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

Chapter 400 Fatal Mistake
"8:10..."

Xie Mingyang held the small white ball in his hand and spun it gently, as if grasping at the last straw on the edge of a cliff.

Despite saving four match points, they were still down by two points.

Fortunately, he had control of the serving order.

If they can capitalize on their next two serves and tie the score at 10-10, the suspense of the match can continue.

The key question is, what kind of ball should be served?

"Whoo~"

Xie Mingyang took a deep breath, "Steal growth?"

Thoughts flashed through.

Instantly, a picture appeared in my mind.

A fast and powerful shot, like a quenched dagger, unexpectedly pierced Wang Chuqin's backhand.

This shot was made with a desperate, all-or-nothing determination.

It instantly ignited the fighting spirit deep within Xie Mingyang's eyes.

But, the next second.

He then abandoned the idea.

After all, the opponent standing before him was Wang Chuqin.

As Chen Jin said, although Wang Chuqin is quite controversial, as an opponent, one must acknowledge his strength on the field.

Given Wang Chuqin's experience on the court, they must also be preventing him from making a long serve in crucial moments.

What if he's watching me...

The anticipated thrill of scoring a point was instantly replaced by another terrifying scene.

—Wang Chuqin's prediction was accurate. His body had already turned to the side, his arms stretched out like a full moon, and he fell to the ground and sprinted straight ahead.

A blinding white light, carrying a deadly force and spinning around, hurtled straight at him...

My mind hasn't changed.

A chill ran through him, instantly extinguishing Xie Mingyang's impulse to grow taller.

But then, what kind of ball should we serve?
Topspin?

Backspin?

Not sharing?

Forehand?

Backhand?

Middle?

……

Time stretches out as I ponder.

In the vast arena, thousands of eyes silently focused on Xie Mingyang, converging into a silent mountain.

Xie Mingyang could clearly feel the trail of sweat winding down his back.

A quick glance to the side of the table reveals Wang Chuqin's taut stance as he receives the serve, his posture as tense as a bowstring.

The other person's hawk-like gaze was fixed intently on his every move.

It was as if they wanted to penetrate his skin and flesh to see every thought in his heart.

"We must limit Wang Chuqin's initiative and not hand over the offensive initiative to our opponent!"

Xie Mingyang pondered to himself.

The flames in his eyes vanished instantly.

Instead, there was an almost cold calm.

Toss the ball and prepare to swing.

"laugh!"

With a soft click, the ball left the racket.

The ping-pong ball, with a strong sidespin, fell rapidly, almost touching the net, and landed precisely on the edge of the small triangle area inside Wang Chuqin's forehand side of the table.

"Ok?"

Wang Chuqin raised an eyebrow.

I thought that Xie Mingyang would steal my fast break ball at this crucial moment.

He was even prepared to sprint sideways.

But to my surprise, Xie Mingyang remained remarkably calm.

This was completely unexpected by Wang Chuqin.

Between the lightning and the fire.

The instincts of top athletes take over their bodies.

Wang Chuqin took a sudden step forward with his left foot, his body releasing like a spring compressed to its limit.

Lower your center of gravity and let your left arm sink.

Facing the ball that comes off the table, rub it hard and loop it high.

"Break!"

The ping-pong ball, with strong topspin but a slow, high arc, flew towards the opponent's center.

Like a chess master, Xie Mingyang had already planned out every move before even serving.

Even Wang Chuqin's landing point and arc were within his calculations.

With a sudden push of his left leg, Xie Mingyang quickly turned to the side.

The power travels instantly from the soles of the feet that push off the ground to the taut core of the waist and abdomen, and then surges like a burst dam into the right arm holding the racket.

The racket had already been pulled behind him, almost parallel to the ground.

It's just a fleeting moment.

A destructive force was secretly gathering strength, awaiting the arrival of the ball.

"Snapped!"

The sound of the ball hitting the ground was like a thunderclap.

It carried a sharp whistling sound that pierced the eardrums.

Xie Mingyang's racket struck the white ball that had just bounced up with tremendous force.

The rubber dented deeply, the baseboard bounced back violently, and a huge amount of kinetic energy was released in an instant without reservation.

A sharp white light, like a terrifying bolt of lightning cleaving through chaos, tore through the air, carrying terrifying rotation and speed, stirring up wind and thunder, and blasted towards Wang Chuqin's right half of the table, backhand baseline.

"!"

Wang Chuqin's pupils suddenly contracted.

His center of gravity remains in the middle.

Immediately, he took a step to the side and leaped into the air.

But, it's too late.

"昘——"

A flash of white light streaked across the sky like a shooting star, striking the edge of Wang Chuqin's backhand side with a short, crisp sound.

Immediately, it transformed into a blur and crashed violently into the barrier behind it with a bang.

"9:10."

The referee's score announcement rang out clearly.

"nice shot!"

The commentators were ecstatic. "Serve and attack, side-step smash—it's clearly a meticulously designed tactic!"

"Xie Mingyang, this young player, withstood the pressure and pulled back a point."

"9:10, the suspense of the game continues!"

Across from the pool table.

Wang Chuqin's face was somewhat pale.

In the deciding game, he clearly had match point and was leading by a large margin.

However, their opponents scored five consecutive points.

For him, the pressure was no longer invisible, but like cold, heavy lead, layer upon layer piled on his spine, tightening his throat, making every breath he took a burning pain.

more importantly.

The memory of the Asian Cup defeat surged into my mind like an icy tide, rushing straight to the top of my head.

