Peninsula: Aiming for a Grand Slam

Chapter 95 Tactical Adjustments

Wednesday morning, close to 12 o'clock.

After the match, Chen Jixian sat on a bench in the locker room, not in a hurry to take a shower.

局分：7—5，6—7（4），6—4。

Plate division: 2-1.

I played for more than two hours, and I was really tired. But I just couldn't suppress the sense of pride I felt.

Xiao Chen gave himself a thumbs up.

"I am amazing!"

I'm a genius.

When others look at the score, they will only think that he won by a lot of difficulty, and even a little bit of a mess.

I played against an unknown player ranked outside the top 800, and we played three full games, almost losing each time.

However, only Chen Jixian himself knew how awesome he had just been.

[Task objective: Achieve 30 forehand winners!]

[Task Progress: 19/30]

There are 11 more attempts to go.

He used what others saw as a "narrow victory" to wear down nearly two-thirds of the mission.

Xiao Chen had already planned it out. The second and third rounds were just for completing tasks. He didn't care if the scene was ugly; others could watch the excitement while he did the tasks.

Chen Jixian stood up, picked up his golf bag, and walked out.

In the corridor, I ran into my opponent from the second round, a young European man in his early twenties.

His expression wasn't exactly one of frustration, he was just stunned.

Upon seeing Xiao Chen, the other person hesitated for a moment: "I'm not sure if you're stronger or I'm stronger than you—I can play three full games with you."

Chen Jixian nodded: "Keep it up."

There's no need to rush to prove whether Chen Jixian is strong or not.

We'll find out on Friday.

Schneider was waiting for him.

"Did you play all the games today?" Schneider asked.

Chen Jixian remained expressionless and delivered the prepared explanation: "Tactical adjustment."

"Daldley's forehand is too strong. Before the semifinals, I'll have to withstand a lot of overhead smashes on my forehand—I might need to adjust a bit more tomorrow."

Schneider looked at him for two seconds.

Chen Jixian knew what he was worried about.

If a player suddenly plays abnormally, it's either because he's hiding an injury or because he's involved in something he shouldn't be doing and is throwing the game.

Schneider had met the latter, and more than once. Young Chen had great potential, and the Germans were worried he was going astray.

"Tell me in advance next time something like this happens—and also, watch your physical fitness."

Chen Jixian nodded.

Schneider didn't ask any further questions and turned to walk towards the parking lot.

That evening, Xiao Chen was watching videos of his opponents in the third round of the competition.

Lopez, a Spaniard, is ranked around 600th.

Chen Jixian watched his video for a while. It was a bit difficult to deal with; the bottom line was extremely durable, and there were no killer moves, it could just wear down to 0.

It's not easy to rack up winning points anymore.

While Xiao Chen was still studying it, his phone vibrated.

News about Wang Hao.

"Old Chen, what happened in the second round? Liu Si and MY both said you showed your true colors, and you almost lost even against an unknown opponent."

"

Chen Jixian was taken aback.

Even if you win, you can still criticize?

He really learned a lot.

He checked the time: 10 p.m. Seoul time—4 a.m.

Old Wang was getting anxious.

All Xiao Chen could say was, "Tactical adjustment."

Actually, this is a somewhat sensitive issue, and he didn't want to explain it too clearly.

after awhile.

Wang Hao typed: "The atmosphere in the group is a bit restless. Sister Han wants a beautiful performance. Can we win the next round cleanly and decisively?"

Without the slightest hesitation, Xiao Chen replied, "I'm sorry, I can't do that."

Wang Hao was taken aback.

So direct?

He didn't want to bother people by getting up in the early hours of the morning.

However, those fans of Liu Zhimin cared more about Xiao Chen's competition results than about Liu Zhimin.

As soon as the score of the second round came out, 2-1, Liu's fans rushed to Xiao Chen's fan site as if it were New Year's Day.

"The true colors have been revealed"

"The first round was just luck."

"Can't compare to Ko Dong-hyuk"

The various rhetoric created a chaotic and unpleasant atmosphere in the website.

The administrator had no choice but to enable comment highlighting, but still felt a bit frustrated.

The Han sisters are just waiting for Xiao Chen to prove them wrong with the score, and show the other side once again that you can win even if you have fewer players.

