26 Table Tennis League ⑥
◎ Like a ferocious beast emerging from the jungle, his pupils revealed an excitement determined to win.◎
In the third game, Zhu Qi's style changed completely!
She began to use rotation instead of speed, lowering her body very low, and then using the strength of her waist to drive her wrist when hitting the ball, creating detailed rotation.
When pure speed flow meets pure rotation flow, it is actually very difficult to fight.
Because speed requires players to use their arms and shoulders to quickly move the ball and add a little force when hitting the racket.
In this case, it is difficult to make the finger rotation details.
When receiving a spinning ball, if your rotation cannot keep up with the opponent's, the ball will be hit away or hit the net.
In the first two games, Chang Hongxia used her speed to crush Zhu Qi's rotation. No matter what offensive ball Zhu Qi hit, she would use swing speed to connect it, forcing Zhu Qi to keep up with her speed.
But starting from the third game, Zhu Qi retreated to the middle position.
She increased the distance between herself and the table, giving herself a little time to react after the ball hit by Chang Hongxia hit the table.
This style of play...
Looks like the same person!
Chang Hongxia's pupils suddenly dilated, and the surrounding environment seemed to have undergone earth-shaking changes at this moment.
This is not the Chaojing Gymnasium, but the stone tower center of the Macau Palace.
South Korean flags were waving in the surrounding audience seats like a sea of clouds.
The halo around the girl running behind the pool table opposite him began to blur and become blurred, and then condensed into the shape of another woman.
Her mortal enemy!
Li Keshan!
The guy who beat her in the World Cup semi-finals!
Now Bao Bao is completely imitating the style of South Korea's Li Keshan, starting to use forward balls to disrupt Chang Hongxia's rhythm!
Baobao's spin was incredibly powerful, and since she was standing in the middle of the table, quite far away, the ball quickly dropped just after it passed the net. If Chang Hongxia wanted to catch it, she had to use a short catch.
A ball spinning like that can't be sucked in short distances. Oh, look, it's stuck in the net.
[Score of the third game: Zhu Qi 4:2 Chang Hongxia]
Zhu Qi didn't see Chang Hongxia's eyes, but she felt that when she used this routine, Chang Hongxia was stunned for a moment.
In the first two games, Chang Hongxia did not give herself any chance to spin.
She is indeed experienced. She hardly uses the black rubber area and uses the red forehand area as her backhand.
This also resulted in him having almost no defensive ability.
When she's on a roll, she can be very aggressive and almost always be ahead.
But once the opponent has control of the rhythm, it is difficult to catch up.
Baobao's touch is very delicate. When returning the ball, he first rubs the ball with the racket rubber, creating a downward spin before using his hips and arms to send the ball out. This spin is truly terrifying.
[He charges first, then turns sideways, and finally adds a change of direction and a smash in the middle. Each one is a killer move!]
[Yes, she was telling Chang Hongxia, I'm not afraid of you either, I can fight you head-on.]
[Bao Bao is indeed like He Qianlu, with a tough body.]
[Score of the third game: Zhu Qi 8:4 Chang Hongxia]
Chang Hongxia was a little confused now. She couldn't figure out whether she was hitting Bao Bao or Li Keshan.
[We still need to regain our rhythm first and not let the other party lead us by the nose.]
[It felt like the two of them were playing tug-of-war on the table, one trying desperately to pull the spin, the other trying desperately to give it speed.]
[Score in the third game: Zhu Qi 11:7 Chang Hongxia]
[Game 3, Zhu Qi 1:2 Chang Hongxia]
Rest in between.
He Qianlu knew that Zhu Qi wanted to use Li Keshan's techniques and tactics to fight Chang Hongxia.
Chang Hongxia has almost no defensive skill points, her offense is her defense.
But Zhu Qi is not Li Keshan after all. When he used Li Keshan's tactics of changing the direction of the top spin ball and hitting the middle table, he also exposed his weaknesses to the opponent.
Chang Hongxia quickly adjusted herself and the fourth game became more interesting.
She also began to retreat to the middle stage and engaged in a stalemate with Zhu Qi.
Then, when the opportunity arises, hit a long ball with your forehand, and directly hit the ball that hits the right forehand into a long ball.
Zhu Qi is also familiar with this routine.
This was the tactic Zhu Qi used against Li Keshan in the World Cup final.
