Tennis: He's so obedient!

Chapter 178 Breaking Nadal's serve, taking the first set! (Please subscribe)

"One, two... five!"

Nadal caught the tennis ball and tossed it into the air.

"boom!"

With a sound like a cannonball, the tennis ball rushed towards Jiang Hong's backhand position immediately after leaving the service area.

The ball moves very fast and spins at a large angle.

Jiang Hong immediately turned around, swung his arm, and returned the ball with a backhand.

At that moment, Nadal was like a robot, his eyes fixed on the trajectory of the tennis ball.

Nadal immediately stretched out his body, flicked his forehand with a topspin, and instantly struck Jiang Hong's backhand side again.

For three consecutive shots, Nadal hit the same spot, but the height of the topspin kept increasing.

On the fourth shot, he finally broke through Jiang Hong's defense.

Jiang Hong was eager to change lanes and seal the score.

The result was decisive, as the ball was driven out of bounds.

"OUT!"

The conductor's voice rang out loudly.

Nadal clenched his fist, roared, and released the pressure in his heart.

"LaFerrari, LaFerrari, LaFerrari!"

At this moment, the Spanish fans in the stands could no longer contain their excitement and shouted loudly.

At the same time, thunderous applause erupted in the stadium.

"Tie! Nadal saved a break point!"

After returning to the baseline, Nadal didn't give Jiang Hong many chances this time.

He immediately hit an ace, scoring the point.

"AD: 40".

Nadal took the lead, and the situation reversed between the two sides.

Perhaps this isn't entirely accurate, mainly because Jiang Hong is the receiver and doesn't need to worry about being compromised.

Whether you're a Chinese or Spanish fan, your heart is clenched with anxiety at this moment.

Facing Nadal's signature forehand super topspin, Jiang Hong did not give up. Like a cheetah, he pounced wildly towards his left baseline.

Finally, the racket successfully pierced the lower side of the tennis ball at an extreme angle, returning the troublesome topspin ball to the opponent's half of the court.

The ensuing long stalemate was, in essence, a battle of wills.

Nadal repeatedly used his forehand to try to suppress Jiang Hong and break through Jiang Hong's defense.

However, at this moment, Jiang Hong's outstanding running ability was fully demonstrated.

The two sidelines kept zigzagging back and forth, and the sound of Jiang Hong sliding and rubbing against the ground echoed continuously on the court.

Even more impressive is Jiang Hong's DSLR camera stability.

Although the one-handed backhand is very cool, there aren't that many players who specialize in it.

The main issues are cost-effectiveness and low stability.

Jiang Hong's one-handed backhand return was very consistent, whether it was Nadal's topspin or flat shot.

Every time, Jiang Hong could accurately send the ball to Nadal's forehand corner.

"We cannot afford to stalemate!"

The previous point was a lesson learned, and a change of approach is necessary.

Facing Nadal's high-bouncing topspin shot, Jiang Hong suddenly took a step and leaped high into the air.

Twist your waist and use your arms to generate power with the racket.

He swung the tennis ball hard with a backhand stroke.

The ball speed suddenly increased.

Nadal's expression changed, and he immediately moved quickly, sprinting towards the landing point of the tennis ball.

They could only hastily hit the ball with their forehand, but they couldn't stop an effective attack.

With a series of quick steps, Jiang Hong moved across the net.

A forehand volley sent the ball directly into the corner of the net.

"God of Ginger! God of Ginger! God of Ginger!"

Chinese fans immediately cheered excitedly.

Jiang Hong once again shattered Nadal's chance to hold serve, putting them back on equal footing.

The match has become extremely intense, and Nadal understands that if he is broken, the course of the set will change dramatically.

This is something I absolutely cannot allow.

Jiang Hong had finally gotten such a favorable opportunity to break through the opponent's serve, so of course he wasn't going to give it up easily.

In the next two minutes, Nadal relied on his experience and crucial play to win two consecutive points and successfully hold his serve.

"4-4, Nadal bravely holds serve!" Zhan Jun sighed and summarized, "Both players played exceptionally well in this match, demonstrating the level of world-class players!"

Zhang Sheng, who was already a die-hard fan of Jiang, immediately spoke up.

