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

Chapter 421 This young man... doesn't seem as strong as the legends say?
"laugh!"

Chen Jin serves with a hook shot.

The ball wasn't fast, but it had a tricky arc, bouncing slightly like a viper flicking its tongue, landing near the net on Hugo's right side of the table.

The forehand is short.

Side down.

This serve was clearly a probing move.

Although I had watched many of Hugo's matches before, I was quite familiar with his playing style.

However, to be on the safe side, it is still necessary to test each other before actually engaging in combat.

Hugo stepped forward, keeping his center of gravity extremely low.

Adjust the plate shape and shorten the stress-relieving swing.

Chen Jin gently swung the ball back, sending it back to Hugo's right side of the table.

The back and forth seemed uneventful.

In reality, they were both testing each other's level of control and habits within the platform.

Sudden.

Hugo took a large stride and seized the ball at the beginning of its descent.

Lower your shoulders and raise your elbows.

Even before his feet were firmly planted, his fingers and wrists exerted force with a burst of speed.

The movements are small, but the friction is extremely strong.

"laugh!"

The ping-pong ball, like a dazzling sword light, tore through the air, carrying a strong sidespin, and flew towards Chen Jin's open forehand corner.

It's fast and the angles are tricky.

Chen Jin pushed off with his feet and lunged to the right, using the momentum to quickly pull with his forehand as if by reflex.

Snapped!
The ball went into the net.

0: 1.

"Zhu--"

Hugo made a preemptive strike, taking the first victory.

The rest area on the sidelines.

Wang Hao crossed his arms, his expression calm and composed, and nodded slightly: "Chen Jin is right."

With just one shot, he had already tested the waters. After yesterday's semi-final against Wang Chuqin, Hugo had indeed strengthened his protection and offensive capabilities against his short forehand in just one night.

My mind hasn't changed.

Chen Jin, holding a ping-pong ball, bent over, ready to serve again.

The landing point has changed slightly.

The middle path is short.

Side down.

Hugo thrust his right leg forward at lightning speed, gathering power in his waist and abdomen.

The backhand shot was already in position.

Seize the landing point.

Twist your waist, rotate your arms, and flick your wrists.

The movements are done in one go.

"laugh!"

A flash of white light.

Another backhand flick, aimed straight at Chen Jin's left side of the table.

Chen Jin kept his feet still and used his backhand to defend.

Snapped!
The ball hit the net again.

2: 0.

Losing two points at the start is extremely rare for Chen Jin, given his previous dominant performances.

VIP viewing area.

All the coaches and players of the Chinese national table tennis team were present.

"Something's wrong."

Lin Shidong frowned and said in a low voice, "Compared to Hugo, Chen Jin seems less proactive and less aggressive today."

"This is quite different from Chen Jin's usual aggressive playing style. Could it be that he's under too much pressure and his hands are too tight?"

The words have not yet fallen.

Sitting next to him, Zhang Jiahao immediately denied it: "Impossible, my brother Jin is definitely testing Hugo's strength."

After all, it was their first encounter, and it was the World Cup final, so they were naturally a bit more cautious than with a WTT commercial match.

While talking.

Switch sides and serve.

Hugo stood on the left side of the table, his fingertips twirling the ball, his gaze calmly sweeping over Chen Jin.

Forehand short sidespin,
Chen Jin stepped forward and gently swung his arms.

Hugo returned to the middle.

Subsequently, back and forth ensued, with internal power struggles taking place.

The white ball bounces lightly on both sides of the net.

It was as if two top dancers were exchanging steps in perfect harmony within a small space.

But only three or four rounds.

Chen Jin lowered his center of gravity and slashed downwards with his forearm.

Upon seeing this, Hugo's pupils contracted slightly, thinking that Chen Jin was about to split the long blade.

My feet instinctively stepped back.

however.

Between the electric light and flint.

Chen Jin's wrist suddenly underwent an extremely subtle and stealthy twist.

