Tennis: He's so obedient!

Chapter 149 An elegant backhand, securing the win and advancing to the semifinals!
It's 6 o'clock in the afternoon!

Zhang Sheng's voice appeared on CCTV5.

CCTV!

CCTV!

"This is a live broadcast of the Tokyo Open men's singles quarterfinals match!"

"They are Richard Gasquet from France and Jiang Hong, a well-known tennis player from my country!"

"This competition was very intense. Apart from Jiang Hong, all of the other eight finalists were top seeded players."

"Jiang Hong can be said to have surprised everyone, a dark horse that emerged from nowhere."

Since Jiang Hong's journey is still ongoing and the ratings are so good, they certainly won't give up broadcasting it.

"Jiang Hong's opponent this time is Richard Gasquet, the third seed at the Tokyo Open, who is currently ranked 13th in the world."

"He's a child prodigy who graced the cover of the French tennis magazine at the age of nine, with the headline 'The Champion France Is Waiting For'?"

"This shows how highly French fans regard him, and at the age of 15, he made his ATP debut and won his first match at the Monte Carlo Masters, becoming the youngest winner in tour history!"

"And back in 2005, when he had just turned eighteen, he defeated Federer, who was at the peak of his career, ending his 25-match winning streak."

"Jiang Hong is also a rising star in Chinese men's tennis, and today's match is sure to be exciting!"

Actually, Zhang Sheng said all this to prepare the audience so that they wouldn't get too excited if Jiang Hong lost the match.

Since today wasn't the "battle for Asia's No. 1 spot," Jiang Hong didn't get a chance to enjoy the center court.

However, after yesterday's competition, Jiang Hong's fame in Japan has increased considerably, so there were quite a few spectators at the scene, probably more than a thousand!

Amidst the cheers of the audience, the competition officially began.

Jiang Hong and his opponent also finished warming up and came to the net.

After confirming identities and rules, the first player to serve is determined by flipping a coin.

Ultimately, Gasquet won the right to serve.

Jiang Hong retreated to the baseline, lowered his center of gravity, and observed the opponent's serve!

"boom!"

With a loud bang, the tennis ball rushed over instantly.

Jiang Hong quickly moved his feet to the side and swung his racket with his forehand!

The ball was driven into the opponent's middle position.

Gasquet shifted his feet slightly and unleashed a topspin forehand smash!
In an instant, the tennis ball flew high into the air, tracing a parabola.

The quality wasn't very high; it only pressured Jiang Hong's position.

Jiang Hong immediately stepped back two steps, then hit the ball back with his forehand again, easily returning it to its original position.

Gasquet suddenly turned to the side, his racket face slightly open, and rotated his body, which in turn moved his arm.

Launch an attack, a single counter-attack.

boom!
The tennis ball flew straight into Jiang Hong's open corner.

Ding Ding Deng!
Jiang Hong moved quickly, but even so, he ultimately failed to catch the ball.

15: 0!

Jiang Hong took a deep breath, his gaze becoming serious.

Gasquet's backhand is known as the "elegant SLR," and his SLR technique is even considered to be among the top three in the world.

After entering the second zone, Gasquet served again.

After the tennis ball flew straight to the inside corner, he immediately followed the ball to the net.

"This is an opportunity!"

Jiang Hong's eyes flashed, and he immediately countered with a backhand strike, sending out a diagonal line.

Hopefully, they can get past Gasquet's defense.

Suddenly, Gasquet tiptoed and stepped to the side.

"DSLR interception!"

Zhang Sheng saw Gasquet's actions and suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

The angle was extremely tricky, heading straight for the dead corner in front of the net.

Jiang Hong pushed off the ground, leaping a distance before striding sideways, pulling his body into a straight line.

The racket struck the lower side of the tennis ball hard.

"Pretty!"

Upon seeing Jiang Hong's speed, the audience in the stands suddenly gasped in surprise.

They were able to catch up even from such a great distance.

Gasquet was also somewhat surprised. Although he was flustered, he did not stop what he was doing.

He swung his hand backhand again, drawing a straight line.

Now, no matter how fast Jiang Hong was, he was powerless to do anything.

In the first game, Jiang Hong was completely outmatched!

"Exchange venues!"

At the referee's command, Jiang Hong and Gasquet switched sides.

