suffered a wrist injury, his performance declined, and his competitiveness in the world table tennis arena was greatly reduced.

He has faced off against Chinese national table tennis players several times, and has lost more often than he has won.

Even so, Chen Jin did not underestimate his opponent.

I dug out all of Wong Chun Ting's previous matches and watched them carefully.

February 2nd, morning training.

The match between Xie Mingyang and Aguirre will be held at 1:10 PM.

"Aguirre?"

Zhang Jiahao sat on the ground, watching Chen Jin and Xie Mingyang train. "I don't think I've ever heard of this person before."

"You, surnamed Xie, have a really good draw."

Xie Mingyang did not respond.

After learning that his opponent was Aguirre, he looked up information about Aguirre online.

Aguirre is the first Paraguayan table tennis player to participate in the Olympics.

He competed against Wang Hao, Zhang Jike, and others in the men's singles competition at the 2012 London Olympics.

In recent years, Aguirre has been more active in regional events or lower-level international competitions, and occasionally in WTT events.

Therefore, there is very little information about him.

Especially the match recordings.

Xie Mingyang searched online for a long time but only found a few scattered matches.

"Don't underestimate Aguirre. His forehand attack is particularly sharp, and his backhand defense is also very solid."

Chen Jin said, "Although he is a powerful Latin American, he is good at changing the rhythm and controlling the landing point to suppress his opponent."

Speaking of which.

Chen Jin looked at Xie Mingyang and reminded him, "Don't underestimate your opponent."

"clear."

Xie Mingyang nodded.

At this moment.

Li Qian arrived late and appeared at the training session, walking straight up to Chen Jin and the other two.

"Instructor Li."

Zhang Jiahao laughed and said, "If you slack off at work, I'm going to report you."

"When did I slack off?"

Li Qian glared at him. "I was in a meeting just now."

"Meeting?"

Zhang Jiahao laughed and asked, "Is it the Heaven and Earth Society or the Prank Society?"

"neither."

Li Qian coughed twice to clear his throat. "Not only do I have a meeting, but you all have to attend one tomorrow morning."

"what?"

The three boys looked at Li Qian with puzzled expressions. "What kind of meeting?"

"The ITTF leadership will solicit your opinions on WTT reforms."

Li Qian lowered his voice, "Everyone needs to come up with at least one suggestion before nine o'clock tonight and send it to me."

"Don't let your imagination run wild, and don't talk nonsense. I will report your opinions to the coaching staff for review."

"If you come up with anything outlandish, you will bear the consequences."

(End of this chapter)