"Although Jiang Hong was unable to break serve in this game, it shows that he can challenge players of Nadal's level and let him know that he is not someone to be trifled with."

The match continued, reaching the ninth game.

Perhaps it was because he had several break points in the previous game but failed to break serve, which caused a change in his mentality.

Two such basic mistakes, unforced errors, occurred in succession.

0: 30!

In his own service game, he was actually down by two points.

This is a very dangerous situation for a serve-oriented player like Jiang Hong.

"It's dangerous! Jiang Hong's serve is facing a serious challenge!" Zhan Jun said, sounding a bit downcast.

Zhang Sheng, standing to the side, continued to go all in, supporting Jiang Hong.

"I think this is Jiang Hong's tactic. Those serves just now, I feel like he was just trying to lull Nadal into a false sense of security. No need to rush, those shots were pretty dry, it's not a bad deal!"

Seeing this, even the previously tense audience was a little dumbfounded.

"Goodness, how can this not be a loss? Even if we lose the game later, we'll still be able to make up for it, right?"

"Even I, a fan of Jiang Shen, can't stand it anymore..."

"As a complete bystander, I think he's absolutely right!"

Meanwhile, Jiang Hei began to stir up trouble.

"Can't Jiang Chui just shut up? How can he still brag like that?!"

"Dry? That's ridiculous. Then Jiang Hong can send out two more balls."

At this moment, Jiang Hong was unaware of all this, facing a series of goals conceded.

Jiang Hong's initial enthusiasm gradually cooled down. As he turned around and took the ball from the caddy's hand, he took a deep breath.

"No, I need to calm down."

Standing at the baseline, he hit the tennis ball with his racket, looking up at Nadal on the other side.

Suddenly, I met the other person's serious gaze.

Jiang Hong suddenly paused for a moment.

"Wait a minute, I'm a challenger."

"Even if we fail, what is there to be afraid of? If we win, we make a huge profit; if we lose, we don't lose anything."

"Besides, we're not behind in the score!"

Jiang Hong's eyes gradually cleared, and he took a deep breath.

"Rafa, break through!"

As the Spanish fans cheered excitedly, a smile suddenly appeared on Jiang Hong's face.

How could someone as rebellious as myself let them have their way?

Throw the tennis ball high into the air, push off the ground, rotate your body, swing your racket, and hit the ball.

"boom!"

Like a cannonball being fired, with a loud bang, the tennis ball flew out instantly.

"OUT!"

Immediately afterwards, the linesman's voice rang out.

"Well done, Chinese boy!"

"One more!"

Spanish fans were overjoyed and immediately burst into applause.

The Chinese fans at the scene covered their heads.

It seems Jiang Hong's mentality has truly exploded; it's likely that Nadal will dominate him from here on out.

Nadal's eyes flickered. When trailing in the score, he would likely choose a safe serve.

Lower the quality of your serve to increase your success rate; you must seize this opportunity.

"Intensify the attack!"

Jiang Hong had only one thought in his mind.

Be greedy when others are fearful!
All in!
He tossed the tennis ball high into the air, letting it cross the light.

Jiang Hong's body was like a fully drawn bowstring.

The next second, he slammed his right foot against the ground, his body bursting forward, and his racket, with a whooshing sound, collided with the ball in mid-air.

The moment the tennis ball was hit, it seemed to transform into a yellow-green lightning bolt, its trajectory almost invisible.

Then, a loud "bang" was heard.

The tennis ball hit Nadal's service court's "T" spot directly, and then bounced quickly towards the baseline.

Nadal lunged forward with all his might, but in the end, his racket only managed to rip through the air.

"The crucial point, 15-30, Jiang Hong delivered a beautiful inside ace!" Zhan Jun exclaimed loudly.

"I knew it! I knew it! Jiang Hong's big heart! This is not only a crucial point, but also the winning point! Now it's time for Jiang Hong to counterattack!" Zhang Sheng shouted excitedly.

The fans in front of the TV rubbed their eyes, wondering if they were seeing things.

Is Nadal now behind?
That’s not right either!

For the fourth ball, Jiang Hong still chose to take a risk, increasing the ball's speed and spin.

