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

Chapter 398 Wang Chuqin: Was my serve not discreet enough?
11: 7.

11:9.
17: 15.

The score is 3-1.

After losing the first game, Wang Chuqin won three consecutive games, pushing Xie Mingyang to the brink of elimination.

The moment the ball landed in the fifth game.

Wang Chuqin clenched his fists and pounded his chest as if to vent all the pent-up anger, letting out a long howl to the sky.

"Wang Chuqin!"

"Wang Chuqin!"

"Wang Chuqin!"

The entire venue erupted in cheers.

"Da Tou was in good form in this match."

In the VIP area, Qin Zhijian smiled and nodded, seemingly very satisfied with Wang Chuqin's performance. "This speed, this pressure, he has the makings of a champion."

A champion's look?
Although Wang Hao didn't say anything, he deeply disagreed.

It's so difficult to even beat up Xie Mingyang.

In the final, there's Chen Jin, who's even more formidable than Xie Mingyang. How will Wang Chuqin overcome that challenge?

Although the match between Chen Jin and Lin Shidong has not yet started, Wang Hao has already assumed that Chen Jin has advanced to the final.

Luckily, Lin Shidong couldn't hear Wang Hao's inner thoughts, otherwise he would probably be crying in the bathroom—so love really can disappear, right?

"Best of seven games, the match is not over yet."

Liu Zhiqiang crossed his arms and looked at Xie Mingyang from afar, his voice very soft, "That kid Xie Mingyang is tough as nails, not so easy to chew."

However, Xie Mingyang's face remained expressionless, as still as a deep well.

He gently put down his racket, picked up a towel to wipe his sweat, and turned to walk towards the rest area on the sidelines.

At this moment.

Suddenly, someone in the audience shouted, "Wang Chuqin, coming back from a 1-0 deficit to win 4-1!"

This sound made Xie Mingyang's gaze sharpen.

His eyes shone like quenched fire and cold stars, incredibly bright, filled not with discouragement, but with an even more surging fighting spirit.

Fifth game.

The atmosphere at the start was like the deathly stillness before a storm.

Wang Chuqin maintained his high morale, attempting to finish the match in one fell swoop.

However, the explosive score in the previous game, the breathtaking peak speed and continuous battles, had consumed a lot of his physical strength.

His steps felt as if they were weighed down with heavy lead weights, and he was a little slower than in the previous rounds.

Subtle signs were already emerging in the first long rally.

Xie Mingyang serves.

Wang Chuqin stepped forward and twisted the handle.

Xie Mingyang quickly ripped the diagonal with a backhand.

Wang Chuqin leaped forward and lunged, pulling back with his forehand.

Xie Mingyang turned and pulled back.

"Snapped!"

"Snapped!"

"Snapped!"

……

A fierce exchange of forehands, like swords clashing.

All of a sudden.

All that remained on the court was a barely perceptible white blur, flitting back and forth above the table.

Sudden.

Xie Mingyang lowered his center of gravity and made a slight adjustment to his wrist, directing the landing point of his counter-pull towards Wang Chuqin's center.

Wang Chuqin switched to a backhand and defended against a single shot.

However, when facing Xie Mingyang's powerful forehand smash from the side, the slight adjustment in her footwork at the moment of connection was 0.01 seconds slower than at her peak.

A slight difference is a thousand miles away.

This caused a very brief delay in his anticipation and preparation for Xie Mingyang's next aggressive counterattack.

"Snapped!"

Wang Chuqin's forehand corner was torn apart by Xie Mingyang's powerful side-on smash.

1:0.
Xie Mingyang scored first.

This ball was like a bucket of ice water poured over Wang Chuqin's previously boiling state.

Wang Chuqin frowned slightly, looked down at his feet, and stomped them twice.

A hint of seriousness flashed across his eyes.

"His pace slowed down."

Xie Mingyang keenly grasped this point: "Strike while the iron is hot and kill him."

