Tennis: He's so obedient!

Chapter 152: Crushing Mentality, Advancing to the Finals! (Please Subscribe)

"boom!"

The tennis ball instantly transformed into a green-yellow lightning bolt, hurtling towards them.

Jiang Hong's gaze was firm, fixed intently on the other party's movements.

"coming!"

In an instant, I could tell where the opponent's serve would land.

Jiang Hong quickly took two steps diagonally to his left, placing his entire body on the edge of the court.

Just as the tennis ball was about to bounce off the court, Jiang Hong's racket suddenly appeared in its flight path.

He stood on his tiptoes and swung his racket.

A forehand crosscourt serve, a direct pass to Berdych's backhand position.

Berdych looked serious, his attention completely focused on the game.

Therefore, in response to Jiang Hong's return shot, I simply made a small, quick adjustment to my position.

The return shot was completed with an easy swing.

Jiang Hong had already made preparations: attack, an endless attack!

Relying on their speed advantage, they quickly move laterally and launch the next attack in succession.

A backhand cross-court shot adjusts Berdych's positioning.

However, Berdych did not sit idly by and immediately began to change lanes and move Jiang Hong around.

After several rallies, Berdych returned a small ball.

Jiang Hong's eyes lit up instantly, and he immediately lowered his center of gravity and adjusted the angle of his racket.

A backhand slice, releasing a small ball.

"Small ball!"

The audience in the stadium widened their eyes instantly, staring intently at the field.

Is the game about to turn around?
not yet!
Just as the tennis ball floated over the net, Berdych had already taken a big stride toward the net.

Hurry up, hurry up!
Berdych gritted his teeth and tensed his muscles.

Snapped!
Just as the ball was about to hit the ground, Berdych suddenly sliced ​​into the bottom of the tennis ball.

The tennis ball bounced back up instantly due to the friction of the racket face.

And then he charged straight towards the blind spot in front of the net!
Jiang Hong was originally prepared to intercept, but he did not expect the return shot to be so tricky.

He instantly exerted force with his feet and rushed to the right.

However, this slice was very fast.

"If we run there like this, it might be too late!"

Jiang Hong suddenly pushed off, and his whole body was lifted into the air.

He lunged forward in an instant, swinging his racket before the tennis ball even hit the ground!

Snapped!
The tennis ball hit the edge of the net, its spin momentarily halting.

It rolled vertically down the net towards Berdych's side!
After landing, there was almost no bounce.

"It's broken! It's broken!"

"Xiao Jiang finally broke serve! That last shot had me so nervous!"

"Indeed, it's terrifying."

Jiang Hong raised his hand to signal to Berdych.

It wasn't meant to make him practice more, but rather to indicate that it was a lucky shot.

Berdych saw the ball and covered his face.

Then he shook his head.

A crime other than war!

Jiang Hong successfully broke serve, bringing the score to 5-3!

This is Jiang Hong's serve.

Take control of the game's outcome.

Berdych walked to the baseline, took a towel from the table next to him, and glanced at his coach.

"You need to increase the number of attacks!"

"Don't hesitate!"

The coach immediately gestured to Berdych that he should change his offensive rhythm.

Berdych wiped the sweat from his face expressionlessly and returned to the baseline position.

Preparing for hair extensions!
Jiang Hong glanced at Berdych's position and his eyes darted around.

Throw the ball, push off the ground, rotate the body, raise the shoulder, and swing the racket.

boom!
In an instant, Jiang Hong completed his serve.

Berdych had actually started running the moment Jiang Hong initiated the move.

"Flat serve!"

Based on my understanding of the previous few games, Jiang Hong has an adventurous personality.

It's unlikely that they would choose a more stable serve in the first point of their service game.

However, Berdych noticed that when Jiang Hong swung his racket, it was from the bottom back and upward.

His expression changed instantly.

"guessed wrong!"

Jiang Hong's serve wasn't fast, but it had a very strong spin.