The tennis ball slammed into the outer corner of Nadal's service court.

Having just hit that ace, Nadal has brought his focus to its peak.

Nadal stretched out his body and cut the ball directly to Jiang Hong's backhand position.

Jiang Hong's eyes burned like flames.

Suddenly, increase the racket's pull, maintain wrist strength, and hit the ball!
"Snapped!"

In an instant, the tennis ball was traversed in an almost smooth straight line, following the change of direction, and smashed directly into the change of direction.

30:30 is not enough.

The fifth ball, traveling at 212 kilometers per hour, slammed directly into the outer corner of the court.

"Beautiful shot, another ace! Jiang Hong is unstoppable!"

"Set point, Jiang Hong's set point!"

Zhan Jun was originally going to speak first, but Zhang Sheng was already too excited to contain himself.

In the end, Zhan Jun could only conclude by saying, "This is the mental quality that top players need to have; they cannot be discouraged in the slightest when they are behind."

At this moment, those watching TV were dumbfounded.

"Oh no, Zhang Sheng was right. Does he really know anything about football?"

"You know, I've been a fan of Jiang Shen for ten years and have always trusted him."

"Upstairs, I just saw you still criticizing Jiang Shen."

"That was my cousin who took my phone."

The fans at the scene were even more excited, waving their banners and shouting wildly.

However, the next second, Nadal immediately demonstrated why he is called a giant.

He immediately hit a beautiful return ace, and the tennis ball landed at Jiang Hong's feet and bounced out of bounds.

The Chinese fans fell silent, while the Spanish fans erupted in excitement. "One more!"

"Break through, Rafa!"

"Keep bragging, you Chinese brat!"

Jiang Hong serves again, but loses the point.

"40: AD!"

Standing on the verge of being broken.

As Jiang Hong retrieved the ball, he picked up a towel and wiped the sweat from his face.

[Status: Fiery (Speed ​​+8%, Power +8%, Landing Control +8%...)]

If he can recover from a break point, why can't I?
Who's afraid of who!
Jiang Hong raised his head and looked at Nadal's position with a serious expression.

After a moment's thought, he tossed the tennis ball into the air.

The first serve went out of bounds, and for the second serve, Jiang Hong chose a sidespin serve.

The tennis ball traced an eerie "S" shape in the air before slamming into Nadal's service court.

However, Nadal suddenly stepped forward, seemingly anticipating this, and immediately hit the ball to Jiang Hong's backhand position with his forehand.

The two players immediately engaged in a long rally, running back and forth along the baseline, giving their all with every shot.

The fans kept shaking their heads, following the trajectory of the tennis ball.

“This ball has been in play for over 15 shots. Now it’s a matter of who makes the first mistake,” Zhan Jun suddenly interjected, speeding up his speech.

Nadal continued to attack Jiang Hong's backhand with his super topspin shots, which bounced very high after landing.

Jiang Hong uses a one-handed backhand for defense and is currently in excellent form, scoring with every move he makes.

However, Jiang Hong is not one to simply play defensively, and he faced Nadal's topspin shots.

Jiang Hong suddenly changed his approach, lowering his center of gravity and suddenly backhanding the ball.

With a flick of the wrist, it glided across the net and landed at lightning speed.

Although Nadal was positioned far back from the baseline, the tireless Nadal immediately unleashed his speed at that moment.

In the blink of an eye, he had moved from the baseline to the net.

He raised his right hand, ready to deliver a fatal blow.

Jiang Hong wouldn't give the other party that chance, so he immediately tiptoed and moved ahead of time.

He hit a beautiful passing shot, striking an open space that Nadal couldn't reach.

"Resilient! Jiang Hong saved the break point, and the score is now tied again." Zhan Jun said as quickly as possible, worried that Zhang Sheng would interrupt.

The entire stadium erupted in applause; even Spanish fans couldn't deny the brilliance of the goal.

Although Zhang Sheng was a little disappointed that he didn't get a front-row seat, he immediately spoke up as soon as Zhan Jun finished speaking.

"Unparalleled courage and execution, unimaginable inspiration, genius, a genius shot!"

After scoring, Jiang Hong clenched his fist and roared.

If Nadal can save break points, so can I.

