Tennis: He's so obedient!

Chapter 146 Breaking serve? Damn it, I've been broken! (4000 words, please subscribe)
Even before the match started, all the broadcasting equipment had already been set up.

At this moment, Zhang Sheng is sitting in the studio waiting for the footage to be transmitted from the scene.

A still image shows only the names and nationalities of Jiang Hong and Li Hengze.

"Welcome everyone to this highly anticipated battle of Asia's number one player!"

"Although Lee Hyung-taek's ATP ranking is a little over 100 million higher than Jiang Hong's, the two have achieved roughly the same number of honors."

"They both only have one ATP Tour title, and both of them defeated the player who was ranked fourth in the world at the time."

"So, today will definitely bring us a wonderful match."

Anyway, Zhang Sheng had a lot of confidence in Jiang Hong and started praising him directly.

Finally, the broadcast footage changed, switching to footage of the venue.

"Okay, the camera is now on the competition venue!"

"It seems there are quite a few spectators here, with domestic fans and Korean fans on both sides!"

Suddenly, Zhang Sheng's eyes narrowed.

"Ah, it seems there are quite a few Japanese fans too. Looks like everyone's really looking forward to this match!"

It could even be said that there were more Japanese fans at the stadium than Chinese and South Korean fans.

As Jiang Hong walked onto the court carrying his racket, deafening cheers erupted.

"Jiang Jun, you can do it!"

"Little Jiang, go go go! Internet cafes will always be with you!"

"Fight on, Jiang Jun!"

Upon hearing the final cheer, Jiang Hong subconsciously glanced at the audience.

It feels like Pokémon.

The number of people was indeed quite large; although not as many as the China Open, the stands still held around 5,000 people.

Jiang Hong originally thought he would be ridiculed by the audience in Tokyo, but he didn't expect so many people to cheer him on.

With the global away game advantage, Jiang Hong has little chance left.

After all, the forum members' footprints are all over the world.

Zhang Sheng grinned when he heard the sounds from the stadium.

"Wow, it seems Jiang Hong is quite popular in Tokyo, there's a lot of cheering for him!"

Viewers watching the game on television smiled knowingly at this sight.

Because the Japanese audience cheering for Jiang Hong were predominantly female.

Being handsome makes everything easier!

[Xiao Jiang won over the audience with her face.]

[Damn, did Xiao Jiang get taken advantage of by those bad women there?]

[Is Xiao Jiang still Chu Nan?]

[Don't make me laugh, Jiang Ge. If you don't know Jiang Ge, you must have been a sports student for a few years. Do you think you lacked female companionship? Jiang Ge is handsome and incredibly talented as a professional athlete. Do you think girls wouldn't like him?]

No! It's my Xiao Jiang, mine!

At the same time, Lee Hyung-taek also walked out of the player tunnel on the other side.

The cheers were even louder than before, and there were more boys than girls.

After all, most Japanese viewers admire strong performers, and Lee Hyung-taek's ranking is higher than Jiang Hong's, so it's obvious who they support!

Both sides stood at the baseline and began to warm up by serving and rallies.

Ishikawa, Inoue, and many members of their tennis team came to watch the match.

After all, a match between two top Asian players is more meaningful for comparison than between European and American athletes.

"Who do you think will win today's match between Jiang Hong and Li Hengze?"

A group of people started discussing the outcome of the match.

"I think it's Lee Hyung-taek. He became a top Asian athlete several years ago, so his strength should be even greater!"

“I think so too. After all, Lee Hyung-taek is ranked 39th in the ATP rankings, while Jiang Hongcai is only over 140!”

Inoue noticed that Ishikawa hadn't said anything, so he turned his head away.

"Ishikawa, who do you think will win today?"

"Jiang Hong!"

Ishikawa hesitated for a moment before giving his answer.

Everyone looked somewhat surprised, since in their eyes Li Hengze should have the advantage!
Inoue suddenly raised an eyebrow and said with a grin.

"Ishikawa, you wouldn't be so ashamed if Jiang Hong defeated you and then defeated Li Hengze to become the number one in Asia, would you?"

"Losing to Jiang Hong isn't shameful at all!" Ishikawa shook his head and turned his gaze to the court. "I just had a feeling that Jiang Hong would win today's match!"

After the warm-up, Jiang Hong and Li Hengze were both called to the net by the referee.

After the identities and rules are determined, a coin toss is used to decide who gets possession of the ball.

"CCTV, CCTV!"

"This is a live broadcast of the third round of the men's singles competition at the 2007 Tokyo Open!"

"my country's top player Jiang Hong will face off against South Korea's renowned player Lee Hyung-taek."

"The referee used a coin toss to decide possession; let's see who gets the first-mover advantage!"

"Hey, Jiang Hong has won the serve!"

"The game officially begins!"

As the umpire announced the news, Jiang Hong took the tennis ball from the caddie.

clap clap clap...

After hitting the tennis ball a few times, he grabbed it and tossed it high into the air.

He pushed off the ground with his feet, using the recoil to launch himself into the air.

