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

Chapter 436 Xie Mingyang VS Zhang Jiahao! My racket is not at a disadvantage!
Based on Xiang Peng and Sun Zheng's performance and points, it has already been determined that they will not qualify for the Doha World Table Tennis Championships.

However, with the coaching staff watching the game, the two dared not slack off.

They used every trick in the book to try and defeat their opponent.

Therefore, the game was quite close, with the score remaining tight and the situation intense.

Especially the fourth game.

There were even high scores like 17:15.

In the decisive game, Xiang Peng ultimately prevailed, winning the match by two points thanks to his powerful forehand.

Meanwhile, at the next table, two matches, Lin Shidong vs. Yuan Licen and Lin Gaoyuan vs. Xue Fei, had already begun.

"Table five, next match: Xie Mingyang vs. Zhang Jiahao."

The referee loudly reminded, "Both contestants, please prepare to enter the arena."

Hear the sound.

Xie Mingyang and Zhang Jiahao stood up at the same time, took towels, and walked onto the field.

The two were sworn enemies when they fought.

From last year's Youth Championship to the U16 selection tournament, and even in private matches, Zhang Jiahao always ended up losing.

Zhang Jiahao constantly longed to defeat Xie Mingyang on the field and avenge his previous defeat.

Since joining the Shanghai team, Zhang Jiahao has been motivated by his past mistakes and worked hard to improve his skills, gradually narrowing the gap between him and Xie Mingyang.

This time, Xie Mingyang was injured.

Although the injury wasn't serious, in a battle between experts, even the slightest detail can determine victory or defeat.

This match presents Zhang Jiahao with the perfect opportunity to redeem himself.

more importantly.

Zhang Jiahao still holds Xie Mingyang's ticket to the Doha World Table Tennis Championships.

"You surnamed Xie, you've finally fallen into my hands."

Zhang Jiahao smugly thought, "What goes around comes around. Now it's your turn to have to watch my face."

They rested on the sidelines for almost half an hour.

Xie Mingyang's knee bruises have been significantly reduced in swelling after various treatments, including spraying ice packs.

The physical strength he had expended in the fierce battle with Lin Gaoyuan had now mostly recovered.

He stood on the field, facing off against Zhang Jiahao.

The two figures, one in red and one in blue, resembled the setting sun on a beach, two great swordsmen facing off with their swords.

Although they didn't speak, their eye contact seemed to give everything a Shaw Brothers martial arts feel.

Xie Mingyang: "It's been a while since we last sparred. I wonder how much you've improved?"

Zhang Jiahao: "I haven't improved much, beating you is enough."

Xie Mingyang: "Want to beat me? Then you'll have to ask this racket in my hand."

Zhang Jiahao: "My racket is not at a disadvantage."

The referee reminded them to guess the ball.

Without any doubt, Zhang Jiahao won the right to serve.

Then came the usual warm-up sparring session.

It was originally two minutes.

But in less than thirty seconds, the two stopped fighting.

"No more practice."

Zhang Jiahao flicked his wrist, sliced ​​the racket to the side, and stopped the ball steadily. "Let's go for it."

"Row."

Xie Mingyang had no objection.

After all, the two are familiar with each other's playing style, trajectory, power, and speed through regular training, so there is no need for much adaptation.

Step in place and move your ankles.

Xie Mingyang stood on the left side of the table, slightly closer to the center line, with his legs slightly bent, bent over, and staring intently at the opponent.

0: 0.

Zhang Jiahao serves.

With a flick of the wrist, a burst of power is unleashed.

The ball flew like lightning, hurtling towards Xie Mingyang's mid-line baseline.

Steal a fast start!

A risky move can also be a deadly one.

If it were any other opponent, they would be caught off guard by this sudden, long, and fast ball, and might have already fallen into the trap.

however.

Xie Mingyang seemed to have anticipated this.

Anticipate the landing point, turn your body to the side in advance, and push off the ground and rotate your waist at the peak of the ball's trajectory to deliver a powerful forehand swing.

"Snapped!"

Like a thunderbolt, a perfect synergy.

The sound of the ball hitting the paddle was like a thunderclap, awe-inspiring and awe-inspiring.