"Next, it's all about holding onto the lead!"

Next, Jiang Hong entered a strange state, serving powerfully and then immediately moving to the net, hitting a flat forehand with a fatal blow.

"AD:40!"

Jiang Hongzhan took the lead and arrived at his game point.

Standing at the baseline, I looked up and locked onto the outside corner of Nadal's service court, then tossed the tennis ball high into the air.

I won't give you that many chances to break my serve!
With a twist of his body, his right arm suddenly stretched out like a spring ready to be released, and the racket struck the tennis ball, making a crisp and ear-piercing "snap" sound.

The tennis ball, like a bullet fired from a gun, veered off course and slammed into the service box.

Nadal anticipated the direction, but not the 220 km/h serve speed.

His weight shifted towards the sideline, his arms stretched out, but the ball merely brushed past the hoop.

"IN!"

The linesman raised his hand to indicate the ball was in play.

An ace, an ace with an exaggerated speed.

"Hold serve! Jiang Hong held serve, withstood the pressure of Nadal taking an early break point, and held this crucial service game." Zhan Jun's mouth sputtered these words like a machine gun.

5: 4!
The two sides have been battling it out for nine innings and are now in the break.

Jiang Hong took a sip of ice water, then spread an ice towel on his face, pondering the tactics for the next round.

Nadal took out his three hydration bottles, took a sip from each, and then placed them neatly in front of him.

At this moment, Nadal is also under pressure. If he fails to hold serve, it means he will lose the first set.

"Time!"

The referee's whistle blew, and the short intermission ended.

Nadal stood at the baseline with a suggestive expression, tugged at his clothes to complete the serving ceremony, and finally began to serve.

In the first point, Nadal easily won with his serve and a follow-up forehand.

15: 0.

Jiang Hong's expression remained unchanged as he immediately executed a beautiful return of serve, then created space and hit the ball into the open with his forehand.

15: 15.

The third point saw both players locked in a baseline stalemate, with Nadal constantly attacking Jiang Hong's forehand with backhand shots.

Jiang Hong's focus has reached its peak, and he has excellent control over the moment of impact for each ball.

Finally, on the eighth shot, Jiang Hong witnessed Nadal's mistake.

The ball was not fully controlled with the forehand, disrupting the offensive rhythm.

"Chance!"

Jiang Hong certainly wouldn't miss this opportunity to counterattack. He immediately spread his body and smashed the ball into Nadal's backhand triangle area.

Nadal managed to return the ball with difficulty, and Jiang Hong immediately followed up with a forehand attack to score.

15: 30.

"They're in the lead! Jiang Hong is in the lead! Just one more point and they'll have set point!" Zhang Sheng shouted excitedly.

The viewers in front of their televisions were also very nervous at this moment.

"Zhang Sheng, stop shouting, you scared me."

"That's right. If I lose to Little Ginger, I'll smash your windows with a rubber band."

"Then let me ask you, upstairs, where did you get your rubber band?"

"Of course you pull it out of your underwear, how could you be so stupid!"

"Clap clap clap..."

Nadal hit the tennis ball with his racket, took a deep breath, and looked extremely serious.

He hadn't expected that he would be in such a desperate situation in the first set.

With a focused gaze, he tossed the tennis ball high into the air.

With a crisp "bang," the tennis ball shot out instantly.

A speed of 197 kilometers per hour is considered a very powerful serve for Nadal, who is not known for his serve speed but rather for the spin on the landing point of his serve.

Jiang Hong's gaze was fixed on Nadal without the slightest relaxation. His knees instantly straightened into an arc, pressing his center of gravity to the extreme.

This flat shot, with its obvious inward spin, bounced out of the service area and headed straight for Jiang Hong's backhand.

In an instant, Jiang Hong began to act, tilting the racket face to 30 degrees, and suddenly exerting force with his wrist 0.5 seconds before the tennis ball hit the ground.

The tennis ball hit the racket face, making a dull "snap" sound.

Jiang Hong used the momentum of his forward momentum to sweep the tennis ball along the ground.

The tennis ball flew swiftly past the net, heading straight for Nadal's corner at the net.

Nadal started quickly, slid, and, to the astonishment of the audience, barely managed to get the ball back to the midfield position.