The tennis ball hit the T-shaped area directly and then flew towards the second service area!

Although Berdych changed his hitting strategy as quickly as possible, it was ultimately too late.

"ACE!"

15: 0!

"Side spin serve?" Ishikawa frowned.

"Huh?" Inoue opened his mouth. "Why do I feel like his side topspin is different from mine?"

Ishikawa turned his head and glanced at Inoue, but ultimately didn't say anything.

The sidespin serve is a very common serve with high stability, which also means it's not very threatening.

However, Jiang Hong managed to create an offensive effect.

Indeed, there is no such thing as a high or low skill level; it all depends on the person using it!

In the following few balls, Jiang Hong tried to use his serve to create space for Berdych and then connect with the attack.

Even so, Berdych played very tenaciously.

He managed to defend against Jiang Hong's several consecutive attacks.

Therefore, the only way to force Berdych to make mistakes is by changing lanes left and right and moving forward and backward.

...Jiang Hong directly widened his stance and launched an attack from the service line, hitting the ball into the open space on his backhand.

40: 15.

"Jiang Hong has secured the set point; I wonder if he can seize the opportunity!" the commentator reminded him.

Viewers in front of their televisions were also watching Jiang Hong intently.

Jiang Hong tossed the ball high into the air, and when the tennis ball fell to about 50 centimeters, he suddenly drew back his racket and hit the ball!

boom!
With a loud bang, Berdych instantly saw a yellow-green light pierce into his service court.

Without the slightest pause, it sprang to the ground.

"So fast!"

Even Berdych, a powerful serveer, couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

The angle of this ball wasn't particularly tricky.

However, the ball's speed is extremely fast.

Berdych's brain hadn't reacted yet, but his body had already acted subconsciously.

He turned his body to the side, keeping his wrist still, and pushed the racket out using the power of his forearm.

The moment the tennis ball hit the racket face, Berdych's wrist actually tilted back slightly.

The tennis ball instantly transformed into a parabola, hurtling towards Jiang Hong's half of the court.

Ding Ding Deng!
Jiang Hong was waiting for this moment, so he quickly moved to the service area.

"It's now!"

Jiang Hong immediately took a step and jumped up, swinging his racket in mid-air!
Snapped!
In an instant, Jiang Hong smashed the ball into the open space on the right.

"Set 6:3, Jiang Hong!"

Instantly, the audience in the stands cheered.

"Pretty!"

"Let's play one more game, Little Jiang is awesome!"

"Berdych, Jiang is still young, so let him win the first two games, and I'll let you win the next three!"

Many people are also paying attention to the speed of Jiang Hong's serve.

Ouch! That ball would probably hurt if it hit me!

[Actually, it wasn't too bad. I'm a physical education student; I just slid in and got kicked back!]

[It's just average, isn't it? It's just that I'm a tiny bit stronger, right?]

【…】

After the first round ended, Jiang Hong sat in the rest area and immediately took out a sports drink from his bag and took a sip.

This match looked unremarkable, but it was quite physically demanding.

Because Berdych rarely attacks and plays excellent defense, the game often goes on for long stretches, which takes a lot of energy out of both players.

"He's too daring. Even when there's no reason to attack a ball, he'll still choose to attack!" Berdych was surprised and also felt a headache coming on.

After all, if you don't play by the rules, you won't know how to counter the other party.

Berdych was now feeling a bit annoyed; he should have studied Jiang Hong's style more thoroughly before.

Previously, most of the attention had been focused on Gasquet.

However, they tended to overlook Jiang Hong, a completely new face who unexpectedly barged in.

The coach just emphasized that I should take the offensive stance...

Berdych hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth.

"Then let's attack!"

After all, a player who can become one of the world's top ten cannot be ignorant of offense.

He's just a cautious person who doesn't like taking risks.

"Time!"

As the referee's voice rang out, the short break between sets came to an end.

Frankly speaking, such a short time is simply not enough for the athletes to rest.

It's more about adjusting your own state and thinking about tactics.