At this point, although Wang Chuqin was leading by one point, Xie Mingyang still had the right to serve.

This means that Xie Mingyang has the initiative firmly in his grasp.

Given his previous shot technique, having the right to serve would give him a greater sense of security.

But now, we have to be on high alert.

What kind of serve will Xie Mingyang give?

"Will they continue to send me the forehand small triangle?" Wang Chuqin's mind raced.

Xie Mingyang won that point just now by combining a serve with a quick attack.

If he tries the same trick again, how should I deal with it?

Shorten it?

Split long?

Provoke?

Hanging high?

……

"What if he changes his strategy and steals my long ball?"

Wang Chuqin's gaze darkened.

You should know that Xie Mingyang has a ruthless fighting spirit deep down.

Will the confidence gained from that one point make him even bolder?
If he really does steal a long shot, where will he land?
Forehand?

Backhand?

Middle?

My thoughts were in turmoil, and I couldn't predict my opponent's next move at all.

Every anticipated response plan is accompanied by a huge vortex of risks.

Cold sweat silently slid down Wang Chuqin's back.

He could only force himself to clear his mind of distractions.

Lower your body, bend your knees, shift your weight forward, and assume a relatively balanced ready position, taking into account both length and shortness.

— Respond to all changes with constancy, and counter each move as it comes!

Wang Chuqin stared intently at Xie Mingyang's hand, not daring to be careless in the slightest.

It was as if he wanted to etch every tiny muscle tremor of the other person into his mind.

the other side.

Xie Mingyang is also under tremendous pressure.

While winning back a point boosted morale, the team was still behind in the score.

This serve is still a do-or-die situation.

Originally, he wanted to serve with reverse spin.

But before the action was finished, a thought flashed through his mind, and he ultimately gave up.

"How about... we change the serve?"

"Take a chance?"

In an instant, the thought of stealing time, like a ghost, clung to him again.

It's clearer and more enticing than before.

If they can score directly by stealing the long ball, they can tie the score in one fell swoop.

The immense temptation almost suffocated him.

Think of this.

His gaze grew increasingly resolute.

Xie Mingyang changed his position and tossed the ball high into the air.

Backstage.

Seeing Xie Mingyang hesitate and change his serve from reverse spin to a high toss, Chen Jin frowned slightly: "Trying to steal a long serve?"

My mind hasn't changed.

Just as Chen Jin had predicted.

The ball, tossed high into the air, rises to its peak and begins to fall.

A resolute glint flashed in Xie Mingyang's eyes.

The body's center of gravity suddenly shifts forward, and the racket arm is pulled back like a fully drawn bowstring.

The wrist flexes inward, and at the moment of contact with the ball, a powerful impact is generated.

"昘——"

A fast and high long ball flew towards Wang Chuqin's backhand baseline.

however.

At the very moment of making the move.

Xie Mingyang's heart sank: "Oh no!"

next second.

The ball hit the net and went out of bounds.

The scene was deathly silent.

It was as if even time had frozen.

No one expected that this goal would have such a dramatic ending.

But that's the nature of competition.

Even a small, basic mistake can ruin all your hard work.

9: 11.

The score is 3-4.

Xie Mingyang was eliminated in the semifinals and failed to reach the final.

Hearing Wang Chuqin's low growl and the cheers of the fans in the audience, Xie Mingyang stood still, a hint of annoyance flashing between his brows.

In just a moment, he calmed down.

He slowly raised his head and looked at the final score on the scoreboard.

Regardless of victory or defeat, the outcome is already decided.

He gave it his all, but he also threw away this point and this game with his own hands.

There are no excuses, only acceptance.

Xie Mingyang put down his racket, his face not showing much sorrow, but rather a sense of relief and calm.

Despite being eliminated in the semifinals, his performance at the Chongqing Championship was quite impressive.

They defeated formidable enemies such as Zhang Benzhihe along the way, and pushed Wang Chuqin to the brink of despair.

How many newcomers could actually do that?
Although he cannot compare to Chen Jin, who is considered a "star descended from heaven," he is certainly qualified to be called a genius.

VIP area.

The faces of Liu Guoliang, Wang Hao, and others all revealed expressions of admiration.

"Pity."

Wang Hao's tone carried a hint of regret: "If we could have held firm on that last serve, the outcome of this match would have been very different."

"After all, they are young people, so it's inevitable that they will be nervous."

Liu Zhiqiang smiled and said, "But in this competition, we defeated several foreign experts along the way, which is quite good and deserves praise."

"Yes."

Li Xun agreed, "With another newcomer emerging, our male talent development team has finally gained a foothold."

"After a hiatus of almost half a year, Wang Chuqin has finally made it to the finals again."

Qin Zhijian asked, "I wonder if his opponent in tonight's final is Chen Jin or Lin Shidong?"

Wang Hao and the others exchanged a smile.

Everyone has a tacitly agreed-upon answer to this question.

Backstage, waiting area.

Seeing Xie Mingyang's serve go wrong and dash his hopes of a comeback, Lin Shidong sighed with regret.

Immediately, he stood up and stretched his muscles.

"After waiting for so long, it's finally our turn to go on stage."

Lin Shidong's tone carried a hint of anticipation.

"come on."

Chen Jin extended his fist.

"what?"

Lin Shidong was taken aback.

Although the two are in an all-Chinese match, they are also opponents. How can you cheer for your opponent before the match?
But upon closer examination, it seems not so wrong.

"You too."

Lin Shidong and Chen Jin lightly bumped fists.

(End of this chapter)