Tennis: He's so obedient!

Chapter 204 First Victory at the Paris Masters: I Live in Your Shadow!
The stadium, which can hold 20,000 people, appeared very empty, with about 3,000 to 4,000 spectators in the stands.

Chinese fans make up about half of them, while the rest are European fans.

After the previous Madrid Masters, Jiang Hong attracted many European fans with his style.

Some tennis enthusiasts also wanted to see what this biggest dark horse of the Madrid Masters was really like.

After all, joining in the fun isn't just a hobby of the Chinese.

As soon as Jiang Hong appeared, the audience immediately became noisy.

"Ginger, ginger, victory is assured!"

"God Jiang, charge forward! Your fans will always be with you!"

"Jiang Shen's fan club is here!"

The audience cheered loudly, and Jiang Hong smiled and waved to them.

Del Potro was somewhat envious, as he didn't have such popularity even in Argentina.

However, he understood that all of this was because Jiang Hong had won the Madrid Masters.

If he wins the championship, he will receive the same treatment.

Thinking of this, Del Potro tightened his grip on his racket.

……

At the referee's call, Jiang Hong and Del Potro came to the net.

"What a coincidence, we've met again!" Jiang Hong greeted the other person.

To be honest, many players may only play in a game once or twice in their entire careers.

It is indeed rare for players like Jiang Hong and Del Potro to play twice in a row within a month.

Del Potro pursed his lips upon hearing this.

I thought to myself, I don't want to run into you so many times.

However, I definitely can't say that out loud, otherwise wouldn't it make me look like I'm cowardly before the battle even begins?

Del Potro coughed, stared at Jiang Hong, and said with a firm gaze.

"Jiang! I lost to you in Madrid last time, and this time I will get my revenge!"

Jiang Hong shrugged and said with a relaxed expression.

"If you want revenge, it won't be that simple!"

Del Potro, however, looked very serious and said, "Let's see who's the best on the pitch!"

After speaking, he looked down and glanced at Jiang Hong.

Jiang Hong was very unhappy about this. Although he was already quite tall at 1.88 meters, Del Potro, who was 198 meters tall, was a head taller than him.

Meanwhile, the referee finally finished explaining the rules.

"Jiang, please select the coin suit!"

After all, Jiang Hong, as a wildcard main draw player, had a few privileges.

"Front!" Without the slightest hesitation, Jiang Hong made his choice.

He was then asked if Del Potro had any objections, "In that case, the side that guesses the coin toss correctly has the right to choose either the ball or the field first."

After everything was ready, the referee slightly raised his arm, flicked his fingertips, and the coin soared into the air.

After tracing an arc under the lights, it quickly fell to the ground.

After the referee looked down to confirm, he looked up and said, "The coin is tails. Del Potro, you choose to serve or leave the court!"

"Serve!" Del Potro's face lit up with joy.

After his defeat at the Madrid Masters, he has specifically trained his serve to some extent.

Now that they've secured the serve first, they have to teach Jiang Hong a lesson.

"Jiang, please choose a court!"

Jiang Hong didn't react much to this and simply chose a spot.

Both sides returned to their baseline positions and began warm-up training, an essential part of the pre-match routine.

Insufficient warm-up can easily lead to injuries, and it's estimated that all top players dream of keeping injuries away from them.

Both sides serve, topspin, run, smash...

"Time!"

With the referee's voice, training time officially ended.

After returning to the rest area, both players took a sip of water, adjusted themselves slightly, picked up their rackets, and got up again.

This time, however, it's not a warm-up.

[Paris Masters First Round: Jiang Hong vs. Del Potro - Live Text Commentary]

[Del Potro gets to serve first, the match officially begins...]

This is mainly because Jiang Hong has dominated CCTV's live broadcasts for a week.

This significantly reduced the exposure of other projects.

Although CCTV values ​​popularity, it also has to give equal attention to other projects.