After all, in high-level competitions, when the scores are close, mentality is often the key to victory or defeat.

Back on the court!

"call!"

Berdych exhaled and looked firmly across at the other side.

He tossed the ball high into the air.

The inner corner of District 1!
The ball's speed is 210 kilometers per hour.

The ball was incredibly fast, and after adjusting his mindset, Berdych felt his serve had improved considerably.

Let me show you my strength!

Berdych immediately moved to the net after serving into the service box, instead of lingering at the baseline as he had in the previous game.

Be ready to launch an attack at any time!

Jiang Hong also noticed that Berdych's condition had indeed changed.

"Inner corner?"

Although it differed from Jiang Hong's original prediction, Jiang Hong's exaggerated speed and hot touch did not give up.

Press down with your feet to position yourself, turn and dash forward, and quickly land in place.

Jiang Hong's footwork was so fast it was almost blurry, and his racket was already waiting in the air.

A quick, powerful backhand strike!
He pulled the ball out forcefully, aiming directly at Berdych's backhand position.

The ball has a yellow-green streamline, high speed, and tricky landing point.

Berdych's heart tightened; Jiang Hong's return shot was indeed very threatening!
He immediately shifted his feet quickly to the side, stretching his body to its limit, and stretched out his arms, ready to intercept!
At this moment, his height of 196 cm, nearly two meters, came in handy, showcasing his powerful net coverage ability.

The tennis ball was trying its best to avoid Berdych, but his racket still managed to catch it.

A forehand swing produces a diagonal shot.

The moment the hair extension was completed, Jiang Hong had already started browsing the internet.

Since Berdych is going to play at the net, Jiang Hong certainly can't be outdone!

If foreigners saw this, they'd think I don't know how to play at the net.

Jiang Hong adjusted his footwork in advance, quickly moved laterally, and directly covered the entire area of ​​the return ball position.

Suddenly lower your center of gravity, change the angle of the racket face, maintain the wrist angle, and generate power from your forearm!
boom!
In an instant, a straight shot was launched through the air.

Charge along the edge towards the bottom corner.

Berdych was somewhat surprised, after all, intercepting a straight shot is much more difficult than a regular change of direction.

Berdych tried his best to save the ball, but even with his nearly two-meter height, he couldn't completely block the net.

The next second, the referee's voice rang out, the score was 0:15!

For top players, it's not about finishing the shot in one go and waiting for the opponent to return the ball.

Instead, one should think like playing chess, starting to consider whether to defend or attack in the next game.

While it may not require thinking a dozen or more moves ahead like in Go, it's still necessary to clearly understand the tactics for one or two moves.

Although Berdych failed to score the first goal, he did not give up on his attacking tactics.

Instead, they gradually found their rhythm as the game progressed.

Jiang Hong won two points in Berdych's service game, but was eventually held by Berdych.

However, Jiang Hong didn't have as much trouble in his own service games.

They created a mini-climax and gave Berdych a Love Game!

The score kept fluctuating, and in one game, Berdych even got a break point against Jiang Hong, but Jiang Hong managed to hold serve with difficulty!
The score is now 4-4, and it's Berdych's serve.

Both sides kept running back and forth, their clothes soaked with sweat.

Jiang Hong walked to the side, grabbed a towel, and wiped the sweat from his face. "These two sets have been incredibly physically demanding, and Berdych is clearly more threatening after he starts attacking!"

The more points the opponent scores, the more confident they become, and the more confident they become, the hotter their shooting touch gets.

It directly fell into a positive cycle.

Jiang Hong recalled that Berdych's profile stated that Berdych had a relatively stable personality and would be wary of his opponents' strengths or lack confidence, thus choosing a conservative playing style and falling into a passive position.

"It seems we need to find a way to put psychological pressure on Berdych!"

Jiang Hong tossed down the towel, turned around, and returned to the baseline position, ready to receive the serve!
The moment Berdych served, Jiang Honghe immediately stepped forward and went to the net.