Next.

The tactics have reverted to the most primitive, most intense, and most physically demanding method—fighting!

A desperate fight!

Every attack was carried out with a determination to go down with the enemy.

With powerful forehand smashes, explosive backhand rips, and aggressive serves, Xie Mingyang began to relentlessly attack Wang Chuqin with extreme power and speed.

"Snapped!"

"Snapped!"

"Snapped!"

The dull yet rapid sounds of the ball being struck echoed continuously.

Xie Mingyang's success rate in fighting wasn't high, but he didn't care at all.

That's exactly the kind of extreme pressure we're looking for.

With a barrage of attacks, they drained Wang Chuqin of his last bit of strength and disrupted his steady rhythm.

For a time, Wang Chuqin was caught in a fierce battle.

His technique was still on point, but the heaviness in his movements was becoming increasingly noticeable.

Faced with Xie Mingyang's relentless and desperate attack, he could no longer be as composed as in the previous games, anticipating the landing point, arriving in advance, and then suppressing his opponent with high-quality returns.

They started relying more on experience and feel, forcing a defensive play from a passive position, or launching a serve-and-attack attack to quickly end the game in the first three shots.

The score fluctuated as Xie Mingyang fought fiercely and Wang Chuqin struggled to keep up.

6:7.
Xie Mingyang served a long ball.

With Wang Chuqin watching him closely, he slid to the side and unleashed a powerful forehand smash.

Fortunately, Xie Mingyang reacted very quickly, and in a flash, he turned around.

This shot, using the opponent's force against them, was as fast as the Thunder.

At the critical moment.

Wang Chuqin's physical instincts transcend his thinking.

He pushed off with his left foot and forced his way to the outside of his forehand position.

He managed to scoop the ball back while his body was almost out of balance.

The ping-pong ball, with a strong sidespin, drew a strange, wide diagonal line and flew straight towards Xie Mingyang's middle.

Xie Mingyang crouched down and pulled back from a low position.

"Snapped!"

"Snapped!"

"Snapped!"

……

A super rallied battle lasting seventeen strokes.

The two fought from the mid-to-close range to the mid-to-long range, from the left half of the table to the right half.

Forehand smash, backhand tear... the ultimate test of power, spin, placement, and willpower.

Sweat poured down like raindrops.

The cheers from the audience grew louder and louder.

In the end, Xie Mingyang unleashed a stunning forehand cross-court smash.

Despite Wang Chuqin's best efforts to save the ball, the force of the ball's movement was clearly insufficient, given its immense power and speed.

歘!
The ball went into the net.

7:7.
"Zhu--"

Xie Mingyang clenched his fist and roared, his aura surging.

at the same time.

Backstage.

Chen Jin and Lin Shidong, who were waiting in the stands, witnessed this play on live television and exclaimed in unison.

"nice shot!"

"Pretty!"

Lin Shidong said in a low voice, "By the fifth game, Xie Mingyang's stamina was as if he hadn't used up much energy."

"How can this be?"

Chen Jin smiled.

With such intense and high-intensity competition, anyone would experience a drop in stamina by the fifth round.

Xie Mingyang was no exception.

However, the fire in Xie Mingyang's heart never waned, sustaining him.

On the other hand, Wang Chuqin is only 24 years old, and his physical strength is that of a 26-year-old. It is normal that he cannot compare with a younger athlete like Xie Mingyang.

"Xie Mingyang is also in good form. If he continues like this, this game is basically in the bag."

Chen Jin leaned back slightly, stretching out.

"So, we arrived early while waiting for our turn?"

Lin Shidong shrugged slightly.

While talking.

The game continues.

Wang Chuqin serves.

Xie Mingyang tried to return a short shot, but the return went high.

"Oops!"

Seeing this, Xie Mingyang quickly retreated from the platform to prepare for Wang Chuqin's impending charge.

Unsurprisingly.