He swung his racket behind his head and slammed it down heavily onto the tennis ball.

boom!
With a crisp sound, the tennis ball instantly disappeared into Jiang Hong's half of the court.

"Jiang Hong chose a flat serve, which is fast and has almost no spin."

"Smash it directly into the blind spot of Zone 1!"

"Beautiful! That was an ace!"

"Referee changes the score to 15-0!"

"Jiang Hong's serving technique has always been excellent. In the previous few matches, his first serve success rate reached 95%, and his first serve point percentage was..."

The speedometer displayed the speed of Jiang Hong's serve.

212 km/h!

Li Hengze's expression changed, even though he already knew that Jiang Hong's serving technique was excellent.

However, the ball's landing point and speed were still beyond his expectations.

Immediately discard any wishful thinking in your mind.

He was completely focused on observing Jiang Hong's movements.

Jiang Hong, who switched to the second zone, still managed to hit a flat corner kick.

The speed not only did not decrease, but even slightly increased.

However, this time Li Hengze was very focused, and he had already started running the moment Jiang Hong served.

Finally, he successfully received the serve and put the ball into the middle.

Jiang Hong immediately started running, giving Li Hengze no chance to catch his breath.

He knocked the ball directly into Lee Hyung-taek's backhand position, and with a strong spin.

In a moment of haste, Li Hengze returned the ball with his forehand.

But before he could even breathe a sigh of relief, he saw Jiang Hong already appear in front of the landing point of the tennis ball.

The tennis ball bounced and flew to Jiang Hong's waist, and Jiang Hong immediately changed direction and hit the ball back to the baseline.

They scored another point.

30: 0.

After confirming the point in the tennis match, Jiang Hong turned around and returned to his position in the first court.

"Let's take a look at this serve, it's still a high-speed flat serve."

"Flat serves are very easy to make mistakes, but Jiang Hong's success rate has always been very high."

Seeing Jiang Hong's hot streak, Zhang Sheng casually remarked.

Suddenly, his eyes widened.

"Wait, Lee Hyung-taek actually chose to attack first, it seems he's not willing to end the first game like this!"

"Huh? Successful attack! The ball has been put into Jiang Hong's open left side!"

"Danger!"

"Wonderful! Jiang Hong's speed is incredible!"

"The crossover step followed by the slide step is so smooth, it's practically art!"

"Jiang Hong suddenly changed direction and hit the ball to the middle!"

"That was a deep ball, putting pressure on Lee Hyung-taek's position. We'll see how he handles it."

"Li Hengze intercepts in the air!"

Lee Hyung-taek stood at the net and immediately chose to intercept!

The ball was struck directly into Jiang Hong's left corner.

"It's over!"

"But it's okay, we still have You..."

Zhang Sheng looked nervous.

Almost everyone who faced this ball came to the same conclusion.

Too far!
Moreover, Lee Hyung-taek just chose a forehand volley, which was extremely fast.

Jiang Hong suddenly turned around and ran quickly towards the bottom left corner.

"Faster! Faster!" "Not enough!"

The tennis ball hit the baseline and hurtled straight out of the court.

Jiang Hong suddenly leaped high into the air and swung his racket.

Snapped!
"Jiang Hong caught the ball!!!"

Jiang Hong completed all the adjustments to his movements in mid-air.

"Jiang Hong's return shot was beautiful."

"A straight line through! Li Hengze couldn't defend against it!"

Li Hengze moved quickly, but still failed to catch it.

His eyes showed some shock.

That's incredible how fast it can run!
"Jiang Hong, 1-0!"

Jiang Hong gave Li Hengze a Love Game in the very first game!

The silence in the stands was instantly shattered by the referee's voice.

"Beautiful, Xiao Jiang."

"Sigaoyi!"

"Oh, Solossi!"

Besides praising Jiang Hong's voice, the sound of snoring was also heard everywhere.

After the two sides switched halves of the bracket, Lee Hyung-taek was not to be outdone and was seething with anger.

Ultimately, they successfully held onto their serve.

Instantly, the South Korean fans in the stands started to gloat and even mocked Jiang Hong.

However, Jiang Hong felt no fear or tension; on the contrary, he was somewhat excited.

The stronger the opponent, the more satisfying it is to defeat them!
After possession of the ball was exchanged, the game continued.

The score remained close throughout the match, and Lee Hyung-taek, as Asia's top player, certainly has some skill.

Soon, the score was tied at 4-4.

Both sides felt they had reached their peak condition, and the battle between them had entered a fierce stage.

Bayonet fighting.

The brave wins when we meet on a narrow road.

15: 0!

30: 0!

30: 15!

"Huh? Jiang Hong made a mistake. He was actually tricked by Li Hengze and fell into the trap he set." Zhang Sheng clenched his fist and shouted.

30: 40!

Lee Hyung-taek earned a break point.

The South Korean audience in the stands immediately erupted in cheers.

Jiang Hong's supporters, on the other hand, were somewhat repressed.