Now the situation is getting interesting. Baobao is using Li Keshan's tactics to fight Chang Hongxia, and Chang Hongxia is using Baobao's tactics. The two are learning each other's techniques and tactics to fight against each other.
It's like looking in a mirror.
[Now Baobao and Chang Hongxia both seem to be getting a little carried away.]
[Yes, even though I knew that hitting a super low ball at this time would be a risk of suicide, I still wanted to fight with Chang Hongxia.]
Zhu Qi threw a high ball, and Chang Hongxia, as expected, returned it to her with a long ball from the baseline.
Zhu Qi also got into position early, led the racket, used his waist to generate power, and swept the racket across with his right hand!
“Bang!”
The ball traced an extremely terrifying arc, brushing past the right side of the net and then bouncing off the side of the opposite table!
Chang Hongxia's pupils twitched and she was shocked.
So fast!
[Score of the fourth game: Zhu Qi 14:12 Chang Hongxia]
[Game 4, Zhu Qi 2:2 Chang Hongxia]
The game was actually tied.
"It's so exciting." Ah Shui was stunned. "Is this the game of the great god?"
Maomao was also shocked by Zhu Qi's sideways charge: "She's playing like crazy, actually charging on her own match point. This way, her forehand position is completely open as she turns to the left! If Sister Xia can catch this ball and hit it back, she won't be able to catch it! They are both playing the 'chicken game' now."
"What is 'Chicken Game'?" This was the first time Ah Shui had heard the term.
"It's what we often call a fight. You're going all in and hitting a killer shot, betting that the opponent can't catch it and won't prepare for the next shot. You either score or lose points."
"Fuck, won't the scores change very quickly after that?"
It is exactly as A Shui said.
Starting from the fifth game, the scoreboard was moved almost every three boards.
Chang Hongxia served a backspin, Zhu Qi twisted and pulled, then slashed sideways to hit a backhand...
[Score: Zhu Qi 0:1 Chang Hongxia]
Zhu Qi served, Chang Hongxia sent a short ball back, and Zhu Qi flew up and hit it...
[Score: Zhu Qi 1:2 Chang Hongxia]
[Score: Zhu Qi 2:3 Chang Hongxia]
[Score: Zhu Qi 4:3 Chang Hongxia]…
The score is very close!
Everyone held their breath, afraid of missing any ball, because every one of them was very exciting!
Chang Hongxia was full of curiosity about this girl.
She really wanted to understand Zhu Qi, her past, her original goal in playing table tennis, and her courage in quitting the provincial team and playing in the World Championship Cup as an individual.
After joining the national team, Chang Hongxia often secretly observed the girl.
She always felt that she could see a kind of worldly experience in Zhu Qi that was not suitable for her age.
It seemed as if she had suffered some hardship.
Therefore, she treats people with a maturity beyond her age.
Chang Hongxia used all her strength and treated Zhu Qi with the same attitude as she would treat the World Games.
She knew the girl's strong will, and she was also expressing her eagerness to recruit talented people to Zhu Qi.
Zhu Qi also gave his own strong feedback.
[Fifth game, Zhu Qi 8:8 Chang Hongxia]
It's even again!
Ah Shui couldn't close her mouth for a long time. She saw that both Chang Hongxia and Zhu Qi tensed every muscle in their bodies.
Their shoulders, chests, and backs were soaked with sweat.
Their eyes are all equally serious.
Like a ferocious beast deep in the jungle, his pupils revealed an excitement that was determined to win.
Even so, none of them showed any signs of fatigue, but instead stared at the white ball in each other's hands, preparing for the next fight.
Maomao had already been hit by Chang Hongxia in the semifinals and applauded: "Sister Xia's wrist strength is incredible. When she hits the ball at speed, there's a bit of a slice feel to it, but when the ball hits it, it's not as soft as a normal slice."
In this deciding game, the two players have the same score.
Both Chang Hongxia's coach and He Qianlu tacitly did not call a timeout to guide tactics for their players.
Because at this time, both of them have completely entered the state.
Neither the coach's voice nor the cheers of the audience on the court could be heard.
At this moment, the situation has reached such a tense level.
This was something Chang Hongxia had not expected.
She felt the girl's desire, persistence and madness for victory.
Girls will not be anxious because they are behind, nor will they be afraid because their opponents are strong.