Instead of waiting for the ball to bounce back and return the serve, choose to attack first!

"Snapped!"

However, because the ball was moving too fast, Jiang Hong's racket did not completely cover the ball, and it went directly into the net.

"Jiang Hong is too impulsive. Could it be that he's getting impatient because the score is so close?" The TV commentator frowned.

However, Jiang Hong was unaware of all this, and his mood remained largely unaffected.

This kind of flat serve and attack is inherently difficult, so failure is normal.

"call!"

Jiang Hong took a breath, jumped around to loosen his feet, and returned to the baseline.

Hit the outside corner of Zone 2 with a flat shot.

Tread.

Jiang Hong took another step forward to attack, bending his knees and turning to the side, using his forearm to generate power.

Snapped!
This time, Jiang Hong made no mistakes and returned a cross-court shot.

The angle was very tricky, and Berdych immediately moved his feet to receive the ball.

However, because the return ball was too fast, the reception was somewhat rushed, and the quality of the return was not high!
The moment Jiang Hong made the tackle, he moved to the center of the court, ready to launch an attack!
Faced with Berdych's hasty return, Jiang Hong didn't hold back and immediately opted for a backhand volley.

The tennis ball grazed the sideline and landed in the service area, quickly bouncing off the court.

Two hours into the game, Berdych's stamina was no longer sufficient for him to continue making saves. He had only taken two steps when he stumbled.

"15:15!"

The referee announces the score.

Berdych served again, and Jiang Hong once again chose to attack.

The ball was returned successfully, but after a back-and-forth exchange, Berdych hit a through ball.

The score is now 30-15!

Although he scored, Berdych's mindset shifted.

Jiang Hong launched a series of attacks; should I change my serving strategy?

While Berdych was filled with doubt, Jiang Hong continued to follow his own strategy, launching attacks and pushing forward!
With the score shifting, the score reached 30:40!

Should we really attack?

"Since you're good at defense, shouldn't you change your approach?"

"I'm about to be broken, so attacking doesn't seem to suit me?"

Berdych's eyes flashed, and he decided to play defense.

Even the serves became more conservative, and the ball speed wasn't as fast as the previous few balls.

However, this was a good opportunity for Jiang Hong.

Jiang Hong continued his aggressive attack, creating a diagonal opening.

The baseline was being pulled back and forth, which was Berdych's comfort zone. After a period of back-and-forth, an opening suddenly appeared on Jiang Hong's left side.

"Trap or opportunity?"

After some deliberation, Berdych decided to abandon that offensive angle.

With a direct change of direction, Jiang Hong quickly filled the gap after returning the ball.

Berdych's expression changed instantly.

"Was that really Jiang Hong's mistake just now?"

Berdych felt frustrated, while Jiang Hong kept returning the ball deep into the box, pressuring Berdych's position.

Berdych kept replaying the opportunity in his mind.

stretch!
There was a loud thud as the tennis ball slammed into the racket frame.

Berdych still managed to return the ball successfully thanks to his skill.

However, in this situation, the quality of the return shot is destined to be low.

Jiang Hong immediately rushed forward and intercepted the ball at the net, hitting it into the open space opposite Berdych's position.

"not good!"

Berdych immediately turned to save the ball, even diving to his side, but the tennis ball still flew past the edge of his racket.

4: 5!
Jiang Hong clenched his fist tightly, after all, this break was hard-won!
The audience in the stands immediately cheered.

"It broke serve! It broke serve again!"

"Final game!"

"If we can just win the service game..."

He had barely opened his mouth when his companion covered his mouth.

You can't just say that!
Cheers and applause erupted instantly.

After a short break, it was Jiang Hong's turn to serve.

Jiang Hong served three high-speed flat serves, scoring all three points.

40: 0!
As the game was about to end, Berdych actually became calm.

Jiang Hong tossed the tennis ball high into the air, sending it streaking across the stadium lights.

