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

August, Aichi Prefecture, Shinjo Comprehensive Park.

When the Yamabuki crew arrived at this place, they were all immediately struck by its beauty.

The roads here are wide and clean, shaded by green trees, and the brand-new facilities gleam invitingly in the sunlight.

"I didn't expect the environment and facilities here to be so good; they're just as good as the tennis parks in Tokyo!"

Looking at the park in front of her, Sengoku Kiyosumi couldn't help but sigh.

In his mind, apart from the bustling Tokyo area, the facilities in other places should be somewhat inferior.

But what he saw before him completely overturned his understanding.

"It must have been recently renovated and repaired specifically for the national competition. This is the first time in recent years that such a grand event has been held in the central region, so it's natural to make it look presentable in order to attract more spectators and media."

Kagura Ichijin looked around, his expression somewhat complicated.

He underestimated the prestige of the national championship. Okayama Oku's victory that time truly elevated the tennis atmosphere of the entire Chubu region to a whole new level.

Aichi Prefecture, as the host city, clearly benefited from this.

Hosting a national competition can not only bring huge economic benefits, but also enhance the local reputation and influence.

This may be the underlying reason why the Kansai region has consistently dominated national tournaments.

Only by achieving good results can more places be allocated, more attention be paid, and local development be improved, thus forming a virtuous cycle that in turn benefits the school's tennis development.

"There are indeed a lot of people here. I didn't expect so many people to come to watch the game on the first day."

Sengoku Kiyosumi looked around at the bustling crowd, feeling both excited and nervous.

The national competition was indeed different from the competitions they had participated in before. In the past, only the finals were this lively, but now the competition had not even started yet, and it was already bustling with noise.

"Let's go, let's get onto the field."

Kagura Ichijin took a deep breath and quickened his pace toward Banta Mikiya ahead.

"Okay, by the way, Kagura, we need to play two rounds today, right?"

Sengoku Kiyosumi quickly followed, then suddenly turned to look at Kagura Ichijin, a rare serious expression on his face.

A total of 21 schools participated in the national competition, and the top eight will be determined in one day, which means that 13 schools will be eliminated today.

The national tournament's format is so brutal that only the truly strong can remain.

"That's right, we didn't get a bye and we have to play two rounds, but the good news is that our opponents in the first round aren't very strong."

Kagura Ichijin nodded, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

Although Yamabuki will have to play an extra round, their draw result is already quite good compared to those schools that received a bye but will face last year's top eight teams directly in the second round.

Some schools may seem lucky to get a bye, but what they face next are formidable opponents that are simply impossible to defeat.

Examples of schools making a comeback to win the championship like last year's Okayama Olympics are very rare; most schools are just there to make up the numbers.

"That's good. At least we should win one game first. It would be too embarrassing to be eliminated right after we start."

Sengoku Kiyosumi breathed a slight sigh of relief.

They then followed Banta Mikiya into the arena. After finding a shady spot under a tree to gather, the Yamabuki members took out their rackets and began to warm up.

Today's match is different from usual. They have worked hard for several months to get this opportunity to play, so they will naturally attach great importance to it.

After an unknown amount of time, the first round of the national competition officially began with the sound of a broadcast.

Yamabuki Middle School faced their first opponent, St. Icarus Academy from the Tohoku region.

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 national tournament, Yamabuki must play all five matches according to the rules.

The specific lineup of players.

The third singles match was against Sengoku Kiyosumi.

The second doubles team was Kentaro Minami and Masami Higashikata.

The second singles player is Jin Akutsu.

The first pair of Daguji Mushin and Ishimaru Kanto.

First singles match: Kagura Ijin.

Because the rules of the National Tournament are completely different from those of the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament and the Kanto Tournament, the order of appearance has also changed dramatically.

In the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament and the Kanto Tournament, doubles players compete first, followed by singles players, while in the National Tournament, singles and doubles players alternate.

"The first match begins. Yamabuki will play the third singles match, and San Icarus will play the third singles match."

"It's finally starting! Kagura, just wait and see my great start!"

Having warmed up, Sengoku Kiyosumi nodded to Kagura Ichijin, then picked up his racket and strode toward the referee.

This time, his opponent is Richard Sakata, who is also a first-year student.

"A single game to decide the winner, Senkoku serves."

"It's unbelievable that any kind of trash can participate in the national tournament. And this Yamabuki Junior High School? I've never even heard of it."

Richard Sakata stood in front of the net, speaking fluent English, looking Sengoku Kiyosumi up and down with disdain, his eyes filled with arrogance and contempt.

In his opinion, all the middle school students in Japan were trash. If St. Icarus Academy hadn't paid a high price to bring him back from overseas, he wouldn't have bothered to participate in such a low-level competition.

"Hello, I am Sengoku Kiyosumi."

Although Sengoku Kiyosumi understood what the other person was muttering, she still maintained her politeness, extended her hand with a smile, and took the initiative to greet them.

He never expected that his first opponent would be an overseas student, which made him feel very novel and excited.

As for Richard Sakata's arrogant attitude, he didn't want to dwell on it too much.

"Okay, hello friend, let's start the competition."

Richard Sakata gave Sengoku Kiyosumi a perfunctory handshake, a fake, friendly smile on his face, before immediately turning around and walking toward the receiving area.

"What an idiot, it's such a waste of my precious time to compete against these idiots who can only laugh like fools."

Before he had taken more than a few steps, Richard Sakata began to curse under his breath in English again, completely unaware that the bright smile on Sengoku Kiyosumi's face had vanished and her expression had turned terribly gloomy.

"Tiger Cannon!"

Upon reaching the service area, Sengoku Kiyosumi took a deep breath, his eyes filled with rage.

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

"boom!"

The tennis ball hurtled towards the other side with a tremendous roar, like a cannonball.

"15-0!"

"This... how is this possible? How can there be such strong junior high school students in Japan?"

Looking at the tennis ball still rolling behind him, Richard Sakata's disdain froze instantly, replaced by shock.

The speed of Sengoku Kiyosumi's serve just now definitely exceeded 193km/h!

Even overseas, few people can reach this level. He never dreamed that he would encounter such a formidable opponent in such a "low-level competition".

"Tiger Cannon!"

Sengoku Kiyosumi showed no mercy; he was determined to teach this arrogant fool a lesson today.

"30-0!"

……

"40-0!"

……

"Game, Kiyosumi Sengoku, 1-0!"

With his powerful serve, Kiyosumi Sengoku easily held his serve.