It's like a leopard standing on the top of a mountain, overlooking the jungle and seeing a pack of wolves surrounding it, but it doesn't retreat and instead turns itself from prey into a predator.
Even if I get hurt, I will kill a few to make back my money.
Ah Shui in the stands was silent. At first, she would applaud Zhu Qi or Chang Hongxia, and cheer no matter who scored, just to be fair.
But now, when I think about the women's singles final, I will go to play women's doubles with Zhu Qi.
Coincidentally, the women's doubles team of Xia Jie and Maomao also made it to the finals.
By then I will also meet Chang Hongxia... Oh my God, how will I fight her?
The cat next to her actually had a similar mentality, but was more optimistic: "I've wanted to play against Bao Bao for a long time, but unfortunately I never had the chance to play singles. Doubles wouldn't be bad either."
"...Don't mess with me." A Shui.
"Hehe." Cat.
“…”A Shui.
In fact, many people think that table tennis is not very entertaining because the ball is too small. It is not as comfortable to watch as the large balls like football, basketball, and volleyball.
But only those who really practice table tennis know that table tennis requires more skills, is more delicate, and is more obsessed with it.
After playing five games, Chang Hongxia and Zhu Qi had completely forgotten their scores.
She just wanted to move on to the next ball as quickly as possible, every ball, and enjoy the excitement brought by every fight with Zhu Qi.
This feeling is very novel.
It's like meeting someone you've never met before but feel very familiar with as soon as you meet them.
Even though he had never fought with her before, he felt as if he had met her too late.
At this moment, Chang Hongxia also understood why Jin Lili hated Zhu Qi so much.
Because of Zhu Qi's appearance, Jin Lili felt a sense of crisis.
Jin Lili realized that she might no longer be the main training target of the national team. This rising star has begun to shine brightly and surpass everyone before her.
This group of people also includes Chang Hongxia.
She will, she will surpass Chang Hongxia.
Just like now, catching up with the points I’ve fallen behind in, bit by bit.
[Fifth game score: Zhu Qi 12:12 Chang Hongxia]…
The score became deadlocked again.
Now every ball is the key to victory.
The two people who were in the fight seemed to have regained some composure at this moment.
Chang Hongxia began to return to the table. When Zhu Qi was about to hit a topspin ball with a very edge landing point, she placed the racket flat under the table and secretly added a sweeping rotation from right to left, allowing the ball to fly back around the net with a right-side topspin.
This shot was played very cleverly.
Because the table is relatively high, many people will secretly rotate it under the table when approaching the table, mainly to create a blind spot in the opponent's view, so as to achieve a surprise effect.
At the moment of hitting the ball, Chang Hongxia's body swayed slightly left and right, and it looked like she was just hitting an ordinary topspin ball.
But Zhu Qi had already been waiting sideways at the center line. When the ball passed by, he flipped his wrist and used the black rubber to make a large diagonal angle.
The white ball gurgled back and bounced in Chang Hongxia's left hand area.
[Fifth game score: Zhu Qi 13:12 Chang Hongxia]
Bao Bao wasn't fooled by Chang Hongxia's fake moves. Instead, she predicted her tactics and waited in advance at the ball's landing point. This little girl is really smart.
Even though she knew Chang Hongxia was good at attacking, Bao Bao still deliberately gave her a low ball. She was also trying to compete with Chang Hongxia, hoping to win the forehand.
I feel that whether it's Chang Hongxia or Zhu Qi, as a veteran and a newcomer in the women's table tennis team, it's really not easy for them to hit every ball with all their strength.
The commentators knew that the game was coming to an end and began to make their final closing remarks.
Competitive matches are like this; there can only be one winner in each round. We can see today that Chang Hongxia was in top form, making almost no mistakes and not giving the young player any chances.
As a newcomer to the national team, Baobao fully demonstrated her abilities. She's truly a talented and courageous young woman. Regardless of who wins today, she's a valuable asset to the Chinese national team.
"Chicken Game" is like that. A lot of it depends on the athlete's mentality, but even more often it depends on whether or not luck is on their side."
[After all, when it comes to gambling, no one knows whether their shot will score or not.]
The audience had already lost their voices long ago, and now everyone was waiting for the final result.
I want to know who will be the women's singles champion of the first Ping Tiao League.
Maybe he also knew that it was time to put an end to this game.
Chang Hongxia once again used her best forehand attack.