Many sports organizations protested to CCTV, stating that there is no hierarchy among sports and demanding equal treatment.

Left with no other option, CCTV decided to wait until Jiang Hong made it into the top 8 before broadcasting the live stream.

Faced with this situation, the light of the internet stepped forward.

The Jiang Hong support group on Tennis Bar – the European branch of which consists of fans who were able to attend the match in person – decided to follow the example of the Tokyo Open and provide text-based commentary on the game.

“The host is awesome!”

"Great, needless to say."

"What kind of internationalist spirit is this!"

On the other side, Jiang Hong and Del Potro were both standing at the baseline of their respective half of the draw.

Del Potro, standing at 198cm, cast a long shadow under the stadium lights.

He habitually flicked the tennis ball in his hand with his fingers.

His eyes were fixed intently on the boy opposite him.

Jiang Hong lowered his body, raised his head, and adjusted his posture.

Hair extension in progress, ready to go!
“Play!”

The game officially begins.

Del Potro took a deep breath and tossed the tennis ball high into the air.

"Jiang Hong, let me show you my serve!"

Kneel down, push off the ground, rotate your body, draw back the racket, and hit the ball!
"Boom!"

The serve was a flat hit, with absolutely no spin.

He simply relied on pure explosive power to hit the ball.

The tennis ball hit the T point in the service court directly.

Jiang Hong didn't make a move, and the tennis ball flew out quickly.

Ace!
"0-15!"

The numbers on the scoreboard changed.

"what!"

Del Potro suddenly clenched his fist and roared.

It's not because of this one point that I feel victory is assured.

I just felt really frustrated in the last match against Jiang Hong.

"As for it?"

Jiang Hong looked up and glanced at Del Potro, unable to resist making a comment.

If Del Potro knew what Jiang Hong was thinking, he would definitely tell him in a serious tone that it was really too much.

Do you know how I've spent the past two weeks?

Del Potro changed positions and returned to the baseline.

boom!
With a thunderous crack, the tennis ball, traveling at 208 kilometers per hour like a cannonball, hurtled straight towards the outer corner of Jiang Hong's service court.

It's about to land!
"Ace ball?"

A thought arose in the minds of the audience.

Just as the tennis ball was about to hit the ground.

Jiang Hong moved, stretching out like a tiger pouncing on its prey.

The footsteps began to move instantly, light and swift.

The moment the tennis ball bounced, Jiang Hong's racket was already waiting.

"It's now!"

A reverse cut.

The tennis ball, carrying a strong backspin, plummeted rapidly after clearing the net.

Del Potro quickly turned and swung his racket.

"empty?"

The tennis ball didn't bounce forward the moment it landed; instead, it bounced back towards the net.

"what?"

The audience in the stands were all wide-eyed with surprise.

"15-15!"

The referee's voice echoed in the quiet stadium.

Del Potro looked somewhat surprised.

It wasn't that Jiang Hong was particularly surprised by his score.

However, Jiang Hong was surprised when his opponent hit a backhand slice directly against his carefully prepared high-speed serve.

"pretty!"

Are you sure this isn't an anime?

"Awesome!"

Upon seeing this, the audience in the stands gasped in surprise.

Jiang Hong's shot was absolutely beautiful.

Del Potro lowered his head, took a deep breath, and composed himself.

"This is just the beginning."

If we lose our composure now, we certainly won't win.

With that thought in mind, Del Potro took the tennis ball from the caddie and bounced it a few times on the ground.

This time, Del Potro chose to change his tactics.

Use angles to create openings and find opportunities for the next attack.

"Inner corner!"

Jiang Hong, who was paying close attention to Del Potro's movements, made a judgment in an instant.

Right before Del Potro's eyes, Jiang Hong's feet moved swiftly.

With a flick of the wrist, the racket changes direction, a delicate screen.

"call!"

Del Potro breathed a sigh of relief.

He already harbored a deep-seated fear of Jiang Hong's hair extensions.

It now appears to be just a defensive return.