With immense force and incredible speed, it slammed into the far corner of Zhang Jiahao's left half of the table.

The instant Xie Mingyang made his move, Zhang Jiahao swayed, took a step, and like a dragonfly skimming the water, stepped to the left.

At the same time, lower your center of gravity and reach out to block.

"Snapped!"

With a casual gesture, Xie Mingyang's explosive side-step attack was blocked, and the ball was returned to the center line.

Xie Mingyang reacted amazingly, using his core strength to forcefully pull his center of gravity back from the side-stepping charge, and then launched a forehand forward attack on Zhang Jiahao's right backhand side of the table.

Zhang Jiahao moved with lightning speed, already back on defense, and used the momentum to tear a cross-court shot.

Xie Mingyang lunged forward, charging down the middle.

Zhang Jiahao anticipated the landing point, slid to the side, and waited for the ball to begin its descent before counter-attacking with his forehand.

The arc is bizarre, and the rotation is intense.

Seeing this, Xie Mingyang dared not be careless. He stepped back half a step from the stage to create space and launched a strong counterattack.

"Snapped!"

"Snapped!"

"Snapped!"

……

The two engaged in a full-court forehand rally.

It's not just a contest of strength and speed, but also a battle of spin and landing point.

After several rounds of exchanges, the situation remained deadlocked.

Sudden.

A sudden inspiration struck Zhang Jiahao.

With incredible speed, he pulled away from the ball, and as it descended to its final moments, his racket moved like a fish out of water, managing to slice it open with a powerful chop.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Jiahao played it in such a flashy way.

Xie Mingyang thought that the two would be locked in a head-on battle for this ball.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Jiahao suddenly changed his chop shot, which changed the rhythm of the game.

Xie Mingyang pushed off with his foot, stepped forward, and suddenly stopped to seize the position. He lowered his center of gravity and prepared to swing his racket.

Like pulling up a scallion from dry land, or hanging it high in an arc.

The ball speed is not fast, and the trajectory is too high.

"Chance!"

With a surge of murderous intent in his eyes, Zhang Jiahao showed no mercy and charged sideways.

"Snapped!"

The momentum is astonishing.

Xie Mingyang was too slow to react and hadn't recovered yet, so he could only watch the ball go in frustration.

1: 0.

"Zhu--"

After winning the first game, Zhang Jiahao clenched his fist and shouted, then turned around and jogged half a lap around the court before returning to the table.

Across the table, Xie Mingyang frowned slightly.

That last shot involved running all over the table and rallies with forehands, which was incredibly taxing on the lower body.

In addition, Zhang Jiahao's variation of the chop shot caused him to lunge forward and stop abruptly to save the ball, putting considerable pressure on his knees.

Instantly, the discomfort in my knee returned.

Xie Mingyang remained expressionless and silent, simply bending down to pick up the ball.

"what?"

A look of surprise and delight flashed in Li Qian's eyes. "Compared to our last match, Zhang Jiahao has indeed improved a lot."

"The entire Taiwanese team's forehand rallies were almost all in a declining phase, reminiscent of Hsu Hsin back in the day."

"It seems that he has indeed received a lot of guidance from Xu Xin while playing for the Shanghai team."

"More importantly, a sudden change in the direction of a slice shot, though risky, is very ingenious."

As the nominal head coach of Chen Jin, Xie Mingyang, and Zhang Jiahao, Li Qian was naturally pleased to see his students all making progress.

Listening quietly to Li Qian's words, Chen Jin looked at the two on the field without saying a word.

He knew in his heart that, in terms of raw strength, Xie Mingyang was far superior to Zhang Jiahao.

Zhang Jiahao's playing style relies too much on his touch. If you suppress him in the first three or even the first five shots, he will be completely shut down.

However, Xie Mingyang's knee injury has become a variable.

For Zhang Jiahao, this match was a long-awaited chance to avenge his defeat.

For Xie Mingyang, however, it was a ticket to the Doha World Table Tennis Championships.

Both of them have reasons to want to win.

As a friend, Chen Jin could only remain neutral and let them decide the outcome on the field, naturally offering no further comment.

