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

Chapter 349 Ping Pong, Unparalleled Under Heaven

The doubles match ended, followed by a quick interview.

With Zhang Jiahao being such a conspicuous figure, this kind of thing was naturally left to him to handle.

Since Chen Jin had a singles match against Ahn Jae-hyun coming up, he didn't have time to rest and went straight to the training hall with Zhang Jiahao.

Just as I entered the training hall.

A strong smell, a mixture of plastic flooring and sweat, hit me.

In the vast space, the crisp sound of the ball hitting the shuttlecock rose and fell.

Interspersed with brief shouts of exertion and the sharp sound of shoes rubbing against the floor.

Looking up, I saw Xie Mingyang.

The three of them went in twice and came out once, passing each other by.

"Went to the competition?"

Chen Jin paused in his tracks.

"Ah."

Xie Mingyang nodded. "You won?"

"of course."

Zhang Jiahao stood tall and proud, a smug look on his face. "With Brother Jin and me joining forces, who can stand a chance against us?"

He made it sound easy, but in reality, winning this game was not easy.

"Won."

Chen Jin nodded. "Keep it up."

"You too."

After they finished speaking, the two looked at each other and smiled.

Xie Mingyang suppressed his smile, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and walked alone towards the backstage area.

Watching Xie Mingyang's retreating figure, Zhang Jiahao suddenly shouted, "Hey Xie, if you lose to the provincial team, you have to treat us to dinner when we get back."

Xie Mingyang raised his hand without turning his head.

It's almost 1:30.

Compared to a few days ago, there were significantly fewer people in the training hall.

After all, the season is already halfway through.

Many contestants have already been eliminated.

Chen Jin and Zhang Jiahao spotted an empty pool table and quickly walked over.

In the middle of the line.

Sudden.

A voice rang out: "Chen Jin".

The two stopped at the same time.

Follow the sound.

"Sister Zhu?"

The speaker was none other than Zhu Yuling.

Last year at the Macau Championships, Zhu Yuling represented Macau in various table tennis tournaments.

However, after recovering from her illness and returning home, several years had passed, and the world of table tennis today was no longer the era that belonged to her.

The only thing that hasn't changed is her unwavering passion for table tennis.

As a former world number one in women's rankings, Zhu Yuling started from scratch, actively participating in even lower-level tournaments such as sub-tournaments, striving to improve her world ranking.

After six months of competition, I finally secured my qualification for the Singapore Grand Slam.

Even so, she still started from the qualifying rounds.

After three rounds, they made it into the main competition.

Furthermore, she successfully advanced to the women's singles round of 16, where she will face off against Japan's rising star, Satsuki Odo.

"long time no see."

Zhu Yuling wiped her sweat and laughed, "Just finished a match?"

"Correct."

Chen Jin added, "Double."

"Partnering with Zhang Jiahao?"

"Ah."

"good."

Zhu Yuling looked at the two teenagers in front of her, feeling quite emotional.

In the past, in order to persuade Coach Wu to return to coaching for her, she went to the S Province team several times.

Through Coach Wu's introduction, I met Chen Jin and Zhang Jiahao.

Recalling the first time he met Chen Jin, Coach Wu stood in front of her, looking forward to Chen Jin's future professional path, and couldn't help but smile.

"Although Chen Jin is not famous yet, I believe that he will be like Little Fatty, who will make a name for himself when he does."

At the time, Zhu Yuling was skeptical about this.

But now, it's something that makes people have no choice but to believe.

Chen Jin rose to fame in the Macau Championship.

After that, Chen Jin overcame all obstacles and became a fearsome figure in the world of table tennis.

Such skill and such a record are unimaginable for any rookie player.

However, Chen Jin did not disappoint Coach Wu.

Having also come from the S Province team, Zhu Yuling felt proud to witness her junior teammate's achievements.

"At such a young age, he is able to participate in Grand Slam-level competitions."

Zhu Yuling cast an admiring glance at the two of them, her words tinged with encouragement, "Your future is limitless."

"come on!"

The three then chatted for a few more minutes.

Time was tight, so everyone trained separately.

Zhang Jiahao whispered, "Brother Jin, do you think Sister Zhu can return to her peak?"

"It's hard."

Chen Jin sighed inwardly.

Regardless of Zhu Yuling's age or her playing style, her era has passed.

Moreover, the women's team's talent development is clearly better than the men's team's.

Leaving aside Chen Meng, Sun Yingsha, Wang Manyu, Wang Yidi, and others are firmly established as the mainstays of the Chinese national table tennis team.

In addition, young players like Kuai Man are also growing rapidly.

Breaking through is by no means easy.

However, Zhu Yuling's love for table tennis is truly touching.

Bring your mind back to training.

"Ever since he beat Liang Jingkun at the Asian Championships, Ahn Jae-hyun seems to be on a high, playing very aggressively."

Zhang Jiahao stood on the right side of the table, his legs slightly bent and his back arched like a shrimp, defending against Chen Jin and practicing smashes from any point on the table.

By this time, Chen Jin's vest was already soaked with sweat.