Facing this high ball, Wang Chuqin's eyes flashed with fierce light, and he launched a lightning-fast forehand attack.

"Snapped!"

Its power was astounding, and its momentum was astonishing.

Not to mention Xie Mingyang standing opposite Wang Chuqin, even Chen Jin and Lin Shidong, watching from behind their screens, could feel Wang Chuqin's overwhelming killing intent. Given Wang Chuqin's first three shots, it seemed like the point was already a foregone conclusion.

However, just as Wang Chuqin made his move...

Chen Jin's pupils shrank sharply: "Gone."

Lin Shidong, his face pale, also blurted out, "That's all."

The two words are exactly the same, but the two people mean them completely differently.

Lin Shidong's "gone" was a lament for Xie Mingyang.

As for Chen Jin, he keenly noticed that although Wang Chuqin's hand movements were sharp, his footwork had clearly shifted by half a body length.

Even Wang Chuqin himself seemed unaware of this.

"Break!"

Wang Chuqin's forehand smash did not land on Xie Mingyang's side of the table.

Instead, it hits the net and bounces straight out.

7:8.
Xie Mingyang took the lead.

"?"

Wang Chuqin was dumbfounded.

He remained in the same aggressive, forward-rushing position on the table, lying prone on the table.

He was stunned at first, then gave an awkward smile: How could he miss such an opportunity?
But that's the truth.

"Pick one up."

Xie Mingyang breathed a long sigh of relief.

Although he has already retreated from the stage, if Wang Chuqin succeeds in his attempt to launch a counterattack, the chances of success are very low.

Now, Wang Chuqin made a mistake on a sure-kill shot, allowing himself to score a point for free, which was truly a stroke of luck.

Second serve.

The forehand is short.

Side-up.

Xie Mingyang acted decisively, stepping forward and twisting the ball.

Wang Chuqin tore it open, resulting in a slightly lower quality piece.

Without the slightest hesitation, Xie Mingyang slid to the side and unleashed a powerful forehand smash.

The ball flew like a cannonball, hurtling towards Wang Chuqin's forehand corner.

Wang Chuqin leaped forward and barely managed to block the attack.

However, the footwork was not in place, and the ball hit the edge of the paddle and flew high into the air.

9: 7.

"Zhu--"

Xie Mingyang clenched his fist and roared again.

In the face of despair, they finally saw a glimmer of hope for a comeback.

Wang Chuqin's face turned ashen, and he immediately called a pause.

He walked to the sidelines, picked up a water bottle, and tilted his head back to gulp it down.

Then, he sat down on the sofa.

I closed my eyes, my chest heaving violently.

It seemed as if he was forcibly suppressing his surging blood and the anxiety in his heart.

A one-minute rest finally allowed him to regain some of his strength.

When he stepped back onto the field, his eyes revealed a fierce yet icy fighting spirit.

Switch sides and serve.

Xie Mingyang remained calm and secretly stole a fast, long ball from a forehand cross-court position.

Wang Chuqin was caught off guard and his attempt to extinguish the fire failed.

10: 7.

Xie Mingyang took the lead and reached game point first.

Then, the serve continued.

Another case of stealing a growth rate.

However, this time the ball landed on Wang Chuqin's backhand baseline.

However, Wang Chuqin seemed to have anticipated this.

The instant the ball left his hand, a glint of light flashed in his eyes, and he suddenly shot out.

Wang Chuqin slid sideways with incredible speed.

The body, exhausted to its limit, unleashed its last strength, twisting its waist and hips, and lashing out with its forehand like a whip.

"Snapped!"

The sound, like thunder, arose out of nowhere.

The ball fell like thunder from the heavens.

A flash of white light shot straight at Xie Mingyang's right side of the table.

Xie Mingyang was caught off guard.

8: 10.

Wang Chuqin used this desperate side-step attack to tighten the string that was about to snap.

"My next two serve rotations are coming up, so I need to make the most of them."