The racket angle is precisely adjusted at the moment of contact with the ball.

The force that had been splitting the length instantly transformed into a gentle force that deflected it, and it ended up being a short swing.

Hugo's center of gravity shifted backward, and he quickly leaned forward.

My arm could barely reach the ball, but the racket angle was difficult to adjust, making it impossible to control.

Eat and then go online.

2: 1.

Hugo straightened up, looked at Chen Jin, and felt a chill in his heart: "Such strong control within the station."

In a duel between masters, the opponent's skill can be tested in just a few rounds.

Such exquisite feel! Hugo mentally counted his past rivals, and only Mataki could rival him.

Unlike Mataki.

Chen Jin is a penhold grip player with flexible wrists.

Therefore, there are some subtle and delicate changes in the control within the platform.

Their movements are stealthy and highly deceptive, making them difficult to guard against.

"We can't compete with him in the domestic arena anymore."

Hugo immediately made a decision: "I must show Chen Jin my strengths."

Serve again.

Middle side, slightly off-hand position

Side-up.

Chen Jin shifted his weight forward, then pressed down with a backhand, using the force of the impact to stick to the ball.

The speed wasn't fast; it went straight for Hugo's backhand.

Hugo twisted his waist and hips, then swung his arm back like a whip, striking with tremendous force.

"Snapped!"

A powerful backhand tear.

Power, speed, and rotation have all been pushed to their limits.

The ball hurtled towards Chen Jin like a cannonball.

Chen Jin defends with a backhand.

boom!
The ball was unusually heavy, and the return shot went into the net again.

1: 3.

"Zhu--"

Hugo clenched his fist and roared, his momentum unstoppable.

xuperman's live stream.

Cheng Jingqi frowned: "Hiss~ This ball is not right."

"Hugo's serve from the middle side was noticeably high, and the landing point was right where Chen Jin could most comfortably generate power with his backhand."

"With Chen Jin's ability, this is essentially an opportunity ball. He could easily score directly with a powerful shot."

"But why would Chen Jin handle this so leniently?"

"Is he feeding Hugo a backhand shot?"

At this moment, the live broadcast was playing back in slow motion. The more Cheng Jingqi watched, the more confused he became, and he frowned and shook his head.

"Maybe it's because you're new to the game, and your hands are a little stiff."

Xu Xin said, "It's the World Cup final, so it's normal to play it safe."

He said that, but in his heart, doubts were also rising.

Courtside.

Wang Hao maintained his arms crossed, even more relaxed than before.

His steady gaze swept across the table tennis table and landed on Chen Jin, a slight smile playing on his lips.

He was calm and composed, as if everything was under his control.

The serve returned to Chen Jin.

Chen Jin stood on the left side of the table, hefted the ball in his hand, and gently blew on it.

Toss the ball and prepare to swing.

He hooked a short, backhand sideways flick.

"Backhand?"

In the VIP viewing area, Qin Zhijian's brows furrowed deeply, his expression changed slightly, and he blurted out, "How dare Chen Jin?"

It's important to know that Hugo's backhand was extremely threatening.

Both Lin Shidong and Wang Chuqin suffered greatly at Hugo's hands on the backhand side.

Last night in the meeting, during the technical analysis, this issue was also mentioned.

The coaching staff had always believed that they should try to avoid Hugo's backhand and limit his backhand power.

Unexpectedly, Chen Jin actually dared to serve Hugo's backhand short ball.

It's tantamount to voluntarily offering your neck to the other party's knife.

It wasn't just Qin Zhijian.

Even Liu Guoliang, sitting next to him, frowned: "What on earth is Chen Jin up to? Something's been off from the very beginning." Falling behind at the start, yet deliberately feeding the ball to the opponent's strongest attacking point?

This illogical tactical choice was far from Chen Jin's usual style, and instead made him sense something unusual.

Everything is just as the worst-case scenario predicted.

