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

Chapter 443 Xie Mingyang vs. Shinozuka Daito, defeated in the top 128 of the World Table Tennis Championships?
5 month 17 day.

The Doha World Table Tennis Championships have officially begun.

The schedule has already been announced, and Chen Jin will not have a match on the first day.

On the contrary, Xie Mingyang was scheduled to face his first-round opponent at 12:30 pm local time in the main stadium.

Team Neon, Shinozuka Daito.

This will be Xie Mingyang's World Table Tennis Championships debut.

This is also the first match for the Chinese men's singles team at the Doha World Table Tennis Championships.

Training in the morning.

Since Shinotsuka Hiroto is a left-handed player, Chang Chia-hao naturally became Hsieh Ming-yang's sparring partner.

As for Chen Jin, he stood with his arms crossed next to Li Qian beside the pool table, quietly watching Xie Mingyang and Zhang Jiahao practice.

He had faced off against Shinozuka Hiroto before and won decisively.

Therefore, he is quite familiar with Shinozuka Hiroto's playing style.

With Chen Jin's guidance, the results are twice as good with half the effort.

Li Qian was also happy to have some free time.

"Snapped!"

"Snapped!"

"Snapped!"

……

Two figures leaped back and forth.

The ping-pong ball transformed into a streak of white light, flashing across the table like a shooting star, dazzling the eye.

Sweat had already soaked through Xie Mingyang's vest, and he was slightly out of breath.

But his insight remains sharp.

"Jiahao".

Chen Jin suddenly spoke up, "Don't step back from the stage. Speed ​​up the transition between forehand and backhand, and open up the landing points."

"receive."

Zhang Jiahao followed his advice and indeed sped up his transitions, making his moves even faster.

The onslaught was like a violent storm, so intense that Xie Mingyang felt like he couldn't breathe.

"Snapped!"

Zhang Jiahao unleashed a lightning-fast backhand cross-court smash towards Xie Mingyang's forehand corner.

Xie Mingyang pushed off with his feet and leaped into the air.

Unfortunately, it's half an inch too short.

With a slight frown, Xie Mingyang clearly felt the pressure from Zhang Jiahao's shot.

No matter how he attacked, Zhang Jiahao defended the mid-to-close range, using extremely fast transitions and targeting his backhand position, bombarding it relentlessly.

If your return shot goes astray, Zhang Jiahao will seize the opportunity and hit through your forehand.

"Whoo~"

Taking a deep breath, Xie Mingyang bent down to pick up the ball, shook his head, and said, "The same trick again and again, I've fallen for it so many times, I haven't improved at all..."

He knew that Zhang Jiahao was imitating Shinozuka Daito's playing style.

Shinozuka Hiroto's forehand and backhand transitions are so fast that they surpass even Zhang Jiahao's.

If we can't even get past Zhang Jiahao, how can we talk about defeating Shinozuka Daito?
Li Qian, who was supervising from the side, frowned slightly: "Isn't Zhang Jiahao's speed a bit too fast?"

"Do not."

Chen Jin shook his head and looked at Xie Mingyang, "With Lao Xie's speed, he can keep up perfectly well."

"He was a little nervous."

nervous?

How come I didn't notice?

Li Qian turned his gaze to Xie Mingyang again.

But upon closer reflection, it's quite normal.

No matter how calm and composed Xie Mingyang is on ordinary days, he is still just a sixteen-year-old boy.

Standing on the World Table Tennis Championships stage for the first time, facing top players from all over the world, even though he is more mature than his peers and has defeated masters like Tomokazu Harimoto and Hayato Togami, he still couldn't help but feel nervous.

What if... just like Zhang Jiahao said, we get eliminated in the first round of the World Table Tennis Championships, stopping at the top 128? That would be incredibly embarrassing!
The pressure is unprecedented.

My mind hasn't changed.

Chen Jin stepped forward and said to Xie Mingyang and Zhang Jiahao, "Take a break."