Sweat dripped into the corners of his eyes, stinging slightly, so he immediately stopped training.

Walk to the side and pick up the towel.

"Ah."

Chen Jin said, "After all, he won a bronze medal at the World Table Tennis Championships. Ahn Jae-hyun's strength is beyond doubt."

"His forehand long-range shots and footwork also inherit the tradition of the South Korean team."

Zhang Jiahao chuckled: "Who can blame them when their table tennis association boss is Ryu Seung-min?"

Holding an Olympic gold medal became the stepping stone for Ryu Seung-min to enter politics.

In contrast, Wang Hao is still only the head coach of the men's table tennis team.

Of course, everyone has their own ambitions.

Given Wang Hao's personality, he might not be suited to follow the path of Ryu Seung-min.

"Forehand, footwork..."

Zhang Jiahao continued, "Isn't this exactly what you excel at, Brother Jin?"

However, on the other hand, Chen Jin's playing style seems to have no weaknesses.

A true octagonal warrior!

It's just past two o'clock.

Wang Hao was present to supervise the training and also served as Chen Jin's off-field coach for the upcoming match.

After a while.

Staff came to remind Chen Jin to go backstage and prepare to wait.

"Chen Jin".

Wang Hao raised the water bottle. "What kind of water would you like? Want to try something different?"

"Need not."

Chen Jin buried himself in packing his things, saying, "The usual way is fine."

"it is good."

Watching Wang Hao walk towards the water station, Zhang Jiahao was so envious he almost turned purple.

When will I get the treatment of having the head coach personally fetch water for me?

My mind hasn't changed.

Xie Mingyang returned from the competition accompanied by Li Qian.

Without needing to ask, just one look at Li Qian and the outcome was written all over his face.

"Instructor Li."

Zhang Jiahao curled his lip, "It's just beating a provincial team player, is it necessary to be so excited? Be careful you don't turn into the Crooked-Mouthed Dragon King."

"Even if they are provincial team players, they are still players who have made it into the top 16."

Li Qian laughed and said, "No matter what, we've made it to the quarterfinals."

Admittedly, for a young player, reaching the quarterfinals in a WTT Grand Slam tournament filled with top competitors is no easy feat.

"Not bad." Chen Jin smiled and looked at Xie Mingyang. "Let's try to make it into the top four. See you in the finals."

To date, Xie Mingyang's best result is reaching the semi-finals.

However, that was a regular challenge.

Compared to Grand Slam tournaments, it has a much lower level of prestige.

It's not even as good as the top 32 in a Grand Slam tournament.

"a bit difficult."

Xie Mingyang said in a deep voice, "But I will do my best."

His next opponent will be the winner between Liang Jingkun and German player Ricardo Volser.

Liang Jingkun was in excellent form and had a hot hand at the Singapore Grand Slam.

According to Li Qian and Xie Mingyang's guesses, barring any unforeseen circumstances, their opponent in the quarterfinals will most likely be Liang Jingkun.

If that's the case, then this will be their second encounter.

Last year at the BJ Grand Slam, Hsieh Ming-yang lost to Liang Ching-kun by a score of 2:4.

In this rematch, Xie Mingyang was not entirely confident that he could defeat him.

After all, Liang Jingkun's strength is undeniable.

In the Paris Olympic cycle, he became the fourth player after Long Pangtou.

"Seizing power and usurping the throne..."

Chen Jin hadn't finished speaking.

At this moment, Wang Hao walked over from not far away and urged Chen Jin to wait backstage.

"Brother Jin, you can go without worry."

Zhang Jiahao waved his hand, "We'll come to watch your match and cheer you on."

"Go ahead without worry?"

Chen Jin glared at Zhang Jiahao. "It sounds like I'm doomed to lose. Can't you say something auspicious?"

"no problem."

Zhang Jiahao opened his mouth and began to sing, "Wishing you longevity and happiness, congratulations..."

"Stop."

The people present all wore masks of pain, saying, "We're on the same side, so don't say a word."

Chen Jin slung his backpack over his shoulder and fled the training hall with Wang Hao as if his life depended on it.

"Brother Jin, let me finish singing, please."

Zhang Jiahao shouted loudly.

To everyone's surprise, Chen Jin quickened his pace.

"That shout just now really got me going to sing..."

Zhang Jiahao, still not satisfied, turned to look at Li Qian and Xie Mingyang, grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth, and said, "How about I sing you two a couple of songs and show you what a voice kissed by an angel really is?"

Before Li Qian and Xie Mingyang could speak...

He then began to sing to himself: "Ping ping~ pang pang, unparalleled in the world..."

Like a demonic sound filling the ears.

Li Qian and Xie Mingyang both put on masks of pain.

Is the angel who kissed your voice called Gian or Conan?

Shizuka's violin playing is better than your singing!
If you want to murder someone, just say so. Why torture someone and use the thirteenth cruelest torture?

"Xie Mingyang".

Li Qian covered his ears, "Didn't you just say you were going to take a shower and change your clothes?"