Witnessing the landing point, Hugo's eyes flashed with a sharp light.

He quickly thrust his right leg forward, lowered his center of gravity, and his entire upper body resembled that of a cheetah.

Lower your shoulders and raise your elbows.

Forearms and wrists, brimming with power.

Seize the ball during its initial descent, twist your waist and hips, and unleash your power.

"laugh--"

Twist and pull diagonally with a reverse grip.

This shot, in terms of both spin and speed, was simply perfect.

Chen Jin made a slight adjustment to his footwork and used a backhand to defend.

Hugo seemed to have anticipated this, and moved with the grace of a ghost, sliding to the side.

Meet the incoming ball with a powerful forehand smash.

"Snapped!"

The ball, like a cannonball, blasted through Chen Jin's right side of the table.

1: 4.

"Choo-hoo!"

Hugo clenched his fist and roared, his voice shaking the entire arena.

The momentum had reached its peak.

Chen Jin's face remained expressionless, as if he hadn't been the one who lost points just now.

He caught the ping-pong ball thrown by the referee, calmly walked to the left side of the table, touched the table, and wiped away his sweat.

Hugo glanced at Chen Jin: "This young man... doesn't seem as strong as the legends say."

"At least this start is completely under my control."

But the thought had barely formed when he quickly suppressed it.

The adage "pride comes before a fall" is a warning etched into the very bones of top athletes.

The opponent is the fastest and youngest world number one in history, so it can't be that simple.

Hugo calmed himself, took a deep breath, and focused his attention on the next ball.

Chen Jin returned to the serve position.

The forehand is short.

Do not forward.

Hugo's step was short, but the arc was high.

"boom!"

A cold glint flashed in Chen Jin's eyes.

The attacking desire that had been dormant for several goals suddenly erupted at this moment.

Snapped!
Forehand smash.

A white afterimage and an orange afterimage, accompanied by a sharp whooshing sound, slammed into Hugo's right half of the stage with the force of thunder.

Unexpectedly, Hugo reacted instinctively, blocking the shot with his right hand and preventing the opponent from turning around.

The ball moves extremely fast, as fast as lightning.

After Chen Jinbao flicked the ball, his body was still in the forward momentum when Hugo's lightning-fast backhand shot was already upon him.

Anyone else would have missed that goal.

But Chen Jin's reaction was faster than lightning.

Just as the ball was returning over the net, he suddenly stopped and twisted, using his right foot as the pivot.

His body abruptly stopped from its forward lunge to the right, and at the same time, he stepped back with his left foot to adjust his center of gravity.

Facing Hugo's return shot, as if triggered by muscle memory, his wrist tensed like iron, and his forearm moved his wrist forward in a short, sharp motion.

There is no backswing; it relies solely on the instantaneous burst of power from the wrist and forearm.

"Snapped!"

The ping-pong ball flew towards Hugo's left side of the table.

Hugo hurriedly switched to a backhand, leaping into the air while gripping the racket with both hands, and like hitting a golf ball with a backhand, he drove a cross-court shot.

However, Chen Jin had already adjusted his footing.

Press down on the board and flick a straight shot with your backhand.

4: 2.

Chen Jin pulled one point back.

"Whoo~"

Hugo exhaled and shook his wrist.

He walked to the referee's table and picked up a towel.

Taking advantage of the brief moment while wiping away sweat, he pondered the tactics and strategies for the upcoming match.

Back to the game.

Hugo serves instead.

Short, no-spin forehand stroke.

Chen Jin flicked his wrist and pushed through the middle.

Hugo quickly stepped back half a step, trying to create space for his shot.

However, they still held back their efforts.

In a moment of quick thinking, Hugo lowered his arm and gently sliced ​​the ball in the middle to late descent.

The ping-pong ball flew up from under the table in a soft arc, drifting gently towards Chen Jin's left side of the table.

This slice shot has extremely strong backspin.