Viewers in front of the television even held their breath, as if worried that it would affect Jiang Hong's performance.

Jiang Hong took a towel from the side and wiped the sweat off his face.

After returning to the service area, I took a deep breath.

boom!
It was still a high-speed serve, 210 km/h.

Lee Hyung-taek successfully predicted the serve's landing point, ran ahead of time, and completed the return of the serve.

The return shot was of very high quality, hitting the ball directly into the service area.

Jiang Hong could only quickly move to the net and swing his racket.

Swing it out in a straight line.

The tennis ball flew directly towards Lee Hyung-taek's left baseline.

He could only turn around and frantically save the ball. Jiang Hong slightly adjusted his position and changed direction again.

Since the other side is playing tactics against us.

Jiang Hong then decided to test his opponent's positioning by frantically maneuvering Li Hengze.

This gave him no time to mount a counterattack.

"No, we can't keep running like this. Even if we score, it's a losing proposition compared to the energy we've lost."

Lee Hyung-taek made his decision in his mind and immediately turned around to deliver a forehand strike.

Faced with Jiang Hong's encirclement, they launched a counterattack.

The return shot was of very high quality, just grazing the net.

Lee Hyung-taek's face lit up with joy.

After taking small, quick steps, Jiang Hong immediately countered with a forehand strike before the tennis ball even hit the ground.

He hit the ball directly into Lee Hyung-taek's backhand triangle area!
Lee Hyung-taek hastily hit the ball, which went directly into the net.

"Great! Jiang Hong has scored a point, bringing the score to 40-40!"

Zhang Sheng almost stood up in excitement.

Jiang Hong received the tennis ball before returning to the baseline in the second zone.

Without hesitation, Jiang Hong immediately began serving!
boom!
AD: 40!

"A beautiful ace! Jiang Hong has taken the lead. If he can win just one more point... let's see Jiang Hong's serve."

Zhang Sheng stopped talking halfway through his sentence.

After all, saying such things during a competition is considered unlucky, so he quickly changed his words.

Jiang Hong tosses the ball up, pushes off the ground, rotates his body, and hits the ball!
With a powerful swing of his racket, the tennis ball shot into Lee Hyung-taek's half of the court like a cannonball.

The speedometer instantly displayed a red number—225 km/h!

Li Hengze's expression changed, and he immediately strode forward to catch up.

Turn your body to the side, hold the racket with both hands, and hit a backhand smash!

They simply pulled it out diagonally.

Jiang Hong's speed was no joke; he immediately rushed over from the other side of the baseline.

"Go back!"

Jiang Hong tensed his arm and pulled hard with his left hand.

In an instant, the tennis ball flew straight into the corner.

Lee Hyung-taek could only watch as the ball bounced and flew out of bounds.

5: 4!

"Pretty!"

"Jiang Jun, you're too strong!"

"Axi!"

The stands erupted in cheers instantly.

Although Jiang Hong did not break his serve, Li Hengze felt as if he had been broken himself.

I had just earned a break point, but I didn't expect Jiang Hong to score three consecutive points and successfully hold serve!
After a short rest, they returned to the field.

Jiang Hong went all out, showing no mercy in the face of Li Hengze's serve.

The score has suddenly jumped to 30:40!

The positions of the two players were reversed, and Jiang Hong got a break point, which was also the set point of the match.

The thousands of people on the court were completely silent, waiting quietly for Lee Hyung-taek to serve.

"Snapped!"

Perhaps due to psychological pressure, Li Hengze made a mistake and lost the game.

We're preparing for a second launch to ensure a higher success rate.

Li Hengze could only choose to reduce the ball speed and increase the spin to put pressure on Jiang Hong.

"good chance!"

After observing the landing point of the tennis ball, Jiang Hong immediately turned to the side and hit the ball with a forehand, directly smashing it into Li Hengze's backhand baseline.

Lee Hyung-taek was under immense pressure from Jiang Hong and could only block the ball back.

Jiang Hong suddenly exerted force with his wrist and pulled back.

A small ball was released lightly!
"Oops!"

Lee Hyung-taek's pupils immediately contracted, and he quickly rushed towards the net.

Jiang Hong released a ball of very high quality, which was both short and low.

When Lee Hyung-taek arrived at the net, the tennis ball was about to land a second time.

"Go back!"

Lee Hyung-taek lowered his center of gravity and extended his arm. He suddenly swung his racket, the ball slicing across the ground and striking the lower side of the tennis ball.

The tennis ball rose rapidly and flew over the net.

A smile appeared on Lee Hyung-taek's lips, but the smile froze on his face the next second.

Jiang Hong had appeared in front of the net without anyone noticing.

Before the ball even hits the ground, immediately swing the racket.

Counterattack!

The tennis ball flew right past Lee Hyung-taek's face and hit the corner of the baseline.

Jiang Hong clenched his fist, and the stadium instantly erupted in cheers.

"Jiang Hong has broken serve, Jiang Hong will win the first set!"

Zhang Sheng immediately stood up excitedly, gripping the microphone and shouting.

(End of this chapter)