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

On the fourth day of the Kanto Tournament, the highly anticipated final began.

When the Yamabuki group arrived at Kanagawa Prefectural Miike Park, they saw that the park was crowded with people, much more lively than the previous few days.

"Kagura, looks like we're going to be in the news again."

Sengoku Kiyosumi pointed to the rows of cameras set up outside the stadium, and the reporters holding microphones and looking focused, and couldn't help but sigh.

Although there were media reports in the previous rounds, they were mostly just brief mentions. But today's event not only had more than ten times the number of participants, but also had more professional equipment, which clearly shows that the finals are highly valued.

"But we have to win, otherwise we're just background to others."

Kagura Ichijin surveyed his surroundings with a profound gaze.

That's the cruelty of competitive sports: the winners enjoy all the glory and spotlight, while the losers can only leave the stage in despair, becoming stepping stones on the road to success for others.

The pens and cameras in the hands of those reporters will only be aimed at the final winner.

"We will definitely win."

Sengoku Kiyosumi's expression became unusually serious.

He and Jin Akutsu had practiced doubles for so long just to deliver a fatal blow to their opponent at this crucial moment.

Yamabuki has never changed the order of appearance in doubles in previous matches, and this smokescreen has been laid long and deep enough.

Now, apart from Banta Mikiya and the other regulars, probably no one knows that he and Akutsu Jin are actually a doubles pair.

"It's good to have confidence."

Although Kagura Ichijin wore a smile, he still felt a little uneasy deep down.

Rikkai's overall strength is too great. If they arrange their troops in a conventional way, Yamabuki's chances of winning are extremely slim.

The only way to break the deadlock right now is to go all in and bet everything on the first three games.

After an unknown amount of time, the broadcast sounded, announcing the start of the Kanto Tournament finals.

Yamabuki Junior High School has met its final opponent, Rikkai University Affiliated Junior High School.

Banta Mikiya handed the carefully planned starting lineup to the referee, then returned to the coaching bench.

Detailed list of participants.

Doubles Team 2: Kiyosumi Sengoku and Jin Akutsu.

Doubles Team 1: Guji Muxin and Ishimaru Kanto.

The third singles match is against Kagura Ijin.

The second single was played by Shintobe Inayoshi.

First singles match: Kentaro Minami.

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

"Akuzu, let's get off to a flying start!"

Kiyosumi Sengoku picked up his racket, his eyes gleaming with confidence, and strode toward the referee's table.

"That's for sure. No matter who the opponent is, we won't lose."

Akutsu Jin nodded to Kagura Ichijin and followed closely beside Sengoku Kiyosumi.

This time, their opponents are Rikkai University's senior, Nishiki, and Yanagi Renji.

"A decisive game, Sengoku/Akuzu serve."

"Renji, aren't they singles players? How did they become a doubles team?"

Jin looked at Sengoku Kiyosumi and Akutsu Jin across from him, his face full of confusion.

According to intelligence, these two have always been Yamabuki's main singles players and have never partnered in doubles in a match.

"We've been tricked. We never expected Yamabuki to have such a trump card hidden away."

Liu Lian'er, who had been squinting, suddenly opened his eyes, revealing a rare seriousness.

Kiyosumi Sengoku and Jin Akutsu are already quite strong, and if they can coordinate their efforts, their strength would probably far surpass that of other schools' doubles teams.

To some extent, all the schools participating in the Kanto Tournament were deceived by Yamabuki.

The fact that Yamabuki has been holding back until now is clearly aimed at Rikkai University.

"It looks like this match won't be easy."

Jin's heart sank.

Since Yamabuki dared to reveal his trump card at this time, he was clearly determined to win and wanted to secure this first victory.

"Um."

Liu Lianji nodded, his gaze sweeping across the arena and landing on Kagura Yiren, who was watching from the sidelines.

As expected of someone who could defeat Mitsuya Akutsu, he is truly terrifying. He doesn't make a move unless it's absolutely necessary, and when he does, it strikes right at the vital points.

"Akuzu, let's begin."

Nodding to Akutsu Jin, Sengoku Kiyosumi walked to the service area.

He tossed the ball high into the air, leaping into the air himself, and then swung his racket with all his might!

"Tiger Cannon!"

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

"Bang!"

Although Senior Jin caught the ball, his brows were tightly furrowed.

He noticed that Akutsu Jin had already quickly run to the ball's landing point.

While Sengoku Kiyosumi's serve was powerful, it had a significant weakness.

But now that it's doubles, with Jin Akutsu on the sidelines to cover for them, this weakness has been perfectly compensated.

"Bang!"

……

"Bang!"

……

"Bang!"

After more than twenty rounds of intense exchange, Jin Akutsu seized the opportunity, rushed to the net, and scored directly with a volley.

"15-0!"

"Akuzu, did you notice? Those two are both very strong, but their teamwork is just average. It seems they're not a regular pair."

Kiyosumi Sengoku walked to the service area and whispered to Jin Akutsu.

In doubles matches, unless there is a significant difference in skill between the two sides, the level of teamwork and coordination often determines the outcome of the match.

The opponent clearly relied more on individual skill to win the game.

"Yeah, those two are actually better suited for one-on-one."

Jin Akutsu gripped his racket and looked at the opponent with a serious expression.

Rikkai's overall strength is indeed terrifying. Players like Nishiki and Yanagi Renji would definitely be top singles players at other schools, but at Rikkai they can only play doubles.

"Tiger Cannon!"

Kiyosumi Sengoku served again, then came to the baseline and assumed a defensive stance, his eyes sharply observing his opponent's movements.

"Bang!"

……

"Bang!"

……

"Bang!"

……

"30-0!"

……

"40-0!"

……

"40-15!"

……

"Game, Sengoku/Akutsu, 1-0!"

"Renji, those two have a very solid foundation, and their teamwork is surprisingly good."

Jin's tone was somewhat serious.

He was confident of winning in a singles match against either Akutsu or Sengoku.

But now it's doubles, and every attack he launches is always countered by the other player in time, making it difficult for him to find a chance to score.

"Moreover, one of them has strong baseline defense and the other can launch a powerful attack at any time. They complement each other very well and their teamwork is already close to that of a national-level doubles team."

Liu Lian'er gave a bitter smile.

Yamabuki is really good at training doubles pairs. Their excellent teamwork is definitely not something that was put together temporarily. They have probably been practicing together for several months in private.

While he and Senior Jin are both individually strong, their teamwork is clearly lacking.

If only Genichiro Sanada hadn't gone to fight in the singles match, given the level of teamwork between him and Genichiro Sanada, they might have been able to put up a fight.

Unfortunately, it's too late to say all this now. Ever since Nishiki was defeated by Atobe Keigo, he was no longer suitable to play singles, and switching positions with Sanada Genichiro was a last resort.