So, sorry, I can't do it?

Wang Haoshen typed faster: "What does 'can't do' mean?"

Chen Jixian made it very clear: "Tactical adjustments. If we have to play like this in the third round, the match won't be pretty, and it might take three more games."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.

This time, Wang Hao wrote a long message: "Ko Dong-hyuk won both of his first two rounds in straight sets, very impressive scores."

"The Korean online community is all praising him. Liu's fans are using him to put you down, saying you only have a pretty face and don't deserve a wildcard."

"We want to argue for you, but we can't find anything to say—you played three full sets, and the score is still not good."

"They were so insulted they couldn't retaliate, they had no other choice but to ask me to come to you. Next round, could you win more cleanly?"

"But you—you could have won beautifully, yet you wouldn't let your fans hold their heads high?"

Chen Jixian looked at the screen.

For a moment, I also felt bad.

His fans were being beaten outside and wanted to speak up for him, but they had nothing to offer.

Chen Jixian typed, then deleted. He typed again, then deleted again.

In the end, he only typed two sentences.

"Please thank them for me."

"—The third round will proceed as planned."

Ultimately, his foundation is tennis, victory, and championships.

"Old Chen, what on earth are you doing?"

Chen Jixian couldn't explain it.

He could only reply, "My opponent in the semifinals has a very strong forehand, and I've been preparing for it ever since the first round."

No, it doesn't start from the first round.

After leaving the physiotherapy room, Chen Jixian had been preparing!

Wang Hao was taken aback: "You mean the Italian you mentioned on Monday?"

"Daldley, his opponent on Friday will most likely be him."

after awhile.

Wang Hao typed again: "What about Gao Donghe? Liu's fans are using his essays as ammunition to attack your fans. If you can't even beat Gao Donghe—"

Chen Jixian seemed to have heard a joke: "Gao Donghe? He writes long essays, but when he picks up a clapper, he only knows a couple of beats."

"Whether it's me or that Italian, I can easily crush whoever makes it to the finals."

Wang Hao didn't ask any more questions.

Nothing else has been posted.

At the same time.

Magic Hotel main building.

After watching the second round of recordings, Daldry turned off the screen.

The agent said, "J.Chen's forehand speed is not fast enough. His backhand is very stable, but he is obviously hesitant to use it."

"More than once, with the backhand side open, they forcefully turn to hit a forehand."

"Either he has a hand injury, or he relies too much on his forehand. Either way, we'll pressure his forehand in the semifinals, that's a sure thing."

Daldry didn't respond.

The Italian player dragged the progress bar to rewatch the game and check Xiao Chen's movements.

That Asian kid, every time he glides to stop, his center of gravity immediately returns to the center; not a single step is superfluous!

After hitting a forehand, he turned to the side; after hitting a backhand, he returned to his starting position. He was so clean-cut, he didn't look like a newbie at all!

"Do you think there's a problem?" the agent asked.

Daldry pointed at the screen: "His slide—even in the Challenger, few can stop like that."

He even felt that, even in higher-level competitions, few could be this consistent.

But there is no evidence.

"Go watch another match in the third round," Daldry said.

"I've already watched two shows —"

"Let's go see another one."

The Italians did not explain.

But he saw it—

Chen Jixian played all three games and won.

Don't panic if you lose Game 7.

On a crucial point, a backhand suddenly locked down the situation, and the player continued to grind with forehand in the next game.

"This isn't a struggle—is he using the game as practice?"

He didn't know what J.Chen was practicing.

However, someone who uses a formal competition as an experiment is either crazy or doesn't take their opponent seriously.

Regardless of which one, it's worth keeping an eye on it again.

The agent didn't say anything more.

Since the customer has asked, he will comply.

Luciano Dardelli is still watching Xiao Chen's match videos.

He still remembers his two encounters with Chen Jixian.

The first time, Xiao Chen came out of the physiotherapy room, he apologized and bowed.

The second time, when he came out of the physiotherapy room, it was Xiao Chen who made way for him.

From Monday onwards, he had a premonition that this very handsome boy would definitely become his formidable rival!

Even now, this idea hasn't changed at all.

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