Subsequently, the two sides engaged in a long and drawn-out battle.

Jiang Hong ran intensely, his movements accompanied by rapid breathing and his chest heaving violently. Even so, Jiang Hong's steps remained very steady and precise.

Facing Nadal's topspin forehand attack, Jiang Hong lightly pressed down with his right toe to stop abruptly, and then spun back with a strong sidespin.

Faced with losing the set, Nadal couldn't remain calm. He suddenly backhanded the ball and unleashed a drop shot that he rarely uses.

However, even though it is not used often, Nadal's ball is of very high quality.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Hong immediately bent over and ran towards the net.

Nadal has already appeared at the net, and Jiang Hong will not pin his hopes on Nadal's volley error.

His eyes darted around, and a choice immediately came to mind.

Suddenly, with a flick of his wrist, the tennis ball was instantly lobbed into Nadal's baseline.

As expected of Nadal, his stamina is truly incredible; he immediately surged back to the baseline position.

This brought the two back into a stalemate over their bottom lines.

bang bang bang~
Finally, on the 19th shot, Nadal showed a weakness, returning the ball at a slightly high angle.

Jiang Hong's eyes immediately lit up, "A great opportunity!"

He took a big step forward with his left foot, twisted his body into an arc shape, swung his racket behind his ear, and his forearm veins bulged.

As the tennis ball bounced to his waist, Jiang Hong suddenly swung his racket, the racket whistling through the air, his forehand smashing into Nadal's backhand like a heavy hammer.

To be honest, because Nadal is a left-handed player, Jiang Hong initially made mistakes when attacking his opponent's forehand and backhand.

However, this time there was no mistake.

When the tennis ball hit the corner of the net, Nadal had not yet finished returning to his position.

Even if he wanted to save the ball, he was powerless to do so, and could only watch helplessly as the tennis ball bounced out of bounds.

Jiang Hong braced himself on his knees, breathing heavily.

"At 15:40, Jiang Hong scored consecutive points and got two break points, which were also the set point of the first set!" Zhan Jun's voice was even trembling with excitement.

Winning a set from the world's second-best player seems... entirely possible!
The Chinese fans at the scene were already in a frenzy.

"Take stock, take stock!"

"Win the first set and defeat Nadal."

"..."

Spanish fans, however, were not excited.

Weren't they just there to see the Chinese kid look dejected after losing the game?
How come the other side got Nadal's analysis instead?

"Go, Rafa!"

"Go, Rafa!"

The sound, which started out not loud, gradually grew louder and merged together, as if it were about to lift the roof off the stadium.

The Spanish fans only quieted down after the referee asked them to.

After all, we can't affect Nadal's serve!
If it were that kid on the other side, they wouldn't mind interfering.

The entire process was silent; everyone understood the importance of this point.

Nadal didn't rush to serve. Instead, he took out a towel, wiped the sweat from his hands, and prepared for his final serve.

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, lean your body slightly forward, and gently tap the ground with your right foot once, twice, three times, like a metronome.

He tossed the tennis ball into the air, and it shot out like a cannonball.

After rushing to the serve area, he went straight for Jiang Hong's forehand position.

Just in time.

Jiang Hong immediately shifted his body to the side, assumed a fighting stance, and returned the ball with a deep and powerful forehand.

Nadal immediately backhanded the ball back to the midfield position.

Without the slightest hesitation, Jiang Hong stepped forward, immediately preparing to counterattack with a forehand.

"Forehand!"

Seeing Jiang Hong's movement, Nadal immediately anticipated it and moved towards his forehand side in advance.

Jiang Hong caught a glimpse of Nadal's movements out of the corner of his eye, and suddenly an idea struck him.

Jiang Hong pretended to hit a forehand straight shot, but at the last moment, he suddenly changed the face of his racket and hit a beautiful backhand cross-court shot.

The tennis ball landed directly into a corner that Nadal couldn't reach.

"Winner! Match over! Jiang Hong has won the first set against Nadal!" Zhan Jun exclaimed excitedly. "6-4! The Chinese tennis star has snatched the first set from the world number two and three-time Grand Slam winner, Nadal!"

(End of this chapter)