It was finally Jiang Hong's turn to serve, his gaze serious.

Jiang Hong found his opponent's backhand technique very troublesome, and his serve was his best opportunity.

Jiang Hong tossed the tennis ball into the air, leaped, spun, and struck the ball!
Jiang Hong's arm lashed out like a whip, and his racket slammed heavily onto the tennis ball.

boom!
After a loud bang, it transformed into a yellow-green light and smashed directly into the opponent's service area.

221 km!

The speedometer on the sidelines instantly displayed the speed of the serve.

The tennis ball bounced out of bounds without stopping in the service area.

"Pretty!"

"Jiang Hong seized his serve and successfully hit an ace!"

The first game left Zhang Sheng feeling somewhat subdued, but he immediately cheered when he hit the ace.

15: 0!

After the referee announced the score, thunderous applause erupted from the stands.

In reality, the probability of an ace in a match is not very high.

During his service games, Jiang Hong would use his serve to control the rhythm of the match and not give Gasquet too many opportunities to perform.

Although he wasn't able to play a love game, Jiang Hong still managed to hold serve.

The two sides played very intensely, and to be honest, Gasquet's serve wasn't particularly outstanding.

However, his opponent used backhand techniques and the spin of the tennis ball to make it very difficult for Jiang Hong to play throughout the game.

The two players kept running around the court, pulling back and forth at the baseline.

The score remained close and kept fluctuating.

Jiang Hong repeatedly changed lanes to maneuver the opponent and find Gasquet's weaknesses.

Gasquet will also use his backhand to hit some shots that confuse Jiang Hong's judgment.

Generally speaking, SLR cameras are not as powerful and stable as TLR cameras, but in Gasquet's hands...

The stability and accuracy of SLR cameras are exceptionally high.

In fact, his DSLR camera seems to be even better than his forehand.

It's important to understand that for most players, their forehand technique is definitely stronger than their one-handed backhand.

But Gasquet was an exception.

"Huff, huff, huff!" Jiang Hong panted heavily, wiping the sweat from his face with a towel.

He returned to the baseline, took the tennis ball from the caddie, and continued serving.

Jiang Hong hit a topspin shot!

The tennis ball bounced right off the center line and landed in the service area.

The tennis ball spins inwards instantly after landing.

Jiang Hong planned to move his opponent's hitting position before connecting with a net shot.

Gasquet showed no panic as he quickly moved to the net and reached the landing point, despite the ball bouncing.

The person suddenly turns their body to the side, using the rotation to pull their arm to swing and hit the ball.

"It's a backhand again!"

Zhang Sheng covered his head; he now gets a headache just looking at a DSLR camera.

The main problem is that Gasquet's backhand is incredibly threatening.

boom!
The tennis ball passed right past Jiang Hong and hit the bottom corner.

"Jiang has been broken, the score is now 5-3, and it's Gasquet's final game of the set!"

"Let's see how Xiao Jiang deals with Gasquet's serve."

Jiang Hong lowered his body, ready to receive the hair, his eyes fixed on the other person's movements.

"Pursuit ball!"

After seeing the opponent's outside corner ball, Jiang Hong quickly ran.

Turn sideways to prepare the racket, then smash with a forehand.

However, before Jiang Hongsong could even catch his breath, he saw Gasquet already standing in front of the net.

The body rotation and backswing are executed in one smooth motion, followed by a backhand straight shot.

He instantly put the ball into the open space on Jiang Hong's left side.

Jiang Hong couldn't make the save, and Gasquet scored the first point.

15: 0!

In the next few serves, Jiang Hong became even more cautious.

Jiang Hong did not relax his efforts in the slightest in the face of Gasquet's attack.

Jiang Hong kept pushing the ball to the opponent's baseline.

"...Oh dear, Jiang Hong was fooled by Gasquet's feint. He thought Gasquet was going to shoot straight, but it turned out to be a cross-court shot."

"At 40:30, Gasquet has set point. Let's see how Jiang Hong responds!"

Gasquet's serve was noticeably more spinny, bouncing and heading straight for Jiang Hong's forehand corner.

They pushed Jiang Hong out of position, and after several rallies at the baseline, they managed to keep him out of position.

Gasquet suddenly changed his tune, abruptly switching the direction and hitting a straight shot with a backhand.

