The Prince of Tennis: From Data-Driven Tennis to the Pinnacle of His Career

In the third game, it was Shinya Yanagisawa's turn to serve.

"Chicoobi!"

While making strange throwing motions, Shinya Yanagisawa muttered incomprehensible words in an attempt to distract his opponent.

"Bang!"

The ball flew towards the baseline with a slight sidespin.

Dongfang Yamei ignored the opponent's trash talk, took a deep breath, and steadily hit the ball back.

After his mistake in the first game, he calmed down completely and became highly focused.

"Bang!"

……

"Bang!"

……

"Bang!"

……

"Bang!"

The two sides engaged in a fierce battle at the baseline.

Although Kisarazu Jun and Yanagisawa Shinya have some cleverness, they find it difficult to find a breakthrough against Minami Kentaro and Higashikata Masami, who have solid fundamental skills.

"0-15!"

Kentaro Minami seized the opportunity and scored with a volley at the net.

"15-15!"

Jun Kisarazu used a feint to turn the tide.

"15-30!"

……

"15-40!"

……

"The East, an opportunity!"

Kentaro Minami shouted.

Dongfang Yamei understood immediately. Facing Liu Ze's soft return, she went to the net without hesitation and delivered a powerful smash!

"Game, Kisarazu/Yagisawa, 1-2!"

With this point secured, the balance of the game began to shift.

"Eastern, seize this opportunity to widen the score gap!"

Kentaro Minami wiped the sweat from his forehead, his eyes bright.

He had already realized that the two first-year students on the other side were not as fast or physically strong as them. As long as they maintained the pressure, victory was just around the corner.

"Um!"

Dongfang Yamei nodded emphatically.

In the fourth game, Dongfang Yamei serves.

"Bang!"

……

"Bang!"

……

"Bang!"

……

"Bang!"

……

"15-0!"

……

"30-0!"

……

"30-15!"

……

"40-15!"

……

"Game, Kisarazu/Yagisawa, 1-3!"

The rest of the match completely fell into the rhythm of Kentaro Minami and Masami Higashikata.

Although they lost a game due to a miscommunication, the overall situation was firmly under the control of Kentaro Minami and Masami Higashikata.

"Game, Kisarazu/Yagisawa, 1-4!"

……

"Game, Kisarazu/Yagisawa, 2-4!"

……

"Game, Kisarazu/Yagisawa, 2-5!"

……

"Game, Kisarazu/Yagisawa, 2-6!"

……

"Match 1 ends, 6-2, South/Eastern wins!"

As the referee announced the result of the match, Kentaro Minami and Masami Higashikata smiled at each other and high-fived in celebration.

"Well played."

Kagura Ichijin stood next to the coach's bench and handed a bottle of water to Minami Kentaro and Higashikata Masami.

This time, he didn't provide any off-field guidance; he just wanted to see how well the two players could adapt to the situation.

He was very satisfied with the result. Although there were some setbacks at the beginning, he was able to quickly adjust his mindset and turn defeat into victory in adversity, which is the potential of an excellent player.

"I still didn't play well. That mistake in the middle of the game was too basic, otherwise the match would have been over long ago."

Kentaro Minami took the water and sighed with some annoyance.

"I also had problems. I was too impulsive at the beginning and almost became the breakthrough point. If Nan hadn't withstood the pressure, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

Dongfang Yamei also lowered her head, her expression somewhat gloomy.

"Take it slow, we still have a chance."

Kagura Ichijin patted the two of them on the shoulders, his tone gentle.

"As first-year students, we lack competition experience, so making mistakes is inevitable. The important thing is to learn from our mistakes and not repeat them next time."

……

"The second match begins. Please bring out Yamabuki Doubles Team 1 and St. Rudolf Doubles Team 1."

"Ishimaru, it's our turn."

Gu Jimin stood up from the lounge chair and slowly arranged his racket.

"Um."

Ishimaru Kanto lazily responded and followed behind.

The national doubles pair, both third-year students, exuded a completely different aura when they stepped onto the court.

"A decisive game, Taniyoshi/Ishimaru serve."

"Bang!"

"15-0!"

……

"30-0!"

……

"40-0!"

……

"Game, Taniyoshi/Ishimaru, 1-0!"

……

"Game, Taniyoshi/Ishimaru, 2-0!"

……

"Game, Taniyoshi/Ishimaru, 3-0!"

……

"Game, Taniyoshi/Ishimaru, 4-0!"

……

"Game, Taniyoshi/Ishimaru, 5-0!"

……

"Game, Taniyoshi/Ishimaru, 6-0!"

The match ended in less than ten minutes.

The St. Rudolph third-year doubles team hadn't even realized what was happening before they were completely wiped out.

"The second match is over, 6-0, Taniyoshi/Ishimaru win!"

"Thank you for your hard work, senior students."

Kagura Ichijin breathed a sigh of relief as he watched Tani Yoshiki Shin and Ishimaru Kanto walk off the field with ease.