Upon hearing this, the two immediately stopped fighting.

Zhang Jiahao grabbed the water bottle and gulped it down like a cow.

"Hey Xie, with your current form, if you went onto the field, you'd just be handing points to Xiao Zi."

Zhang Jiahao glanced at Xie Mingyang and said, "Tell me honestly, what did you do last night?"

"Your arms and legs are weak, you can't run anymore?"

It was obvious that Zhang Jiahao had also noticed Xie Mingyang's problem during the sparring session.

"..."

Xie Mingyang wiped his sweat without saying a word.

"Old Xie, clear your mind and don't overthink it."

Chen Jin walked up to Xie Mingyang, seemingly able to see right through him, "Shinotsuka Hiroto is good at mid-to-close range fast attack, with fast forehand and backhand transitions and flexible lines."

"To beat him, you have to pick up the pace and keep up with his rhythm."

"Also, pay attention to his serve, which is a long backhand serve, followed by a forehand corner serve."

"No need to fight him inside the table, just use a long shot to hit him in the middle, increase the spin, and adjust the landing point so that he can't stand in the mid-to-close range."

"If we can force Shinozuka Daito to back down from Taiwan, he'll be half-crippled."

Chen Jin spoke calmly and unhurriedly, "However, we must be careful of Shinozuka Daito's fighting style..."

Every word he uttered hit the mark on his opponent's weak points.

Even Li Qian nodded repeatedly.

It's important to know that since the draw was done in advance, the opponents for the first round had already been determined.

Therefore, during the closed training, Li Qian and Xie Mingyang had already done a lot of homework on Shinozuka Daito.

They even used AI systems to conduct a comprehensive analysis of Shinozuka Daito.

What Chen Jin said was pretty much the same.

However, Shinotsuka Daito was no match for Chen Jin.

"He can see through his opponent so clearly after only one encounter."

Li Qian sighed to himself, "Perhaps this is talent."

"No wonder Chen Jin has achieved what he has today; everything is traceable."

After listening silently to Chen Jin's analysis, Xie Mingyang nodded expressionlessly and said, "Understood."

"You've beaten Zhang Ben and Togami, so your raw strength is definitely above Shinozuka Daito."

Chen Jin seemed to see through the last trace of unease in his heart, his tone calm yet filled with undeniable, overwhelming power, "Moreover—"

Looking directly at Xie Mingyang, he said slowly, word by word, "If you can't even get past a small fry like Shinozuka Daito, how can you expect to meet me at the top?"

These last two sentences struck Xie Mingyang's heart like a heavy hammer, making him jolted.

Yes, my goal has never been just to get past the first round of the World Table Tennis Championships!
We should set our sights on something further ahead!
Shinozuka Daito is merely a stone that must be stepped over on the way to the summit!

"Whoo~"

Xie Mingyang let out a long breath.

Deep within his pupils, flames seemed to flicker.

"understood."

Xie Mingyang put down the towel, walked to the table, picked up the racket, and said to Zhang Jiahao, "Again!"

……

at the same time.

The hotel where the Japanese team is staying.

A certain room.

Shinozuka Hiroto and Kishikawa Seiya sat side by side by the window.

A laptop is placed on the table in front of me.

The computer screen displayed the message "Analyzing and processing, please wait".

Seiya Kishikawa crossed his arms, his brows furrowed, his eyes fixed on the screen.

That gaze seemed to pierce through the screen.

“Oh, right…”

After hesitating for a long time, Shinozuka Hiroto tentatively asked, "Coach Kishikawa, how about we just forget about it and go straight to the training gym?"

"hold on."

Kishikawa Seiya was still not giving up; he moved the mouse and clicked refresh.
Analyzing and processing, please wait...

Please wait……

Wait a moment...

Wait...

Seeing that the system still didn't respond, Shinozuka Hiroto quietly took out his phone and glanced at the time.

"Director Kishikawa".

Shinozuka Daito reminded him in a low voice, "It's almost 10:30."