The tennis ball hit the sideline!
Gasquet won the first set.

Jiang Hong carried his racket back to the rest area, took a deep breath, and drank an energy drink.

It wasn't that Gasquet was stronger than his previous opponents; it was mainly that Gasquet's backhand attack made Jiang Hong very uncomfortable.

Most players tend to attack the opponent's backhand open space when they are on the offensive.

But for Gasquet, it was like a fish in water.

"We can't do it like this, we have to change our approach!" "Gasquet's forehand isn't that threatening, but his backhand attack and forehand overpowering might allow us to pressure his forehand position and try to launch an attack!"

Jiang Hong clenched his fist, determined to change tactics.

"Time!"

After the referee reminded him of the time limit, Jiang Hong took another sip of water.

He changed his racket tension and returned to the baseline of the court.

This set was Jiang Hong's service game, after he received the tennis ball from the caddie.

Jiang Hong showed no mercy and was in superb form in the first service game.

He immediately typed "Love game!"

Jiang Hong's fans in the stands instantly perked up.

"Little Jiang, you're awesome!"

"Damn it, it's only this big, let's overpower him!"

"Let him see how capable you are."

Gasquet didn't react much to this, after all, it was clear from the first set that Jiang Hong's serve was definitely his advantage.

It's really difficult to win the first service game.

However, he wasn't in a hurry; he wanted to secure his serve first.

However, Gasquet's expression changed after the match started.

Because he discovered that Jiang Hong had changed tactics and launched a direct assault.

He had a DSLR camera, while Jiang Hong had a twin-lens reflex camera.

They launched a direct and violent attack, constantly compressing his position.

The ball was returned faster and faster, and it went particularly deep.

This reduces Gasquet's chances of a backhand attack.

After all, at this point, his backhand technique had not yet reached a level of perfection.

Even with a one-handed backhand, it's difficult to guarantee a high success rate when facing such a fast and heavy ball.

Gasquet suddenly backhanded a short cross-court shot.

Jiang Hongjia moved swiftly, appearing before the landing point as if in a flash.

Waiting for the tennis ball to bounce and fly over.

He suddenly took a step and leaped up, holding the racket in a reverse grip, and struck the ball with great force!
The tennis ball flew directly to Gasquet's left side.

Although Gasquet rushed to his position, he made a forced error when returning the ball with his backhand.

The net was pulled directly out of bounds.

"Jiang Hong broke serve! Despite losing the first set, Jiang Hong was not discouraged!"

"He fought back point by point, and in the fourth game of the second set, he successfully broke serve!"

The score is now 3-1!

The audience erupted in cheers.

"It's broken! Xiao Jiang has broken his serve!"

"Awesome, Xiao Jiang, you're my god!"

After all, a glimmer of hope for victory had finally appeared, and they couldn't help but be excited.

After reaching the middle of the game, Gasquet's defense became even tighter, leaving no openings for Jiang Hong!

However, Jiang Hong certainly wouldn't give up her serve.

Therefore, neither side managed to break serve!

"Xiao Jiang has gotten his set point!" After announcing the score, Zhang Sheng immediately shut his mouth and stared intently at the court.

Jiang Hong tossed the tennis ball high into the air and swung his racket!
With a crisp sound, the tennis ball flew out instantly!
"Outer corner!"

Gasquet watched Jiang Hong's movements and immediately figured out where the serve would land.

Quickly move into position and prepare to return the ball!

Straddling the sideline, the tennis ball, as he predicted, spun high with a forehand topspin.

Jiang Hong quickly adjusted his stance, executed a fluid lunge and racket stroke, and then powered his wrist.

He hit a spectacular straight shot.

It slammed into the opponent's right corner along the sideline!

"boom!"

After the tennis ball made a sound as it hit the ground, Jiang Hong clenched his fist.

"Jiang Hong has won the second set! The match is still going strong, the score is now 1-1!" Zhang Sheng breathed a sigh of relief and shouted excitedly.

Thunderous applause erupted from the audience.

Back in the rest area, Gasquet finally felt the pressure.

He could clearly sense that his attacks were becoming less of a threat to Jiang Hong.

On the contrary, the opponent is often able to launch threatening attacks.

Gasquet gripped his racket tightly. If that was the case, then he could only continue to improve the quality of his backhand.

He also knew that his forehand had never been his strength.