His gaze was deep and unfathomable, a calm and collected observation.

Reaching out to catch the ping-pong ball Xie Mingyang tossed to him, Zhang Jiahao habitually blew on it, then glanced at Xie Mingyang, who was already ready to receive the serve.

Toss the ball and prepare to swing.

The forehand is short.

Side down.

Xie Mingyang stepped forward, made a slight adjustment to his stance, and quickly chopped Zhang Jiahao's right half of the baseline.

This split was both long and sharp.

However, Zhang Jiahao reacted extremely quickly, taking half a step back, and then flicking the ball with his backhand.

Xie Mingyang lunged forward with his forehand, focusing intently on Zhang Jiahao's backhand side, launching a fierce attack.

Faced with Xie Mingyang's relentless attacks, Zhang Jiahao was unable to mount a counterattack and could only defend with his backhand.

However, relying solely on defense will ultimately lead to too many passive situations.

Just as Zhang Jiahao was trying to retaliate.

Xie Mingyang seemed to see through his thoughts at a glance, and with a forehand reverse pull, he forcibly changed the direction of the ball. "Snap!"

He smashed through Zhang Jiahao's forehand defense with a single shot.

1: 1.

Xie Mingyang tied the score.

Switch sides and serve.

The forehand is short.

Side-up.

Zhang Jiahao pushed off with his foot, thrust his right leg forward, twisted his waist, raised his elbow, lowered his shoulder, and clenched his wrist.

"Snapped!"

Twist and pull diagonally with a reverse grip.

This ball, swift as lightning and with a powerful, storm-like spin, hurtled towards Xie Mingyang's backhand.

Xie Mingyang positioned himself near the center of the platform, shifted his weight forward, and used the momentum to quickly tear through the middle.

With quick adjustments, Zhang Jiahao launched a counterattack.

"Snapped!"

"Snapped!"

"Snapped!"

……

The two players switched between forehand and backhand, pulling with forehands and tearing with backhands, entering a stalemate once again.

Just as Chen Jin predicted, once the game entered a long rally, Zhang Jiahao displayed incredible resilience with his god-like footwork and superb touch.

No matter how Xie Mingyang adjusted the landing points and bombarded Zhang Jiahao, he could not break through Zhang Jiahao's defenses.

After seven or eight rounds, Xie Mingyang unleashed a powerful backhand flick, but failed to hit the target, striking the edge of the paddle and sending the ball flying out of bounds.

1: 2.

"Boiled!"

Zhang Jiahao clenched his fist and growled.

He won both of the two long-range rallies, which greatly boosted morale.

However, Xie Mingyang was not discouraged, and there was no sign of panic on his face.

Continue serving.

Short backhand.

Do not forward.

Zhang Jiahao took a step forward and seized the landing point.

He was controlling the shape of the board in his hand, seemingly about to shorten it.

However, at the moment of contact with the ball, a flick of the wrist releases a burst of power.

Swift as lightning, a diagonal flick.

Seeing Zhang Jiahao's stance and movements, Xie Mingyang initially thought it was a short stance.

Unexpectedly, it turned out to be a flip.

Startled, the second attempt to restart was too late.

Moreover, Zhang Jiahao's flip was flawless in both speed and angle.

Xie Mingyang had no time to save the ball.

3: 1.

"Flip over?"

Li Qian's lips curled slightly. "This kid Zhang Jiahao, he's already playing with his skills?"

"Now, let's see how Xie Mingyang breaks this deadlock."

Next game.

Zhang Jiahao showed no mercy whatsoever.

It felt incredibly hot to the touch, and its movements were swift and powerful.

Unless Xie Mingyang launches a strong attack in the first three rounds, once the game becomes a stalemate, it will be completely in Zhang Jiahao's comfort zone.

A forehand counter-attack is like a heavy artillery barrage, while a backhand rally is like a machine gun.

Xie Mingyang launched several fierce attacks, but was unable to break through Zhang Jiahao's defenses.

More importantly, the discomfort in my knees worsened again as I ran all over Taiwan.

In terms of pace, it was obviously a fraction of a second slower than usual.

A duel between masters can be fatal.

4: 1.

2: 4.