It takes half an hour to get from the hotel to the venue.

If this continues, there will be very little time left for warm-up training.

"hold on……"

A hint of defiance and resentment flashed in Kishikawa Seiya's eyes. The words had barely left his lips.

Suddenly, the screen flickered.

"Have it!"

Seiya Kishikawa slapped his thigh suddenly, his voice tinged with excitement.

After nearly an hour, the Great God System finally generated a "Xie Mingyang Technical and Tactical Analysis Report.PTT".

Upon opening the report, Xie Mingyang's strengths, common serving and attacking tactics, receiving habits, and scoring point distribution diagrams during rallies immediately came into view.

The data is detailed and the analysis is thorough.

"okay."

Kishikawa Seiya let out a long sigh, stood up, and snapped his laptop shut. "Let's go, we'll look at it in the car later."

"..."

Shinozuka Daito was somewhat at a loss for words, both amused and exasperated.

In fact, he knew in his heart that AI analysis, by providing data, could discover the opponent's habitual routes and even simulate the opponent.

However, things can change in an instant on the field.

Even the most advanced AI probably cannot fully predict an athlete's performance under pressure and their momentary bursts of inspiration.

Ultimately, it still depends on the player's own strength, mentality, and ability to adapt to changing circumstances.

……

Local time, 12:30 pm.

Hsieh Ming-yang vs. Shinozuka Hiroto.

The match has not yet started.

Wang Liqin, Li Xun, and Wang Hao were present at the scene to watch the match.

As Chen Jin had predicted, Shinozuka Hiroto started the first game like he was on fire, launching aggressive and proactive attacks.

The first serve was a long backhand flick.

Xie Mingyang's footwork was a little slow, his body was pushed back, his power was not smooth, and the ball went into the net.

1: 0.

Hiroto Shinozuka continues serving.

It's another case of stealing length; the tactics are almost exactly the same.

This time, Xie Mingyang was prepared.

He quickly stepped back with his left leg, twisted his waist and abdomen, lowered his center of gravity, and lunged forward diagonally with a backhand.

Unexpectedly, Shinozuka Daito took a sideways step, moving like a ghost, and seized the landing point, then counter-attacked with a forehand.

"Snapped!"

The ball flew like lightning, hurtling towards Xie Mingyang's backhand side.

Xie Mingyang attempted to defend.

However, he failed to hit the right spot and struck the edge of the paddle.

歘!
The ping-pong ball flew out of bounds at an angle.

0: 2.

The start was unfavorable.

Xie Mingyang's heart sank slightly: "Shinozuka Daito's transition speed is indeed faster than I imagined."

Moreover, the opponent's fighting was more resolute and fierce than expected.

"no!"

Xie Mingyang gritted his teeth, "We must curb Shinozuka Daito's fighting momentum."

“Fight violence with violence!”

In fact, there was nothing wrong with his tactical approach.

If Shinozuka Hiroto gains momentum in the first game, the psychological pressure on him will be immense.

Therefore, we must find a way to catch up.

But the problem is...

Given Xie Mingyang's current state, it's simply unrealistic for him to resort to violence to quell violence.

In contrast, Shinozuka Daito became increasingly ruthless in his attacks.

soon.

The score had already widened to 8-2.

"Crooked sun!"

In the stands, Zhang Jiahao wanted nothing more than to rush forward and kick Xie Mingyang twice, "What is Xie doing? He forced his way in, and his movements are all distorted."

"At this rate, will my Poison Grandma really die in the top 128?"

In contrast, Chen Jin remained remarkably calm, his expression completely unwavering.

"It's normal to be nervous when it's your first time playing in the World Table Tennis Championships."

Chen Jin spoke calmly and with a composed expression, "Moreover, it's a best-of-seven series, which allows for a high margin of error. Even if we lose the first game, we'll have time to adjust."

He believed that, in terms of ability, Xie Mingyang was definitely superior to Shinozuka Daito.