In the third set, both players were extremely cautious.

Even the smallest margin could determine the outcome of the match.

Therefore, Jiang Hong and Gasquet did not choose to give up on any ball, only failing to hit it.

The intensity of the match thrilled the fans in attendance.

However, this also caused a significant drop in their physical fitness.

With the score tied at 6-6 after a back-and-forth exchange, the two sides went into a tiebreaker.

It can be said that the outcome was truly decided in one game.

For players, a Game 7 is not only a test of skill, but also a test of mentality.

Gasquet served first, and even after two and a half hours of intense play, the opponent's ball speed did not decrease much.

It's still around 200 kilometers per hour!

Jiang Hong quickly hits the ball to catch up, pushing his body to its maximum potential in every training session.

But this is not his limit yet.

"rush!"

The muscles in Jiang Hong's legs tensed instantly.

He unleashed his full power and instantly appeared in front of the tennis ball's landing point.

With a backhand stroke, turn sideways and hit the ball towards the opponent's right open space.

Gasquet, however, did not give up after nearly three hours of effort and moved quickly on his feet.

Once in position, immediately swing your arm.

The racket, like a magnet, held the tennis ball firmly in place and suddenly spun upwards in an arc.

After the tennis ball lands, it bounces upwards with a strong topspin.

The ball went straight into Jiang Hong's backhand opening.

Jiang Hong stepped on the sideline with the sole of his foot, and suddenly pulled back his racket.

"Jiang Hong released a small ball!"

Gasquet managed to save the ball, and Jiang Hong immediately volleyed it after moving to the net!

"1-0, Jiang is in the lead!"

Jiang Hong scored the first goal, and the stadium erupted in enthusiastic applause.

The serve changed, and it was Jiang Hong's turn to serve.

When serving, Jiang Hong seemed as if he hadn't been through more than two hours of intense battle.

The serve speed did not decrease; in fact, the angle became even more tricky.

An ace gave them a 2-0 lead.

The third ball came from Jiang Hong's frantic sideline play. Gasquet's stamina was waning, and he couldn't fully control the ball, hitting it into the net.

3: 0!

The score advantage has completely shifted to Jiang Hong's side, but everything is still subject to change.

Gasquet made a double fault, perhaps due to fatigue.

The disadvantage has widened, 4:0!

However, Gasquet finally made no mistake on the fifth ball.

The serve hit the outside corner with great speed, and Jiang Hong barely managed to return the ball.

Gasquet opted for a sharp change of direction, directly breaking through Jiang Hong's defensive space.

4: 1!

Jiang Hong cannot afford to make even the slightest mistake with her two serves.

After all, those 1000 serves every day, rain or shine, are all for this moment.

After a long stalemate, Gasquet wanted to deliver the decisive blow.

Turn a diagonal line into a straight line!
However, they were too focused on the angle and hit the ball directly out of bounds.

6: 1!

Gasquet was on the brink of elimination; it was his turn to serve.

To play it safe, Gasquet did not opt ​​for a flat serve.

Instead, choose a more conservative serve. The ball speed is not fast, but the spin is very strong. When hitting the ball, twist your wrist to add force.

The tennis ball bounced off the sideline and flew straight out of bounds.

Jiang Hong had no choice but to rush forward and sweep the ball back with a forehand from outside the court.

The two sides were locked in a stalemate at the baseline, and Jiang Hong even felt his arms getting sore.

Taking advantage of Gasquet's shallow return, Jiang Hong suddenly changed direction and hit the ball to his opponent's backhand position.

Gasquet immediately returned the ball with a backhand, changing the angle of the shot and adding spin, making the return higher than usual.

The fans in the stands didn't want to blink, afraid of missing a single exciting moment.

Jiang Hong suddenly turned to the side, bent his knees to lower his center of gravity, gripped his racket tightly in his forehand, and used his waist to drive his arm forward.

He launched a direct forehand flat attack, aiming for Gasquet's forehand open shot.

The ball was moving so fast that Gasquet didn't even have time to react.

Instead, it was an instinctive, subconscious swing of the racket, but it failed to find a landing spot.

It went straight through the edge of the racket and hit the baseline at his feet!

"what!"

Jiang Hong suddenly roared to the sky, releasing all the pressure of the normal competition.

(End of this chapter)