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

Chapter 370 Xie Mingyang VS Zhang Benzhihe! This kid is definitely not simple.
"Xie Mingyang!"

"come on--"

……

"come on!"

"Xie Mingyang—"

……

The match has not yet started.

The cheers for Xie Mingyang resounded throughout the venue.

The rest area on the sidelines.

"Don't be nervous."

Wang Hao's voice was calm and steady, carrying a reassuring quality: "Take it easy and enjoy the game."

"Zhang Ben is just more famous than you; his playing style isn't necessarily more aggressive."

"As long as you can execute what you've practiced, you'll definitely beat Zhang Ben."

"Relax, relax, and don't be too tense."

"Pay attention to continuity and connection."

"come on!"

After exchanging fist bumps with Wang Hao, Xie Mingyang turned and walked to the center of the arena.

The boy was tall and straight, with a steady gait.

The young face, under the spotlight, showed taut lines.

Deep within his eyes burned a blazing flame.

soon.

Xie Mingyang had already arrived at the table tennis table and picked up his racket.

He exuded the sharpness of a newborn calf, revealing a chilling brilliance.

Standing opposite him, Zhang Benzhihe's gaze was sharp as a knife, fixed on Xie Mingyang.

From the moment Xie Mingyang stepped onto the field, a strong intuition seized him.

This kid is definitely not simple!
That gaze, that posture, that surging fighting spirit beneath that calm exterior...

Like a newly forged sword, gleaming with cold light.

Zhang Benzhihe's heart sank slightly.

A tremendous sense of threat arose spontaneously.

"This kid, like Chen Jin, will definitely become a major threat to the Japanese team in the future!"

Such a thought emerged with unparalleled clarity in Tomokazu Harimoto's mind.

This threat must be nipped in the bud in this battle!
We must use victory to completely suppress his brilliance!

Thinking of this, Tomokazu Harimoto gripped his racket tightly.

Toss a coin and guess who goes first.

Tomokazu Harimoto gets the right to serve.

Although I have watched many of their previous matches, this is the first time we have faced each other face-to-face.

As is customary, the first few balls are usually tested first.

The initial probes will begin within the organization itself.

The forehand is short.

Side down.

Zhang Benzhihe originally thought that Xie Mingyang must also be testing him.

Unexpectedly, Xie Mingyang acted decisively, stepping forward with a push of his foot.

Insert your right leg under the table to catch the ball in its early descent.

Lower your shoulders and raise your elbows.

Suddenly exert force with your fingers and wrists.

"laugh!"

The rubber rubbed against the incoming ball, producing a sharp sound.

A strange arc, with strong sidespin, like a venomous snake spitting its tongue, flew over the net and smashed towards Tomokazu Harimoto's forehand corner baseline.

What a fast startup!
What a decisive twist!

This doesn't look like a first encounter at all!

Zhang Benzhihe's brow twitched suddenly: "They started fighting so fiercely right from the beginning?"

He leaped forward, lunging at his forehand, attempting a counter-attack.

However, it starts up a little slowly.

There were also some errors in the prediction of the side rotation.

boom!
The ball hits the edge of the paddle and flies out at an angle.

0: 1.

Xie Mingyang secured a winning start.

"Choo-hoo!"

"Zhu--"

Wang Hao stood up, clenched his fists, roared angrily, and was extremely emotional.

Chen Jin and Lin Shidong were already seated in the audience.

Witnessing Xie Mingyang's strong performance in securing the first point, we applauded and cheered for him.

"A fierce battle from the very beginning."

Lin Shidong laughed and said, "Chen Jin, this is a bit like your style."

"Soldiers have no permanent momentum, and water has no permanent shape."

Chen Jin smiled slightly, "To defeat an opponent, you must adapt to their shape."

While talking.

The second ball has already been thrown.

This time, Tomokazu Harimoto served a short, no-spin ball to the forehand side.