Moreover, the curve is light and airy, making it difficult to gain leverage.

However, Chen Jin remained calm, thrusting his right leg forward and shifting his body slightly to the left.

Tuck your wrists in and gather power in your waist and hips.

Facing the light, floating ball, he unleashed a powerful backhand flick, as if a general were drawing his sword.

"Snapped!"

The sound of the ball hitting the ground was like the roar of a cannonball exploding.

A white lightning bolt tore through the air, accompanied by a piercing shriek, instantly piercing through Hugo's backhand defense.

The ball was so fast that it left only a scorching afterimage in Hugo's eyes.

Hugo hadn't even realized what was happening yet.

The ball slammed hard against the barrier behind him with a loud thud, then bounced away.

"Wow--"

The entire arena was instantly ignited by this earth-shattering move.

The enormous sound wave swept through every corner like a tsunami, making people's eardrums buzz.

Countless spectators jumped up from their seats in excitement, and applause, shouts, and gasps of amazement instantly merged into a boiling ocean.

"Choo-hoo!"

"Zhu--"

Wang Hao leaped to his feet, clenching his fists, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

This backhand smash was flawless in terms of power, speed, placement, and momentum.

It suddenly reminded him of an old friend who used to play defensively: "Back in the day, my backhand was also like this, smashing down on Joo Se-hyuk."

Look at Chen Jin's backhand... this is the legacy!

Hugo stood still, subconsciously looking down at his right hand holding the racket, then staring incredulously at the boy opposite him with eyes as sharp as knives.

The power and speed of that explosive charge just now felt like a heavy hammer blow to his nerves, giving him a long-lost sense of awe.

"This is definitely not the Chen Jin who was cautious and tentative at the beginning!"

Hugo took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the turmoil in his heart.

You can't let one ball disrupt your rhythm!

Continue serving.

Short in the middle, down the side.

The spin was intense, the landing point precise, attempting to keep Chen Jin firmly under control within the table, not giving him an easy chance to make a move.

Chen Jin stepped forward and rubbed himself halfway out of the stage.

Moreover, it also gave the opponent a backhand position.

"Chance!"

Hugo's eyes sharpened.

He quickly adjusted his footing.

The body's center of gravity is completely lowered, and the backhand backhand swing has an extremely large range, as if it is full of storm.

The power of the waist and legs exploded out, driving the arms to swing forward and upward with tremendous force.

"Snapped!"

A powerful backhand smash.

The ball flew like a cannonball, tearing through the air with a shrill whistle and terrifying power and speed, heading straight for Chen Jin's backhand corner.

However, Chen Jin seemed to have already seen through everything.

The moment Hugo began to swing and exert his power, he had already started moving, his center of gravity as solid as a rock, firmly pressing down on the left side of the table.

Faced with this thunderous and explosive charge, he showed no fear and did not retreat.

The center of gravity suddenly lurched forward.

As the ball comes in, I flick my wrist and make a slight adjustment to the racket angle.

"Snapped!"

A short, sharp crack.

The ball hit the racket face but was not violently bounced off. Instead, it was forcibly changed direction by the precise angle of the racket face and the slight force of the wrist.

A flash of white light streaked past, moving at an extremely fast speed.

Even more terrifying was the chillingly tricky trajectory, flying straight towards Hugo's open space on the forehand sideline.

"!"

Hugo's pupils suddenly contracted.

At this moment, all his anticipation and focus were on his backhand, preparing to meet Chen Jin's close defense or counter-attack.

To everyone's surprise, the opponent was able to use such a seemingly casual yet precise and deadly technique to press down on a straight line under such immense pressure.

At the critical moment.

Almost instinctively, he pushed off the ground with his left foot, and his body shot towards his forehand position like an arrow.

But, it's too late.

歘——

The ping-pong ball slammed crisply onto the white line on Hugo's forehand side, then shot out like a bullet.

4:4.
The score is tied.

(End of this chapter)