Del Potro opened his forehand, ready to kill the ball.

Suddenly, his gaze narrowed.

"not good!"

This simple pick-and-roll return ball unexpectedly spun upon landing.

Then, it suddenly rushed forward.

Meanwhile, Del Potro was making the most of his time to go online.

This made his situation even more awkward.

The tennis ball flew straight towards his feet.

"No!"

"We absolutely cannot let Jiang Hong gain an advantage in the first game."

Although Del Potro is confident, he is by no means arrogant.

He knew that Jiang Hong was indeed stronger than himself.

However, based on previous encounters, they are probably not invincible.

Thinking of this, Del Potro suddenly twisted his body forcefully, lowered his center of gravity, and extended his racket.

"Oh!"

There was a dull thud.

But to Del Potro, it was like heavenly music.

"Hit!"

Before he could get back to his original position, Del Potro immediately looked up and followed the trajectory of the tennis ball.

The tennis ball traced a yellow-green arc in the air as it flew towards the net.

Because the flight altitude was very low, Del Potro was unable to determine whether the tennis ball could clear the net.

swoosh~
With a screeching sound, the tennis ball grazed the top of the net.

Then he wobbled and flipped over the net.

"Passed the network!"

In an instant, the weight lifted from Del Potro's heart.

Adding to that Del Potro's hasty shot and awkward posture earlier, he simply couldn't generate any power.

Therefore, the ball fell rapidly as soon as it flew over the net.

It formed a small ball directly.

And it's an extreme small ball.

Del Potro unexpectedly returned a perfect shot.

Jiang Hong's expression remained unchanged in the face of this.

He sped forward at high speed, running towards the net.

After a tennis ball lands, it doesn't bounce very high.

Before reaching the net, it quickly descended. "Swoosh!"

Suddenly, it flashed by like a fleeting afterimage.

"You've made it?"

Suddenly, the audience in the stands gasped in surprise.

Jiang Hong surprisingly used a sliding step to appear directly in front of the net.

His wrist suddenly snapped inward, and he swung his racket backhand, piercing the tennis ball diagonally below.

The movements were swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

The tennis ball, which was about to hit the ground, instantly regained its momentum.

It draws a diagonal line and flies directly over the net.

"what?"

Del Potro panicked slightly and reacted quickly, hoping to make a save.

However, even with his height of 198 cm, he was ultimately unable to save the ball.

It passed right by him and smashed into his backhand baseline.

"15-30!"

Under immense pressure, Del Potro's movements became distorted.

On the first serve, the tennis ball hit the net directly.

Jiang Hong returned to the baseline, lowered his center of gravity, and looked at Del Potro with a serious expression once again.

How to do?
Del Potro frowned.

Should you opt for a conservative serve or take a gamble?
If you serve conservatively, it's easy for Jiang Hong to seize the opportunity to attack.

However, if he chooses to serve with force, he will be giving Jiang Hong a break point if he makes a mistake.

After a moment's hesitation, a resolute glint flashed in Del Potro's eyes.

"Come again!"

The tennis ball is tossed high into the air, the person pushes off the ground and leaps into the air, swinging the racket from behind their head for a powerful flat shot.

With a thud, the serve, traveling at a speed of 198 kilometers per hour, headed straight for Jiang Hong's outside corner.

No mistakes, an excellent serve.

Unfortunately—he was facing Jiang Hong.
Run, land, turn, swing!
Every movement was fluid and seamless, without a single flaw.

Smash!
In an instant, a sharp diagonal shot flew straight towards Del Potro's forehand position.

"good chance!"

Del Potro's eyes were filled with joy, which was something he was very happy about.

His forehand is his most threatening attack.

However, in the first few goals, Jiang Hong kept using tactics that prevented Del Potro from using his full potential.

Del Potro will absolutely not let this opportunity slip by.

It's worth noting that last time, Jiang Hong was also helpless against his own forehand.

