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

Chapter 413 One point decides life and death!

Switch sides to serve.

Forehand position, short, no spin.

Xie Mingyang remained calm and stepped forward to swerve.

Zhang Benzhihe's return shot.

Xie Mingyang flicked his wrist and quickly chopped a long ball down the middle.

The change in rhythm caught Tomokazu Harimoto somewhat off guard.

Fortunately, he reacted very quickly.

Xiang leaped half a step behind him, slammed his backhand down, and charged forward as the ball began its descent.

Xie Mingyang used a backhand to firmly block the diagonal line.

Zhang Benzhihe countered with a cross-court attack, directly targeting Xie Mingyang's open forehand.

Xie Mingyang's transitions between offense and defense are equally swift.

With a flick of the wrist, the line is pulled straight back.

That was quite ingenious.

Even someone as experienced as Tomokazu Harimoto was fooled by Xie Mingyang's shot.

By the time he reacted and tried to defend and counter-attack, it was too late.

3: 4.

Second serve.

Tomokazu Harimoto has grown taller again.

Xie Mingyang's backhand flick was of poor quality, and he was countered by Zhang Benzhihe's powerful forehand smash.

"Snapped!"

4: 4.

The score is tied again.

"Damn you!"

Zhang Jiahao nearly broke his own thigh. "Hey Xie, what the hell are you doing? Keep your eyes on the ball! Keep an eye on it!"

The voice was so loud it was almost splitting.

Chen Jin, sitting next to him, also had a furrowed brow.

If Xie Mingyang wants to break through the group stage, he can only allow Zhang Benzhihe to score a maximum of 5 points in this game.

At this point, Zhang Ben had already scored 4 points, leaving him with only 1 point to spare.

"come on!"

Although Chen Jin didn't speak, he silently thought to himself, "Stay calm, Lao Xie!"

The pressure is like a mountain.

Xie Mingyang, holding the ping-pong ball, once again stepped up to serve.

Sweat dripped down, stinging the corners of my eyes.

"We still have to give it a shot."

Xie Mingyang gritted his teeth inwardly.

They were trying to gain an advantage and open up a new situation.

However, the idea itself is not necessarily wrong.

Unfortunately, under pressure, my hands became a bit stiff.

At the moment of contact with the ball, I failed to control the force and landing point.

The ping-pong ball deviated from his expected trajectory and flew in a different direction.

Serve error!

4: 5.

"what--"

Zhang Jiahao let out a scream, "At such a crucial point, how the hell did you make a service error?!"

"You surnamed Xie, I f***ing %￥#@&*..."

He was so angry that he became incoherent.

In his mind, he had already cursed Xie Mingyang's ancestors for eighteen generations.

"Brother Jin, don't hold me back! I'm going to rush down there right now and beat that Xie guy up!"

Zhang Jiahao held onto Chen Jin's hand tightly, muttering incessantly, "Don't pull me, don't pull me..."

With a snap, Chen Jin ruthlessly flung his hand away.

"calm!"

Chen Jin leaned forward, crossed his arms, rested his chin on his hand, and looked at the arena. "Old Xie hasn't lost yet. There's still a glimmer of hope."

"Next, all we need to do is prevent Zhang Ben from scoring any more points."

He spoke as casually as a breeze.

But Zhang Jiahao remained unsettled.

"A glimmer of hope?"

Zhang Jiahao shook his head, a hint of despair in his eyes. "It's too difficult!"

"The opponent is Tomokazu Harimoto, ranked fourth in the world. It's really too difficult for him to not get a single point in the rest of the matches."

"Unless you, Brother Jin, personally take action."

Among active volleyball players in the world, Zhang Jiahao can't think of anyone besides Chen Jin who could do that.

"With Zhang Ben so close to advancing, his mentality will likely fluctuate. In the upcoming matches, he will probably play it safe."

Chen Jin's gaze remained calm, as unfathomable as the universe. "As long as Lao Xie seizes the opportunity, he might just be able to create a miracle."

"A true master, even with just a slight difference, can sentence their opponent to death!"

After listening to Chen Jin's words.

Zhang Jiahao muttered to himself, "But can that guy surnamed Xie really do it?"

Now, no matter what, we can only trust Xie Mingyang.

The air seemed to freeze on the field.