2: 5.

6: 2.

……

Zhang Jiahao maintained control of the game throughout.

Although Xie Mingyang used all his experience and skills to try his best to compete with Zhang Jiahao on the field.

Unfortunately, it was too late to turn the tide.

10: 6.

Zhang Jiahao was the first to reach game point.

At the same time, they hold the right to serve.

"Break!"

Another case of stealing a growth rate.

The arc is low and flat, and the speed is extremely fast.

Just like the first serve at the start of the game.

However, this time the ball did not land on Xie Mingyang's backhand side.

Instead, it went straight for his forehand baseline.

In fact, Xie Mingyang had already anticipated that Zhang Jiahao would have the intention to gain an unfair advantage.

Therefore, I had prepared to turn to the side in advance.

But he never expected that Zhang Jiahao would be so bold and meticulous as to steal a long forehand shot.

The moment of serving.

Xie Mingyang was about to turn to the side when he glanced over and immediately realized something was wrong: "Damn it!"

A second restart was too late.

This, on the contrary, put enormous pressure on his knees once again.

"Sigh~"

Xie Mingyang gasped.

11: 6.

Zhang Jiahao won the first game without lifting a finger.

Courtside.

Looking at the two players walking off the court, Li Qian was somewhat incredulous: "Zhang Jiahao actually won the first game?"

"Sigh, it seems Xie Mingyang's chances in this match are indeed a bit slim."

It's worth noting that Zhang Jiahao is known for being slow to warm up.

In this selection tournament, even in the matches he won in the end, he never won the first game.

But now, he has won against Xie Mingyang.

It is clear that Xie Mingyang's condition is truly worrying.

The key point is that Zhang Jiahao was not only on fire at this moment, but also brimming with confidence.

It will be even more difficult for Xie Mingyang to win.

Is it because of a knee injury?

Li Qian frowned inwardly.

My mind hasn't changed.

At this moment.

A deep, angry roar suddenly rang out from the pool table not far away.

Looking in the direction of the sound, it was Lin Gaoyuan.

Lin Gaoyuan clenched his fist and roared, his momentum unstoppable.

In contrast, Xue Fei looked dejected.

It's obvious who is superior and who is inferior.

"11:2... The final score is 2:0..."

Li Qian's brows furrowed even deeper. "Lin Gaoyuan's condition is almost invincible."

If Lin Gaoyuan defeats Xue Fei, his record will be eight wins and two losses.

If Xie Mingyang can beat Zhang Jiahao, with a record of nine wins and one loss, he will naturally rank above Lin Gaoyuan.

In this way, he firmly grasped the ticket to the World Table Tennis Championships.

If he loses this match against Zhang Jiahao, his record and points will be the same as Lin Gaoyuan's.

According to the rules, the two players will then have to play a best-of-three overtime match.

From the current perspective, Xie Mingyang's knee injury has become a potential problem.

Lin Gaoyuan, on the other hand, was in excellent form.

If the game goes into overtime, Xie Mingyang's chances of winning are probably slim.

"I never imagined that such a day would come, that Xie Mingyang's life and death would actually be in Zhang Jiahao's hands."

Li Qian couldn't help but give a bitter smile, "What a cruel twist of fate."

The two were incompatible according to their birth charts, and they often argued whenever they met, neither willing to give in to the other.

Moreover, Zhang Jiahao had been repeatedly defeated by Xie Mingyang and dreamed of defeating Xie Mingyang to avenge his previous defeats.

This time, Zhang Jiahao finally got his chance.

"Chen Jin".

Li Qian hesitated for a moment, then finally lowered his voice, "Xie Mingyang finally made it this far, why don't you go and talk to Zhang Jiahao about it?"

The implication couldn't be clearer.

In any case, Zhang Jiahao has already lost his singles qualification for the Doha World Table Tennis Championships.

It would be better to loosen the rules and let Xie Mingyang get the spot.

"forget it."

Chen Jin remained calm. "This is a match between the two of them; it should be decided by them themselves."

He knows Xie Mingyang, and he also knows Zhang Jiahao.

The greatest respect one can show to the two of them is to stand by and do nothing.

(End of this chapter)