Therefore, the only way to win in the end was to use tactics to move around the opponent's position and suppress their backhand.

Small, quick steps create space for your forehand as the tennis ball comes to your right front.

Del Potro suddenly charged forward to meet the ball.

The core tightens suddenly, the arm exerts force, and the racket face strikes the tennis ball like thunder.

With a loud bang, the ball's speed increased rapidly in an instant.

Jiang Hong smiled at this.

"Now is the time we've been waiting for!"

Indeed, Jiang Hong really wanted to test the power of Del Potro's forehand.

Del Potro's powerful forehand was no joke either; the tennis ball possessed extremely strong penetrating power, forcefully breaking through Jiang Hong's prepared defense.

It was thrown directly towards Jiang Hong's backhand side, landing just wide of the edge of the court.

Jiang Hong was not discouraged; instead, he became even more excited.

Immediately retreat a few steps, and while moving, swing your backhand to hit a line directly towards the opponent's open forehand side.

Del Potro quickly adjusted his footwork, pushing his center of gravity to its limit.

At that moment, my energy suddenly surged.

With the racket face slightly open, the wrist suddenly adds force, still a forehand return.

Like a cannonball, the ball traveled low and straight into the midfield.

Jiang Hong pushed off the ground and pushed off, barely managing to block the ball back with his racket.

Del Potro's eyes lit up instantly at this.

Three consecutive shots were swung, each one heavier than the last, with the hitting point getting further and further forward.

Finally, on the fourth shot, he suddenly straightened his arm, pushing the hitting point to his body's limit.

In an instant, the tennis ball shot out like an arrow, aiming straight for Jiang Hong's backhand corner.

Although Jiang Hong had moved at almost his maximum speed, he was still a step too late.

"30-30!"

After Del Potro equalized, his performance improved once again.

Relying on his powerful forehand, he ultimately succeeded in holding serve.

Del Potro takes the first game 1-0.

The crowd applauded Del Potro's serve.

I originally came to see Jiang Hong's performance, but I didn't expect Del Potro's forehand to be so powerful.

Despite losing the first game, Jiang Hong remained remarkably calm.

The two players switched sides and wiped their rackets lightly with towels.

Take the tennis ball from the caddie.

Bang!
Bang!
With two serves, Jiang Hong hit two aces.

Del Potro's previously red-hot form was suddenly dampened.

When he held serve just now, Del Potro even felt that victory was in his grasp.

As Jiang Hong made an exaggerated serve, he calmed down again.

"call!"

Del Potro let out a long breath, his eyes fixed on Jiang Hong's movements.

Throw the ball—thump!
In an instant, an arc of light flashed by.

Snapped!
The serve hit the net, resulting in a first serve error.

Will Jiang Hong choose a flat shot or topspin for his next ball?
"Flat serve!"

Del Potro's eyes flickered, and the answer instantly came to him.

Based on my understanding of Jiang Hong, he is definitely not a conservative player.

"Boom!"

The sound of the ball being struck rang out.

That's right, it was indeed a flat attack.

Del Potro immediately turned and swung his forehand to meet the attack.

The return shot was like a cannonball, heading straight for Jiang Hong's backhand.

Faced with this return shot, Jiang Hong immediately countered with a deep backhand shot.

The two sides immediately engaged in a long rally.

Facing Del Potro's wide-angle sideline, Jiang Hong kept his eyes fixed on the tennis ball.

At this moment, the effects of Jiang Hongping's daily training in the virtual court became apparent.

One-handed backhand.

"Straight through ball!"

40-0.

At game point, Jiang Hong suddenly hit a topspin ball, which bounced high after landing.

Del Potro misjudged the situation, and the tennis ball flew directly above his shoulder.

Del Potro's expression changed, and he hastily struck the ball.

Snapped!
The tennis ball flew directly out of bounds.

"OUT!"

The Chinese fans in the stands erupted in cheers.

Well done! You turned it into a Love Game!
1-1.