Xie Mingyang feinted a push down the line, forcing Zhang Ben to attack with his backhand.

Zhang Benzhihe took a half step back and quickly ripped the ball with his backhand.

"Snapped!"

With nowhere to get leverage, the return shot went into the net.

2: 0.

Switch sides and serve.

A seemingly ordinary forehand side-short move.

Zhang Benzhihe ultimately dared not act rashly like Xie Mingyang, but instead cautiously used his short-range skills.

Without getting entangled in the middle of the table, Xie Mingyang quickly chopped off Zhang Benzhihe's left half of the table.

Zhang Benzhihe starts with a backhand topspin shot, followed by a high loop.

Knowing that the ball had strong spin, Xie Mingyang made a close-range defense.

This gave Tomokazu Harimoto an opportunity to attack.

"Snapped!"

Tomokazu Harimoto flicked his wrist back, tearing the diagonal line with explosive force.

It is powerful and fast.

Fortunately, Xie Mingyang was prepared.

Take a half step back to create space for your shot, meet the incoming ball head-on, and use its force to counter-attack.

"Snapped!"

"Snapped!"

"Snapped!"

……

The two players instantly engaged in a series of rapid backhand attacks in the mid-to-close range.

The ball flew like lightning, its afterimage swift and fleeting.

The sound of the ball hitting the shuttlecock was like a sudden storm.

The audience was so captivated by the spectacle that they all held their breath in unison.

Sudden.

With a subtle flick of his wrist, Zhang Benzhihe abruptly changed the direction of the ball amidst the rapid, ripping motion. The ball traveled at incredible speed, heading straight for Xie Mingyang's wide-open forehand position.

This change of direction was as swift as lightning.

Moreover, the angle is tricky.

It is Zhang Benzhihe's trump card that guarantees victory.

Xie Mingyang leaped forward, but he was still a step too late.

2: 1.

Tomokazu Harimoto pulled one back.

"Sigh~"

Lin Shidong nodded, "Zhang Ben's backhand straight shot is still quite threatening."

"Xie Mingyang should avoid engaging Zhang Ben in a direct physical fight with both hands."

As is well known, Tomokazu Harimoto's strongest weapon since his debut has been his backhand.

Fighting him head-on is definitely not the best strategy.

"Don't worry."

Chen Jin's expression remained unchanged. "It's only just begun; we haven't even warmed up yet."

He believes that Xie Mingyang must have had his own reasons for choosing to go head-to-head with Zhang Benzhihe using his backhand.

Besides, unless you have an exceptionally good hand, who would be stupid enough to play a royal flush at the start?

Unsurprisingly.

The rest of the match remained under Xie Mingyang's control.

Serve and attack, then use a backhand topspin loop.

Xie Mingyang's aggressive attacks quickly widened the score gap.

1: 6.

Zhang Benzhihe is behind.

Seeing the score gap widening, Kishikawa Sei on the sidelines started to get restless.

He stood up, cupped his hands around his mouth, and shouted loudly in Japanese at Tomokazu Harimoto's back: "Harimoto-kun, middle seat!"

"Attack his middle position!"

The shouts clearly pierced through the noise of the stadium.

It reached Tomokazu Harimoto's ears.

On the other side of the table, Xie Mingyang's heart skipped a beat when he heard this Japanese phrase.

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

really!

Just as Chen Jin and Coach Wang predicted, they indeed targeted their middle position!
All of a sudden.

Last night's hellish, hundreds of repetitive training sessions flashed through my mind.

Tomokazu Harimoto serves.

The forehand is short.

Do not forward.

Xie Mingyang steadily chopped the ball long to Zhang Ben's backhand side.

Tomokazu Harimoto's backhand topspin loop.

The two players once again engaged in a backhand rally on the left side of the table.

However, this time, Xie Mingyang's pace seemed to be a bit slower.

The quality of the return shot was slightly conservative.