The red number 4:5 is blinding.

The frustration of the serve error and the sighs from the crowd were like a bucket of ice water poured over my head, extinguishing my restlessness.

Xie Mingyang walked to the edge of the stage to wipe his sweat, his eyes sharp yet calm.

"I made a mistake on my serve just now. Zhang Ben must have thought I had lost my composure and didn't dare to play a long serve again."

"What if I do the opposite..."

The thought flashed through my mind, and my mind was made up.

His gaze swept across the other side.

As expected, Tomokazu Harimoto positioned himself far forward with a low center of gravity to guard against short balls.

Xie Mingyang serves, his wrist flicking subtly, another swift and stealthy long serve.

Like lightning, it sprinted towards Tomokazu Harimoto's backhand baseline.

"Nani?"

Zhang Benzhihe's pupils suddenly contracted.

Completely unexpectedly, Xie Mingyang dared to risk a steal despite the immense pressure and the fact that he had just made a mistake!
In a hurry, he jumped back and flicked his wrist.

The ball soared high into the air.

Xie Mingyang had anticipated this perfectly, and his body moved like a spring, unleashing a powerful forehand strike.

"Snapped!"

5: 5.

"Zhu--"

Successfully fought back in a desperate situation.

This point pulled him back from the brink of disaster.

Of course, this is not enough.

The serve changes hands again.

Zhang Ben held the ball calmly and unhurriedly.

After all, his tolerance for mistakes is higher than Xie Mingyang's.

"If Zhang Ben serves a long ball, it means he wants to take a gamble; if he serves a short ball, he is probably playing it safe."

Xie Mingyang pondered to himself.

Next ball.

Forehand sideways short.

Seeking stability?

Xie Mingyang stepped forward with lightning speed, his body lunging forward, his wrist bending inward, and his racket inserted under the incoming ball at a tricky angle.

"laugh!"

Twist and pull with the back hand.

The ping-pong ball, like a bullet, with strong sidespin, pierced through Zhang Ben's backhand sideline.

5: 6.

Then, Zhang Ben stole a long shot, which Xie Mingyang spotted, and he sprinted sideways in a straight line.

7: 5.

It was Xie Mingyang's turn to serve.

Short forehand, no spin.

Zhang Benzhihe gently flicked the ball short, halfway off the table. Xie Mingyang then launched a forehand attack down the crosscourt.

8: 5.

Second serve.

Reverse spin, short forehand.

Zhang Benzhihe's short parry and high throw, Xie Mingyang's flying smash.

5: 9.

He scored five points in one go.

From trailing 4-5 to leading 9-5.

A desperate counterattack, with unstoppable momentum.

They held Tomokazu Harimoto to just 5 points, leaving them only two points away from victory.

"Wow!"

"Keep it up, Xie Mingyang!"

The entire venue erupted in cheers.

The immense pressure, like ice water, thoroughly soaked through Tomokazu Harimoto's heart.

At the same time, it also permeated Xie Mingyang's heart.

The noise was shut out, leaving only the thunderous sound of my heartbeat.

Zhang Ben gripped his racket tightly, his knuckles turning white: "These few points, I played it too conservatively, giving him the opportunity to fight back..."

"We must find a way to change this situation and break the deadlock!"

Xie Mingyang stood at the edge of the table, sweat dripping down his face, his mind racing: "Zhang Ben has the serve, will he try to serve long, or will he continue to control the short serve?"

Sudden.

Wang Hao's loud shout came from behind: "Keep an eye on the ball, he might try to steal a long pass!"

This sound was made.

Xie Mingyang keenly noticed that at the same time Wang Hao shouted, Zhang Benzhihe's eyebrows twitched upwards very slightly.

"Zhang Ben understands Chinese, and he heard Coach Wang's reminder."

"so……"

Xie Mingyang knew perfectly well what was going on.

As expected, thanks to Wang Hao's reminder, Zhang Benzhihe, who originally wanted to serve longer, suddenly realized the importance of changing his strategy.

Short on the upper side of the midline.

Xie Mingyang quickly stepped forward, his wrist slashing out like a snake emerging from its hole.

Fingers and wrists, explosive power.

"laugh!"

Overlord twist!
A white lightning bolt, in an exaggerated arc, ripped through the sky above the table tennis table.