"It's not over yet!"

Del Potro was very determined in his tactics this time, and he had confidence in his forehand.

Del Potro repeatedly attacked Jiang Hong's backhand with his forehand.

However, Jiang Hong's backhand is not only very stable, but he can also often produce high-quality returns.

15: 40.

That's right, Jiang Hong got the break point.

"break!"

"break!"

"break!"

The audience in the stands immediately erupted in cheers.

Del Potro's emotions fluctuated when he got a break point against Jiang Hong.

When Del Potro served a powerful serve, Jiang Hong quickly rushed forward, straddling the sideline.

Quickly turn your body to the side, grip the racket with both hands in a reverse grip, and make a small backswing.

"Boom!"

The tennis ball hit the sweet spot of the racket directly, and Jiang Hong easily volleyed the ball away.

Jiang Hong used the momentum to return the ball, which was very fast.

Del Potro stood there stunned, watching the ball, which had traveled straight along the sideline, smash directly into the opposite baseline.

Return to ace!
Hair extensions are easy to get.

Jiang Hong broke serve with a beautiful straight-line return.

"They've already broken their serve?" Del Potro murmured.

This is only the third game!
After the third game, Jiang Hong carried his racket back to the rest area and casually wiped his face with a towel, even though he wasn't sweating.

Del Potro's eyes kept shifting as he considered his next move.

The short break between trading sessions ended quickly.

However, Del Potro's tactics were clearly ineffective against Jiang Hong's most powerful weapon.

Jiang Hong only managed to win one point in his service game.

3-1.

By the fifth game, Del Potro was already numb.

Jiang Hong always attacks him aggressively, putting a lot of pressure on his serve.

30: 40.

That's right, Jiang Hong has gotten another break point.

Bang!
As the sound of the ball being struck rang out, the tennis ball shot out instantly.

Jiang Hong ran quickly and hit the ball.

"Wait!" Del Potro paused for a moment, then his face lit up with joy.

Jiang Hong's hair extension is not of high quality.

And this is my opportunity.

Del Potro immediately responded with a powerful forehand flat shot.

"You've come at the right time!"

At this moment, Jiang Hong had already made his prediction. Suddenly, he flipped his wrist and sent a small ball flying lightly out.

It plummeted rapidly after flying over the net.

Del Potro gritted his teeth and stomped his feet hard on the ground.

Hurry up, faster!
He can tolerate losing a game, but he cannot tolerate losing worse than last time!
With a height of 1.98 meters and an exaggerated wingspan, he has stretched his body to the extreme.

The tennis ball slowly rose into the air.

"Snapped!"

The tennis ball hit the net.

"I've been double-broken?"

Del Potro stood there stunned. If it were just because he wasn't feeling well, it wouldn't be a problem.

On the contrary, he felt that he was in very good form in this competition, and even improved compared to the last time.

However, the score was worse than last time.

4-1!
After Del Potro was broken again, his performance seemed to plummet.

During Jiang Hong's serve, they were completely unable to put up a fight.

In the blink of an eye, we arrived at the seventh game.

5-1, 15-40.

Jiang Hong displayed his exaggerated ability to anticipate, and the moment Del Potro took the ball, his feet had already moved quickly to the side.

After Jiang Hong took his position, he waited for Del Potro to serve.

"coming!"

The moment the tennis ball bounced high into the air, Jiang Hong braked precisely, smashing it into Del Potro's backhand and then suddenly drawing a strange arc.

"Side rotation!"

Compared to his last match against Del Potro, Jiang Hong has improved significantly in all aspects.

Faced with a sweeping victory in the first set, Del Potro was unable to mount much effective resistance in the second set.

The entire match lasted only about an hour.

6:1, 6:2!
As Del Potro walked to the net and shook hands with Jiang Hong, he thought about his training over the past few days, and suddenly looked up with a look of grief and indignation.

"Jiang, I feel like I'm living in your shadow!"

(End of this chapter)