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

Kanagawa Prefectural Miike Park.

A bus slowly drove into the park entrance, the doors opened, and the Yamabuki group got off.

Today, the Kanto Tournament officially begins.

Sixteen teams from all over the world will gather here for a brutal elimination tournament. After the first round, half of the teams will be eliminated.

"Kagura, our opponent is Shonan Shiroshige from Kanagawa, right?"

Sengoku Kiyosumi stood at the park entrance, looking around curiously.

This was his first time representing his school outside of Tokyo to compete in another region. The unfamiliar environment made him both excited and a little nervous.

"That's right."

Kagura Ichijin nodded, his gaze sweeping over the busy staff in the distance.

The region with the most participating schools in this Kanto tournament was Tokyo, followed by Kanagawa.

The champion teams from other regions will generally not face each other in the first round due to the earlier draw.

Non-champion teams, on the other hand, face severe challenges, often encountering strong opponents in the first round.

The worst off was Seigaku, who, as the last school to be drawn, didn't even have the chance to choose.

"I heard that Shonan Chosei suffered a crushing defeat to Rikkai in the finals, so they must not be very strong, right?"

Sengoku Kiyosumi turned to look at Kagura Ichijin, her eyes sparkling.

The drawing ceremony was attended by Kagura Yijin representing Yamabuki, so he should have some understanding of his opponents.

"It's hard to say. Rikkai is too strong. They are currently in a class of their own in the Kanto region. It's normal for Josei Shonan to lose."

Kagura Ichijin shook his head, his expression serious.

Judging the strength of Shonan Josei solely based on one match against Rikkai would be far too simplistic.

The fact that they were able to fight their way through the fierce Kanagawa Prefecture tournament and reach the finals proves their considerable strength.

To truly understand your opponent's strengths and weaknesses, you have to prove yourself on the field.

"Sigh! Looks like today won't be easy either."

Sengoku Kiyosumi sighed and looked around listlessly.

The Kanto Tournament truly lives up to its reputation as a top-tier event. Although the competition hasn't officially started yet, a large number of enthusiastic spectators have already gathered in the park, creating a lively atmosphere.

As they entered the arena with Banta Mikiya, the Yamabuki group discovered that many schools had already arrived.

After finding a shady spot under the trees to use as a temporary gathering place, they waited quietly for the competition to begin.

After an unknown amount of time, the broadcast sounded, and the first round of the Kanto Tournament officially began.

Yamabuki Junior High School faced their first-round opponent, Josei Shonan Junior High School.

After handing the starting lineup to the referee, Banta Mikiya returned to his seat on the coaching bench.

Since this is the first round of the Kanto Tournament, according to the rules, all five matches must be played.

Detailed list of participants.

Doubles Team 2: Kentaro Minami and Masami Higashikata.

Doubles Team 1: Guji Muxin and Ishimaru Kanto.

The third singles match was against Sengoku Kiyosumi.

The second singles player is Jin Akutsu.

First singles match: Kagura Ijin.

"The first match begins. Please bring on the Yamabuki Doubles Team 2 and the Josei Shonan Doubles Team 2."

"Let's go, Dongfang, let's get off to a great start."

Having already warmed up, Kentaro Minami picked up his racket, took a deep breath, nodded to Masami Higashikata beside him, and then strode confidently toward the referee.

"Um."

Dongfang Yamei responded and followed closely behind, her eyes revealing a hint of determination.

This time, their opponents are the Tanaka brothers, who are both first-year students: the older brother, Yohei Tanaka, and the younger brother, Kohei Tanaka.

"One game to decide the winner, South/Eastern serves."

"You guys are really lucky, no wonder you managed to win the championship."

Across the net, Yohei Tanaka curled his lip, his face full of disdain.

Shonan Junior High School has already investigated Yamabuki Junior High School. The doubles pair of Kentaro Minami and Masami Higashikata have only won a few matches and have won entirely by luck.

In his view, this doubles pair was the weakest in the Kanto Tournament, which was full of strong players.

Yamabuki Junior High School is really getting worse every year. If it weren't for the emergence of a few strong singles players this year, Kentaro Minami and Masami Higashikata wouldn't even be qualified to stand here.

"Are you looking to die?"

Dongfang Yamei glared at Tanaka Yohei. This kind of guy who provokes others before the fight even starts is the most despicable.

"Whether it is or not, you know best."

Yohei Tanaka sneered and turned to walk towards the receiving area, seemingly disdainful of arguing with the weak.

"I'm sorry, students. UNIT didn't mean it. He was just stating a fact that everyone knows."

Although Tanaka Kohei had a smile on his face, his words were full of sarcasm. After speaking, he followed Tanaka Yohei to the finish line.

"Damn it, those two bastards..."

Dongfang Yamei gritted her teeth, staring intently at the two backs, wishing she could rush up and teach them a lesson immediately.

"Don't be impulsive, Dongfang, serve first."

Kentaro Minami patted Aya Higashikata on the shoulder. Although his face was equally gloomy, he knew that the most important thing now was to calm down and let his strength speak for itself.

"Um."

Dongfang Yamei nodded, took a deep breath, and walked to the service area.

He tossed the ball high into the air, and with a surge of anger, swung his racket fiercely!

"Bang!"

The tennis ball flew towards the other side with a sharp whistling sound.

"Not bad at all."

Tanaka Hiroshi caught the ball steadily, then hit it with a backhand, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

The speed and power of that shot were much stronger than he had imagined; it seemed these two weren't entirely useless.

"Bang!"

……

"Bang!"

……

"Bang!"

……

"Bang!"

The two sides engaged in a fierce tug-of-war.

After more than ten rounds, Kentaro Minami seized an opportunity and scored directly with a smash.

"15-0!"

"UNIT, it seems the coach's information wasn't very accurate. The reason our opponents lost so many times was simply because they encountered a stronger doubles pair."

Yohei Tanaka glanced at Kohei Tanaka beside him, his face full of frustration.

Indeed, relying solely on those cold, hard written reports and battle records is simply not enough to fully understand the true strength of an opponent.

"It's not bad at all; it's better than being completely clueless."

Kohei Tanaka sighed and shrugged.

Ordinary viewers can only enjoy the spectacle of a match; to truly understand the players' abilities, one needs to rely on professionals.

Moreover, before the draw results are announced, no one knows who the opponent is, so there is no way to conduct targeted investigations in advance.

"Indeed, judging from their behavior, they seem to know nothing about us either."

Yohei Tanaka narrowed his eyes, looking at Kentaro Minami and Masami Higashikata opposite him, his expression becoming serious.

Since we don't understand each other, we'll just have to confront each other head-on.

"Bang!"

When the ball was served again, Dongfang Yamei was surprised to find that Tanaka Yohei had already run to the ball's landing point.

This scene left him somewhat bewildered. How could his opponent have anticipated his serve after just one point? How was that possible?

"Bang!"

……

"Bang!"

……

"Bang!"

Kohei Tanaka seized the opportunity and scored with a brilliant volley, then turned and walked back to the baseline with a graceful and clean movement.

"15-15!"

……

"30-15!"

……

"30-30!"

……

"40-30!"

……

"40-40!"

……

"AD-40!"

……

"Game, South/East, 1-0!"

After a fierce battle, Kentaro Minami and Masami Higashikata finally managed to hold their serve. They smiled at each other, but became even more wary.

There are no weaklings in the Kanto Tournament; my opponent went all out in the first game.