Suddenly, Jiang Hong lunged forward into the second court, his racket striking the tennis ball from above.

boom!
A flat serve with a speed of 210+ was aimed straight at Berdych's inside corner.

Berdych's already exhausted body suddenly burst forth with astonishing speed.

After a rapid sprint, he managed to block the ball back close to the ground.

The tennis ball flew towards the net with an extremely low trajectory.

Jiang Hong immediately pushed off the ground, his body springing out like a spring.

Extend your racket and hook the ball directly to the opposite corner.

The audience gasped in astonishment at Jiang Hong's speed, their mouths agape, before they could even utter a word.

Berdych immediately used a crossover step, quickly moving laterally in the opposite direction.

He stretched out his racket with all his might, perfectly showcasing his height advantage, and narrowly managed to return the ball.

Jiang Hong had already taken a big step to the net, jumped up, and with a twist of his body, delivered a clean and powerful overhead smash into the opponent's half of the court.

"what!"

Jiang Hong clenched his fists and roared to the sky!
The stadium erupted in a deafening roar.

Applause and flashes of light came flying at Jiang Hong.

"Jiang Hong! Jiang Hong!"

"Ginger, ginger, ginger!"

The shouts echoed continuously throughout the tennis court.

At that moment, it seemed as if all the lights were shining on him.

At this moment, Jiang Hong's performance captivated Ariake Stadium in Tokyo!
"Jiang Hong won the match and advanced to the men's singles final of the Tokyo Open!"

"This is also the first time that an Asian has appeared in the men's singles final of the Tokyo Open."

The commentators in the TV station immediately shouted loudly.

[Xiao Jiang is amazing! He's taken down another member of the Top 10.]

[Who would have thought six months ago that men's tennis, which was even worse than men's football, could achieve such results!]

To be honest, apart from Xiao Jiang, the men's tennis team is currently about on par with the Chinese national football team.

Why talk about such unlucky things when we're having such a happy time? Just keep saying Xiao Jiang is awesome, that's all.

[How dare you! Call me God Jiang! How dare you address me as "Little Jiang"?]

[Have we witnessed the growth of a genius? Such achievements in just six months!]

[I'm not saying anything more, I'm going to play tennis tonight. Let's see how Xiao Jiang and I carry the men's tennis team!]

[Wrong. Your retirement from tennis would be the biggest help to Chinese tennis, since you'd likely be a burden to Xiao Jiang.]

It was too fast, everything happened too fast!
Jiang Hong's growth rate is simply too fast.

It caught Chinese tennis fans completely off guard, appearing out of nowhere.

The story of achieving fame at a young age has finally come true in China.

Jiang Hong reached out and wiped the sweat from his face. Although he was still very tired, he was filled with joy.

Reaching the finals of two ATP Tour events in a short period of time definitely demonstrates his ability to disrupt the current world tennis scene.

When he turned around, Berdych was already waiting at the net.

A hint of disappointment crossed her face, but she still managed a smile.

Congratulations! I hope you achieve great results in the finals!

"Thank you!"

After shaking hands with Berdych and the referee, Jiang Hong didn't forget to cheer for the audience.

He thanked the audience and interacted with them on the sidelines.

"Jiang Hong, can I get your autograph?"

Jiang Hong looked up and heard a voice that sounded somewhat familiar.

Following the racket, I looked up and found that it was Ishikawa, whom I had met some time ago.

After Jiang Hong took it, he immediately wrote his signature on it in a flamboyant style.

"come on!"

Soon, other fans also started shouting, hoping to get an autograph.

Inoue walked up to Ishikawa and asked with a puzzled look.

"Ishikawa, didn't you say you weren't his fan? Why are you asking Jiang Hong for an autograph?" Inoue teased with a grin.

Ishikawa raised his head. "What do you know? My goal is to beat him. I left this signature to motivate myself!"

Upon hearing this, Inoue could only silently mourn for Ishikawa in his heart.

The gap between the two is too big.