Whenever she attacked, Zhu Qi would retreat to the middle, trying to weaken her speed.
Then the two players fought forehand and won by quality.
But just when Chang Hongxia pushed a long ball over, Zhu Qi suddenly tilted his body slightly to the right, raised his arm, kept his shoulders still, and held the racket level with his body.
Everyone in the audience was stunned!
Xu Dong stared at the girl in the light blue tracksuit in astonishment. Her entire arm was as tense as a spring, stretched to the limit that her body could adapt to!
She hit a topspin ball with an extremely strange trajectory!
The ball passed through a very round semicircle in the air, landed on the right hand side of Chang Hongxia's table, and then flew straight into the sky!
This topspin ball?!
Why is it turning like this? ! ! !
Ren Xinhua stood up directly from the stool and stared at Zhu Qi without blinking.
This ball... this ball... is a bit like what the Hungarian team said - the Japanese loop ball①!
How could Zhu Qi——be able to play this kind of ball? ! !
The little white ball rolled past Chang Hongxia's feet like a soldier who had completed all his tasks.
[Fifth game score: Zhu Qi 15:13 Chang Hongxia]
[Fifth round: Zhu Qi 3:2 Chang Hongxia]
When the referee confirmed that the point belonged to Zhu Qi, the two girls who were hit on the head did not react.
Zhu Qi looked down at the racket in his hand, then looked up at Chang Hongxia who was also looking at him.
Relying on her impression of loop balls from her previous life, she secretly practiced for so long and finally produced a decent semi-finished loop ball, and the effect was amazing.
The Japanese team hasn't even mastered this technique yet. If they use it now, it will probably be widely reported. Who knows, there might even be a bunch of people asking how they can loop the ball...
Oh my. Too impatient!
This tactic is intended to be used in next year's competition leading directly to the Tokyo World Games.
As a result, I got carried away while fighting with the captain.
If you don't show your best skills, you won't be able to win...
When Zhu Qi looked up, He Qianlu was also looking at him in amazement.
She smiled bitterly.
What should I do? The "weapon" hidden in the box has been revealed ahead of time.
Chang Hongxia felt a little numb in the head, and always felt as if there was still one more game to play.
Her shoulders were numb from the intense exercise, and her palms where she held the racket felt a little sore.
Yes.
She lost.
Chang Hongxia did not show any regret for losing the game, and Zhu Qi did not show any joy after winning.
The two of them looked at each other across the table, both with an expression on their faces that said, "Is this the end?"
Finally, Chang Hongxia was the first to react. She took a deep breath, put down the racket in her hand and walked towards Zhu Qi.
This girl's ball is as courageous as she is as a person.
It seems that no matter what problems they encounter, how complicated the opponent's ball path is, or how advanced the technology is, they will not back down.
This is a child raised by He Qianlu. He looks very much like He Qianlu, but not completely He Qianlu.
When He Qianlu left the national team, she and Xu Dong both knew that He Qianlu might have been wronged and might have been a victim of sports politics.
But no one dared to really stand up for him on the world stage.
Even the national team was ready to give up on him.
But he still did his best and gave the national team a person who could change their destiny.
Chang Hongxia asked her: "Can you tell me why you chose table tennis? I'm really curious."
Why did you choose table tennis?
Why do we still go down this path when we know clearly that “Chinese table tennis has been in a dark period for twelve years”?
Why not rely on past life memories after rebirth to go into business or take a more comfortable path...
Why do you become an athlete who trains from 7am to 10pm, 365 days a year...
She looked down at the racket in her hand.
I looked around at the people in the audience chanting my name.
In a trance, I seemed to see myself in my previous life, who had lived a mediocre life, had a car accident and could only lie in bed, waiting for others to announce the most valuable way to die.
She has no friends, no family, and no master.
It was a small white ball that accompanied her through one dark night after another.
No.
It wasn't her who chose the little white ball.
It was this little white ball that chose her to save her extremely dark life.
“I want to win once,” she said.
Win this fucking life for once.
【Author’s words】
① Loop: I mentioned this in a previous chapter, but I'm posting it again, worried I might have missed it. Loops actually appeared in the 1960s, but I'm moving the timeline a bit to highlight their threat to penholders and the urgency of future competitions. It seems many table tennis fans don't know what a loop is, so this article will provide some background information.
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