Wang Chuqin already had a plan in mind.

There was silence.

Countless eyes were focused on Wang Chuqin.

Wang Chuqin stood on the right side of the table, holding a small white ball in his palm.

He glanced at Xie Mingyang and stuck his butt out.

Hook serve.

This is his signature move in crucial moments.

Without the slightest hesitation, Xie Mingyang pounced on his prey like a tiger, pushing off with his left foot and thrusting forward with his right leg, almost leaping onto the table.

Lower your shoulders and raise your elbows.

Adduct your wrist.

With an extremely exaggerated arc, seize the ball's landing point and trajectory.

"Snapped!"

A tremendous force suddenly erupted from his fingers and wrists.

A powerful backhand twist!
The ball, with a deathly whistle, flew as fast as a meteor, heading straight for Wang Chuqin's backhand corner baseline.

This ball, this shot, embodies all of Xie Mingyang's strength, skill, and fighting spirit.

It has a tricky angle, amazing speed, and intense rotation.

The moment Xie Mingyang pushed off the ground, Wang Chuqin's center of gravity instinctively shifted towards his backhand position.

Prejudgment!

Predicting beyond the limits of physical ability!
Although his steps were heavy as lead, his desire for victory drove him.

Facing the incoming ball, quickly rip it across the crosscourt with a backhand.

"laugh!"

A sharp scraping sound echoed through the silent stadium.

The ping-pong ball traced a strange arc with strong sidespin, barely bypassing the net, and heading straight for the outside of Xie Mingyang's forehand sideline.

Grazing.

9: 10.

With a lucky shot, Wang Chuqin managed to pull one back.

"what--"

From the stands, a burst of ecstatic shouts of relief erupted.

Xie Mingyang remained expressionless.

His eyes remained cold, showing no sign of wavering despite the opponent's lucky shot that grazed the edge of the net.

"It really is topspin."

Xie Mingyang reached out and wiped the pool table. "I guessed right."

"If Wang Chuqin uses a hook shot again for the next ball, it will most likely be a backspin."

In fact, Xie Mingyang wasn't sure either.

He was gambling.

It turned out that he was right.

Wang Chuqin's second hook serve was indeed a strong backspin.

This time, Xie Mingyang did not rush to start.

Control the landing point and gently swing the ball short.

Wang Chuqin attempted to swing back.

Unexpectedly, he fell into his own serve trap.

Xie Mingyang's short spin was too strong, and he was momentarily caught off guard and failed to control the board shape.

"laugh!"

Swing back and lower the net.

Wang Chuqin never expected that what was originally his sure-fire move to turn the tide would turn into a stone that would drop on his own foot.

"Was it because I didn't post it discreetly enough, and Xie Mingyang noticed it was rotated?"

Wang Chuqin frowned inwardly.

But it's too late now, the score is final.

11: 9.

After losing three games in a row, Xie Mingyang fought desperately and finally won one game back.

The score is 3-2.

The suspense of the match continues.

"Whoo~"

Lin Shidong let out a long breath, turned to look at Chen Jin, and said with a hint of admiration in his eyes, "Just as you predicted, Xie Mingyang has indeed turned the tables."

"It's not a big deal to win a game back; the difficult part is winning the match."

Chen Jin stared intently at Xie Mingyang on the screen, "Xie Mingyang's stamina is almost at its limit."

"Even if we manage to win the sixth round by luck, the real difference in strength will become apparent in the decisive round when it comes to close combat."

Judging from today's match, after Wang Chuqin lost to Xie Mingyang in the last Asian Cup, he clearly made many adjustments to his playing style in response to Xie Mingyang's style.

In this Chongqing championship, he was even more at ease facing Xie Mingyang.

It will be no easy task for Xie Mingyang to kill Wang Chuqin twice.

"Hopefully, Lao Xie can hold on."

Chen Jin narrowed his eyes slightly.

(End of this chapter)