The key is mindset.

If Xie Mingyang can get through this hurdle, Shinozuka Daito has no chance of winning.

The first game was a foregone conclusion.

4: 11.

Xie Mingyang suffered a crushing defeat.

Even Hiroto Shinozuka himself was somewhat surprised by how easily he won the first game.

"Didn't this kid defeat Zhang Ben and Togami before? I thought he was really that good."

"I never expected it to break so easily."

Shinozuka Daito immediately felt much more relaxed, "It's probably because my playing style is a perfect counter to his."

Think of this.

Look up.

But Xie Mingyang had already put down his racket, picked up his towel, wiped his sweat, and walked away.

As an off-site coach, Li Qian had already stood up and handed over the water bottle.

However, he did not rush to deploy tactics.

Instead, she massaged Xie Mingyang's hands and shoulders.

"Relax, don't be so tense."

Li Qian said, "We lost the first game not because our opponents were so strong, but because we made too many unforced mistakes."

"When we were behind, we were too eager to catch up and attacked recklessly. As a result, we were too tight on the ball and had a low success rate."

Li Qian spoke calmly and slowly, "Chen Jin mentioned this issue during training this morning. He noticed that you were too nervous, so he kept reminding you."

"Calm down, don't rush, find the Xie Mingyang who is usually calm and composed even when Mount Tai collapses in front of him."

"Let's slow down in the second set."

"Don't try to defeat your opponent in one go. Focus on stability and ensure a high success rate. Even if the quality is slightly worse, it doesn't matter. We'll fight a stalemate with him."

"Like Chen Jin, I firmly believe that with your strength, whether it's the speed of your mid-range and close-range shots or the continuous rallies in mid-to-long range shots, Shinozuka Hiroto is no match for you."

"The key is for you to calm down, believe in yourself, and steer the game into your own rhythm..."

Li Qian's words were like a splash of cold water on a summer's day, and Xie Mingyang's letter brought a touch of calm.

The first game was still fresh in my mind.

As Li Qian said, most of the points lost were due to his eagerness to succeed, which led to deliberate mistakes.

"Stay calm and be patient."

Xie Mingyang took a deep breath and kept reminding himself, "Stability is key; first, get your touch back."

"Don't rush, don't panic..."

"Don't fall into the opponent's rhythm."

the other side.

Seeing Shinozuka Hiroto achieve a crushing victory in the first game, Kishikawa Seiya was so excited he almost jumped up.

"Well played."

Seiya Kishikawa praised it highly.

After all, his two top generals, Tomokazu Harimoto and Hayato Togami, had both lost to Xie Mingyang not long ago.

Now, Shinozuka Daito's performance has given him hope for revenge.

"Just fight like this."

Seiya Kishikawa continued, "Defend the mid-to-close range, launch fast attacks with forehand and backhand, and don't give him a chance to breathe."

"We must make this kid taste what it's like to fall in the top 128 of the World Table Tennis Championships!"

Originally, with Long Pang's retirement, the problems in the development of the Chinese men's table tennis team were fully exposed, and its strength was greatly reduced.

Foreign teams, including the Japanese team, believed that the era of Qin losing its throne and other heroes vying for power had arrived.

However, Chen Jin's sudden emergence completely shattered the illusions of external cooperation.

Besides Chen Jin, Xie Mingyang's performance also shows promise for the future.

Even Kishikawa Seiya had to admit that with Xie Mingyang's potential, he would definitely be a formidable rival in the future.

If Xie Mingyang can be eliminated in the top 128 at this World Table Tennis Championships, his confidence might be shattered, and this talented young man's resolve might be broken.

In this way, the Japanese team will have one less major enemy.

Mind this.

A ruthless glint flashed in Kishikawa Seiya's eyes. He reached out and patted Shinozuka Daito's shoulder, saying in a deep voice, "Shinozuka-kun, do your best to defeat Xie Mingyang in the top 128!"

"please!"

(End of this chapter)