"He was afraid I would change his straight line, so he dared not easily add mass, lest I use it against him."

Tomokazu Harimoto saw right through his opponent's thoughts: "This was the foreshadowing laid by that last shot!"

However, he was not in a hurry to change lanes.

Instead, like a cheetah lurking in the grass, it patiently waits through repeated quick backhand rips.

Sudden.

Zhang Benzhihe keenly noticed that in order to improve the quality of his shot and win the point, Xie Mingyang's center of gravity had obviously shifted to the left.

"Chance!"

Tomokazu Harimoto's eyes suddenly lit up.

Without the slightest hesitation, the wrist subtly adds force and rotates inward during the fast ripping motion, causing the racket angle to change abruptly.

歘——

A white light, like a long-planned poisoned arrow, tore through the air and shot with perfect accuracy toward Xie Mingyang's forehand position in the middle.

We're targeting your open space during transitions from mid-range to mid-range!

Just as the ping-pong ball left Tomokazu Harimoto's racket.

A barely perceptible smile played at the corners of Xie Mingyang's lips: "That's exactly what I've been waiting for!"

The left leg pushes off the ground like a spring compressed to its limit, releasing the power from the foot suddenly.

The core of the waist and abdomen burst forth with amazing power, and with a stride of the right leg, it twisted violently.

Simultaneously.

The wrist holding the racket completes a delicate inward rotation adjustment within a very small range.

The racket follows the trajectory of the incoming ball, striking it precisely at the optimal hitting point.

Use your strength to fight.

"laugh!"

A bizarre arc, faster than any previous return, appeared out of nowhere.

The moment it left the paddle, the ping-pong ball transformed into a silver lightning bolt that tore through the air.

With a strong side bend and an indescribable, tricky forward surge, it hurtled straight towards Tomokazu Harimoto's far edge at a wide angle on his forehand side with incredible speed and angle.

fast!
too fast!
More importantly, the landing point of the line is tricky.

This completely exceeded Tomokazu Harimoto's expectations and the limits of his physical reaction.

Zhang Benzhihe's center of gravity had just shifted towards the middle position, preparing to connect with the next shot.

At this moment, all that can be done is to extend the racket towards the forehand side in vain.

The ping-pong ball grazed the edge of his desperate racket and slammed hard near the sideline.

Then, it bounced upwards at a very small angle and flew off the field.

7: 1.

"Choo-hoo!"

"Zhu--"

A low growl, suppressing immense excitement and catharsis, burst forth from deep within Xie Mingyang's throat, like a wild beast unleashed from its cage.

He turned around abruptly, clenched his right fist, and swung it fiercely towards his coaching bench.

This resonated with Wang Hao perfectly.

My gaze shifted, and I saw a surging crowd.

However, Xie Mingyang spotted Chen Jin in the corner at a glance.

"nice shot!"

Chen Jin applauded enthusiastically.

Seeing this, Xie Mingyang smiled.

Late last night, in the training hall, those hundreds of tedious repetitions of backhand rallies, waist twists, and wrist rotations finally transformed into a stunning strike on the court.

Like a sharp blade drawn from its sheath, a single strike to the throat!
Across from the pool table.

Tomokazu Harimoto also smiled.

But more often than not, it was a helpless, bitter smile.

He looked down at the clear imprint of the landing point, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

The opponent's anticipation of the change of direction, that incredible explosive power from their waist and abdomen, that exquisite control of their wrist to instantly use the opponent's force... all seemed to be no accident.

"Can Xie Mingyang's mid-court position really be broken through so easily?"

A trace of doubt, like a cold vine, quietly entangled Zhang Benzhihe's confidence.

But soon.

Zhang Benzhihe shook his head, clearing away all distracting thoughts.

"It was just one ball; it could very well have been just luck."

Zhang Benzhihe took a deep breath, a ruthless glint flashing in his dark eyes, "I don't believe you can have this kind of luck every time."

(End of this chapter)