"I'll go with you, hurry up."

"If we're late, we won't make it to Chen Jin's match."

Xie Mingyang nodded.

I was just about to set off.

Just as Zhang Jiahao was engrossed in his singing, he saw the two trying to slip away: "Hey, you guys..."

The words are not finished yet.

At this moment, Wang Chuqin appeared in the training hall.

From a distance, he called out to Xie Mingyang, "You're here just in time."

While talking.

He walked quickly toward Xie Mingyang.

"Big Head".

Li Qian greeted him with a smile.

But Wang Chuqin completely ignored him; in his eyes, there was only Xie Mingyang.

"My opponent tonight is Anton Kelberg. Will you practice with me for a bit?"

Wang Chuqin forced a smile.

Where is Huang Youzheng?

Xie Mingyang frowned slightly.

Like him, Huang Youzheng also participated in the qualifying rounds of the Singapore Grand Slam and successfully advanced to the main draw.

However, Huang Youzheng lost to Francesca and was eliminated in the round of 32.

As teammates on the Beijing team, Huang Youzheng has always been Wang Chuqin's sparring partner.

“Anton is right-handed, which is similar to your playing style, so Huang Youzheng is not suitable as a sparring partner.”

Wang Chuqin laughed and said, "What? You don't want to?"

"Ah."

Xie Mingyang spoke frankly.

The three had originally planned to go to the stadium to watch Chen Jin's match and cheer him on.

How could he go back on his word?

Unexpectedly, when he humbled himself and offered to be Xie Mingyang's sparring partner, Xie Mingyang publicly rejected him.

A hint of anger flashed deep in Wang Chuqin's eyes.

After Long Pang retired, he firmly established himself as the top player in the Chinese national table tennis team and was highly regarded by the coaching staff.

If it were any other young player, being his sparring partner would be an unparalleled honor.

But Xie Mingyang was so disrespectful.

If it weren't for Coach Zhang Lei's instructions, given Wang Chuqin's temper in his younger days, he would have already lost his temper on the spot.

Even so, the scene still seemed somewhat awkward.

The atmosphere suddenly plummeted to freezing point.

Li Qian quickly smoothed things over, saying, "We're all teammates on the national table tennis team. We give our all in domestic matches and share the same hatred for the enemy in international matches. It's only right that we spar together."

"But we just promised Chen Jin..."

Xie Mingyang said reluctantly.

"It's ok."

Li Qian patted Xie Mingyang on the shoulder, "Chen Jin will understand."

"You guys keep practicing, we're leaving now."

Having finished speaking.

He grabbed Zhang Jiahao and hurriedly left.

Zhang Jiahao looked displeased.

However, facing Wang Chuqin, the top male table tennis player, he was insignificant and had little influence, so what could he say?

Since things had come to this point, Xie Mingyang had no choice but to stay, no matter how unwilling he was.

Put the backpack on the ground and take out the racket.

Standing aside, they waited for Wang Chuqin to stretch for a while before starting the attacking drills.

Seeing Xie Mingyang's reluctance at a glance, Wang Chuqin suppressed his displeasure and slowly said, "Coach Zhang Lei has been telling me to mentor you more."

"I don't know how much longer Brother Long can keep going, and I don't know how many more years I can play. The Beijing team will have to rely on you and Huang Youzheng from now on."

"Judging from the current situation, you have a brighter future than Huang Youzheng, which shows that Coach Zhang Lei has a good eye."

"But compared to Chen Jin, you are still far behind."

Speaking of which.

Wang Chuqin paused, then quickly glanced at Xie Mingyang, only to see the latter raise his eyebrows slightly.

"Although Chen Jin is currently riding high and acting all high and mighty, Coach Zhang Lei, Brother Long, and I all have higher hopes for you."

Wang Chuqin seemed nonchalant, "Don't worry, sooner or later you will surpass Chen Jin."

"is it?"

Xie Mingyang remained expressionless. "And what about you?"

"I?"

Wang Chuqin was slightly taken aback. "What does this have to do with me?"

"If Chen Jin wins the Singapore Grand Slam title, he will be number one in the world."

Xie Mingyang's eyes, like lightning, pierced straight to the center of the sky, penetrating the other person's heart, leaving them nowhere to hide. "Aren't you worried?"

"What...what do I have to worry about?"

Wang Chuqin was momentarily distracted, his movements slowed slightly, and the ping-pong ball flew past his hand.

He immediately bent down to pick up the ball.

Completely forgetting that he was still holding two training balls in his hand.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to bend over, Wang Chuqin continued, "Even if he becomes the world's number one, he will only be an uncrowned king."

"With Chen Jin's strength, the World Cup and World Table Tennis Championships titles were already his for the taking."

Xie Mingyang said calmly, "Don't you think so?"

"Isn't it too early to say that?"

Wang Chuqin straightened up. "It's still uncertain who will emerge victorious in the World Cup and the World Table Tennis Championships."

"is it?"

Xie Mingyang took a training ball out of his pocket and hit it flatly. "Then we'll wait and see."

(End of this chapter)