5: 10.

Xie Mingyang has reached match point.

"nice shot!"

Zhang Jiahao leaped to his feet and roared excitedly.

"Xie Mingyang!"

"come on--"

The entire stadium erupted in thunderous cheers, echoing through the heavens.

But the game isn't over yet.

If Zhang Ben wins just one more point, regardless of the outcome of this game, he will advance based on the point differential.

Therefore, this match point is Xie Mingyang's door to victory, and also Zhang Ben's last narrow path.

This next shot will decide the outcome!

The huge venue suddenly fell silent.

Countless tense gazes were focused on the center of the arena.

The air was heavy as mercury, and sweat soaked through the jerseys.

Even Tomokazu Harimoto's serve seemed to have slowed down.

Xie Mingyang bent his knees slightly, lowering his center of gravity like a cheetah.

His eyes were bright, sharp, and focused.

All distracting thoughts have long been cleared from my mind.

It was as if the whole world consisted only of the small white ball in front of me, and the opponent's every move and subtle change.

Keep your eyes on the ball!

Trust your own judgment!
A ping-pong ball is tossed high into the sky.

Under the illumination of the lights, it drew a dazzling silver line.

The forehand is short.

Side-up.

Just like the previous goal.

Xie Mingyang stepped forward and twisted the diagonal line with explosive force.

Unexpectedly, it seems that all of this was part of Tomokazu Harimoto's plan.

Tomokazu Harimoto moved ahead of time, blocking the incoming ball's path to his forehand, and then counter-attacked down the line.

"what?"

Xie Mingyang was taken aback.

However, he reacted just as quickly.

With astonishing explosive power, he forcefully twisted his waist and hips, planted his left foot on the ground, and stomped off with his right foot to stop his forward momentum. Despite losing his balance, he forcefully twisted to a backhand position.

The racket barely managed to reach the ball at the last second.

The force was awkward, relying solely on the instantaneous burst of wrist power and feel, barely managing a backhand flick to the outside, a difficult angled bend.

Zhang Ben was completely unprepared for Xie Mingyang's ability to save the ball.

Moreover, the landing point of the line is so tricky.

It's too late to say.

A world-class pace is being demonstrated.

Zhang Benzhihe took a cross step and flashed to the forehand corner.

Instead of unleashing a powerful smash, he pressed down with a straight shot at the highest point of the ball's bounce.

The ball was not fast, but the angle was tricky, flying straight to Xie Mingyang's exposed forehand opening during his defense.

Xie Mingyang had just regained his balance when his eyes widened in fury.

They unleashed their last strength to make a save.

step……

Two steps...

I could almost feel the air flowing at my fingertips.

But in the end, it fell short by half a step.

The ping-pong ball grazed the edge of the paddle, and with a "whoosh," hit the corner of the table and flew out at an angle.

6: 10.

"Wow—"

A tremendous roar broke the silence, filled with astonishment and regret.

"what--"

The moment the ball hit the ground, Tomokazu Harimoto released all the pressure, fear, and ecstasy he had been under.

He roared like a wild beast, slammed his racket to the ground, and collapsed heavily to the ground as if exhausted, his hands covering his face as he heaved violently.

Won!

Securing the crucial 6th point!
The door to advancement is wide open!

"It's over..."

Zhang Jiahao slumped in his seat, his eyes vacant.

Chen Jinzhong sighed and closed his eyes.

Wang Hao watched Xie Mingyang's desperate attempt to make the save, his eyes filled with regret and heartache.

On the court, the table changed, and Xie Mingyang remained frozen in his save position.

The noise was indistinct.

My mind went blank with a buzzing sound, and a sense of loss overwhelmed me like ice.

A close call, a service error, a serve that was completely outmaneuvered... countless fragments flashed through my mind.

Almost...

Just a little bit different...

Unfortunately, a small mistake can lead to a huge difference.

But only for a moment.

Xie Mingyang suddenly straightened up and shook his head, suppressing the confusion and pain in his eyes.

The game is not over!
Even if there's no hope of advancing, we'll fight to the very end!

Composing himself, Xie Mingyang walked back to the pool table with a blank expression.

His back was straight, and his eyes regained their sharpness.

(End of this chapter)