As Jiang Honggang entered the players' tunnel, he saw Li Gong and his group running towards him, with Bertans leading the way.

"Jiang, your performance was absolutely outstanding! I never expected you to make it to the finals of the Tokyo Open. I'm so happy for you!" Bertans said excitedly.

However, before Jiang Hong could feel relieved for long, he was nearly choked to death by the second half of this guy's words.

"So, Jiang, how about we celebrate tonight? I know a lot of Japanese female idols. You're all Asian, so I'm sure they'll be very interested in you!"

He immediately waved his hand with a dark expression, "No need!"

Jiang Hong still remembers that black man with weak legs during the Hope Tournament.

After spending this time together, Jiang Hong was not at all surprised that Bertans had not achieved good results.

He's not so desperate as to go out drinking and flirting with girls before the finals.

Although Jiang Hong is not an ascetic, he still keeps his distance from Bertans' hobby.

Li Gong, standing to the side, glared fiercely at Bertans, deciding whether he should deduct some of the guy's bonus.

He was worried that Bertans would continue to sway morale, so he immediately spoke up.

"Alright, Jiang Hong's press conference is about to start, why don't you do the interview first!"

The intensity today was really too high; even Jiang Hong felt that his racket was a bit heavy.

After dealing with a barrage of questions from reporters, Jiang Hong returned to the hotel.

He immediately had Fu Yunlong give him a physical treatment, and then listened to some information about his opponents that Li Gong had collected.

Jiang Hong was really sleepy today, so he simply covered himself with the blanket and fell asleep.

……

The most lively place has to be the tennis bar.

It was a day filled with the sounds of gongs and drums, and the crackling of firecrackers; it was truly a joyous occasion.

They were having a heated discussion about the match.

We haven't received Jiang Hong's usual post-match photos and ratings yet.

[Hello, hello! Calling Xiao Jiang, calling Xiao Jiang, please reply!]

[Xiao Jiang is probably too tired today and didn't have time to browse the forum. Xiao Jiang usually relies on underhanded tactics to wear people down, but this time the villain got his comeuppance. He should be resting now!]

Indeed, Xiao Jiang was completely drained of his usual energy after the competition!

[Xiao Jiang wasn't quite used to the baseline tactics at first, but he quickly adjusted; Xiao Jiang has a very high basketball IQ.]

However, today's host was absolutely terrible; I strongly request that Zhang Sheng be replaced.

[That's right, although the commentary wasn't particularly good, it at least sounded exciting.]

The forum users acted immediately, without hesitation, and started leaving messages on CCTV's message board.

After seeing the message, the person in charge of CCTV5 frowned, took out his phone, and made a call.

"Old Zhang, how are you? Are you badly injured?"

"It's not serious?"

"I remember you seemed to really enjoy commentating on Jiang Hong's matches. Tomorrow is the final of the Tokyo Open, and I think we need excellent tennis commentators like you!"

The next day, all sorts of reports were published.

my country's star player Jiang Hong shines in Tokyo, defeating world top-ten player Berdych to advance to the Tokyo Open final.

Jiang Hong, China's No. 1 Male Tennis Player, Conquers Tokyo

Even in Japanese newspapers, Jiang Hong's name appeared quite frequently.

"[Shocking きの快猙!" 】Chinese player, Tokyo Yulin men's シングルス decisive victory in and out of でアジア时时のrecord》

"Tokyo オープン｜アジアからの"Black Horse"! Chinese player, men’s singles final stage へ初めてStep on み込む》

Japanese media outlets, meanwhile, are putting immense pressure on their own players, arguing that since they are also Asian players, why can others succeed but they cannot?

Kei Nishikori, who is about the same age as Jiang Hong, was one of the victims. He was surrounded by a large group of reporters during training that night.

……

The next day, October 7th, the Tokyo Open finals were finally about to begin amidst great anticipation.

As soon as the TV was turned on, Zhang Sheng's strong and energetic voice rang out.

"CCTV, CCTV..."

(End of this chapter)