With two victories already secured, Yamabuki is now in an unassailable position regardless of the outcome of the upcoming singles matches.

"fine."

Gu Jimin smiled and put the racket back in his bag.

"It's just a casual match, nothing difficult. This kind of opponent isn't even a warm-up."

Ishimaru Kanto was even more dismissive.

……

"The third match begins. Yamabuki will play the third singles match, and St. Rudolf will play the third singles match."

Upon hearing the broadcast, Nishiki Tsubasa, who had been sitting silently in the corner, suddenly stood up.

"President Kagura, I...I'm going."

He gripped the racket tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force, and his voice trembled slightly.

This was his first time representing the school in an official competition, and on such an important occasion.

"Don't be nervous, relax."

Kagura Ichijin noticed Nishikiori's unease, stepped forward, gently patted his shoulder, and smiled.

"Just treat it as a regular intra-team practice match. I know your ability, so just play normally."

"Um!"

Nishiki Tsubasa took a deep breath, nodded emphatically, and turned to walk towards the court.

His opponent is Nomura Takuya, a first-year student at St. Rudolph.

"A decisive game, Nomura serves."

"Bang!"

Takuya Nomura serves; the ball speed isn't fast, but the angle is very tricky.

Nishiki Tsubasa quickly moved into position and swung her racket to return the ball.

"Bang!"

……

"Bang!"

……

"Bang!"

……

"Bang!"

……

Both players are baseline players with solid fundamentals, and the match quickly devolved into a long, drawn-out battle.

"15-0!"

After more than a dozen rounds of rallies, Takuya Nomura seized the opportunity when Tsubasa Nishikori's return shot was too high and scored with a deflected shot.

"30-0!"

……

"30-15!"

……

"40-15!"

……

"40-30!"

……

"Game, Takuya Nomura, 1-0!"

Nishikori Tsubasa gritted her teeth, undeterred, and continued to focus on the next match.

"Game, Takuya Nomura, 1-1!"

……

"Game, Takuya Nomura, 2-1!"

……

"Game, Takuya Nomura, 2-2!"

……

"Game, Takuya Nomura, 3-2!"

……

"Game, Takuya Nomura, 3-3!"

……

"Game, Takuya Nomura, 4-3!"

……

"Game, Takuya Nomura, 4-4!"

The match was extremely close, with the score fluctuating back and forth.

On the coach's bench, Kagura Ichijin silently recited the system's commands.

Takuya Nomura (First year of junior high school)

Speed: 2

Power: 2

Stamina: 2

Spirit: 1.5

Technology: 2

Total: 9.5

Nishiki-ori Tsubasa (Grade 1, Junior High)

Speed: 2

Power: 2

Stamina: 2

Spirit: 1.5

Technology: 1.5

Total: 9

"The five dimensions differ by only 0.5..."

Kagura Ikjin frowned slightly.

This 0.5 difference mainly lies in the technical aspects, but in a competition at this level, it is often this slight difference that determines the outcome.

Nishiki Tsubasa works very hard, but compared to the future St. Rudolf Vice Minister Nomura Takuya, Nishiki Tsubasa is still a bit immature in handling details.

"Game, Takuya Nomura, 5-4!"

……

"Game, Takuya Nomura, 5-5!"

……

"Game, Takuya Nomura, 6-5!"

……

"Game, Takuya Nomura, 6-6!"

The match went to a tiebreaker.

Both players were nearing their physical limits, and every swing of their rackets was a test of their willpower.

Ultimately, Takuya Nomura secured the crucial victory with a more consistent performance.

"Game, Takuya Nomura, 7-6!"

……

"Match 3 is over, 7-6, Takuya Nomura wins!"

"roar!"

As the last ball landed, Takuya Nomura knelt on the ground and roared to the sky.

This fierce battle, which lasted for more than half an hour, finally brought St. Rudolf back a point.

On the other side, Nishikiori Tsubasa stood there blankly, staring at the tennis ball that had rolled to her feet, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Minister... I've let you down... If I had been a regular starter, I definitely wouldn't have lost..."

Nishiki Tsubasa walked up to Kagura Ichijin with her head down, her voice choked with emotion.

"Winning and losing are common occurrences in war."

Kagura Ichijin looked at the boy with tears streaming down his face, but instead of scolding him, he stepped forward and gave Nishikiori a big hug.

"Nishikori, you played very well. To fight to a tiebreak in your first appearance is a victory in itself."

Kagura Ichijin offered a soft word of comfort.

"Remember this feeling of unwillingness, go back and train even harder, and you'll win next time."

The reason he insisted on having the reserve players play was to let them experience the pressure of such a major competition and the bitterness of failure in advance. Only by experiencing setbacks can they truly grow.

"Yes! Next time... I definitely won't lose next time!"

Nishiki wiped away her tears, raised her head, and her fighting spirit rekindled in her eyes.

He secretly vowed that he would train harder when he got back and never let this regret happen again.