Chapter 42: The Nail-Biting Match (Please Keep Reading)

Tossing the ball, pushing off the ground, swinging the racket, striking!

Bang!

The tennis ball surged forward like an arrow released from a bow!

It slammed ruthlessly into the outer corner of the opponent's second service court.

Having experienced Jiang Hong's first ace serve, Jun Shimada had already heightened his vigilance in his heart.

Therefore, the moment he saw the trajectory of the tennis ball, he immediately began to move!

As a player without high-speed lateral movement, without a powerhouse serve, yet able to survive in lower-level professional tournaments, his greatest characteristic was his rock-solid fundamentals.

Thus, he rushed to the hitting position in advance, swung his racket, and whipped his arm to return the ball directly.

Jiang Hong immediately sprinted quickly toward the left side, executing a single-handed backhand slice!

Because Jiang Hong generated power very quickly, this return instantly zipped back toward the opponent's service box.

Although Jun Shimada started moving in advance, Jiang Hong's variation was far too sudden.

In the end, he still failed to reach the ball before it bounced out past the sideline.

Jun Shimada wore a serious expression. From the previous two points, it was evident that not only was Jiang Hong's serve tricky, but his backhand technique was also quite good.

Therefore, Jun Shimada chose to change his tactics, opting for heavy, hard-hitting returns.

Through a strategy of pressure, he aimed to prevent Jiang Hong from frequently changing tactics.

Then, relying on his solid fundamentals, he would look for flaws in Jiang Hong during grueling rallies.

However, Jun Shimada was clearly mistaken in his calculations.

Because this guy Jiang Hong practiced returning over a thousand tennis balls in training every single day.

When it came to such baseline rallies, Jiang Hong couldn't be happier!

Despite a few twists and turns, Jiang Hong ultimately managed to successfully hold his service game in the first set.

When it was Jun Shimada's turn to serve in the second game, the match instantly fell into a drawn-out rally.

Right from the serve, his opponent had been preparing for a long exchange.

When Jiang Hong changed the trajectory of his returns, Jun Shimada did not desperately chase after them like his previous opponents!

Instead, he would pre-judge the ball's path in his mind; if the return distance was too long and he lacked confidence in his shot, Jun Shimada would simply choose to give up on it!

Through these few points, Jiang Hong could tell that his opponent possessed good stamina.

Moreover, at twenty-six years old, he was right at the peak of his physical conditioning.

If he couldn't be moved around, his stamina couldn't be depleted either.

This methodical, by-the-book style of play truly suited the Japanese personality.

Its characteristic was a high floor and a low ceiling.

If one needed to play in higher-level tournaments, a player had to flexibly grasp every single shot.

To be honest, Jun Shimada also felt a bit puzzled inside.

Because Jiang Hong had played two more matches than him, and even played two matches in a single day.

How on earth could his stamina still be this abundant!

Both players resolutely executed their respective tactics.

Jiang Hong did not display his entire arsenal right at the beginning.

"Now is the time!"

As the match progressed, Jiang Hong noticed that his opponent was finally showing some signs of fatigue.

Facing Jun Shimada's serve, Jiang Hong directly chose a wide-angle directional change.

On the first point, Jun Shimada took two steps and chose to give up.

On the second point, Jiang Hong once again hit a deep shot before suddenly changing the line!

This time, Jun Shimada managed to reach the drop point of the ball, but it was already too late; after bouncing a second time, the tennis ball flew past the sideline.

Facing the third point and Jiang Hong's tactical deployment, Jun Shimada could no longer simply let it go as he had before!

He could already see that Jiang Hong was determined to run him around.

Jun Shimada either had to run, or lose the point!

"A multi-shot rally between the two players, and here it comes again—Jiang Hong's signature sudden wide-angle directional change. He has already won two points with this tactic in this game. Let's see if Jun Shimada chooses to let it go again!"

"Oh? Jun Shimada hasn't given up; he chose to chase the ball down and hit it back into Jiang Hong's court."

"Wait, Jiang Hong was already prepared! A brilliant net interception, hitting to Jun Shimada's right open court. Shimada didn't make it in time, the ball bounced twice, and Jiang Hong scores! The score comes to 40:0; Jiang Hong only needs one more point to break Jun Shimada's service game!"

As long as he kept him running, there was no fear of Shimada failing to reveal a flaw.

Jun Shimada's face was flushed red, clearly having his emotions affected.

This time, he delayed the serve for a long time before finally putting it into play.

The serve was standard and unpretentious; Jiang Hong returned it with a forehand flat shot, deep into the opponent's backcourt.

Jun Shimada had no choice but to contract his positioning to deal with Jiang Hong's return.

However, he did not sit idly by and wait for death, also beginning to change directions to move Jiang Hong around.

Perhaps because he lacked confidence in his own directional change technique, the angle of his movement was not very wide!

Therefore, after a simple adjustment of his stance, Jiang Hong was able to easily return the ball.

"Do or die!"

Jun Shimada knew that if he continued to play passively at this moment, he would probably be boiled alive like a frog in warm water.

Thus, he immediately opted for a wide-angle directional change. After hitting the shot, Shimada didn't even immediately return to his home position.

Instead, he watched the landing spot of the tennis ball.

Must admit, his opponent had good luck; the shot actually landed near the outer corner, just four or five centimeters away from the sideline, narrowly avoiding going out.

Holding his racket with a single hand, Jiang Hong strode forward with rapid steps.

"Got to it!"

Twisting his waist and driving his arm, he swung his single-handed forehand through the ball.

The tennis ball transformed into an arc, plunging straight toward the opposite corner.

Jun Shimada hurriedly chased after it, barely managing to loft a lob back.

However, it turned out to be a high, floating ball that landed right near the net.

Tap, tap, tap!

Jiang Hong immediately chose to rush the net, swinging his racket!

A smash right into the outer corner of the baseline!

"Brilliant! Jiang Hong has sealed this game, successfully breaking serve to bring the score to 4:2!"

The commentator shouted excitedly from the broadcast booth.

In the early stages of this match, both players traded blows in a protracted, grueling rally.

Each had successfully held their respective service games.

This had made the spectators, and even the commentator himself, somewhat nervous, as the outcome of the match could shift at any moment.

And once Jiang Hong successfully held his serve, the heavy stone in his heart instantly dropped.

Because the service game was Jiang Hong's specialty; holding serve should be no problem at all!

"Alright, now it is player Jiang Hong's turn to serve!"

Jun Shimada knew that once his serve was broken, the difficulty of winning the first set would skyrocket.

Jiang Hong settled into his serving stance.

Tossing the ball, pushing off the ground, swinging the racket, striking!

"Bang!"

The tennis ball zipped past right in front of Jiang Hong, its speed likely around 180 kilometers per hour.

However, this was merely the average speed of a professional player; the main point was that the angle was devilishly tricky, coupled with topspin, making the trajectory extremely elusive.

Jun Shimada crouched low, holding his racket with both hands, his eyes locked firmly on Jiang Hong and the tennis ball.

This time, Jiang Hong's service motion was exceptionally fluid, so the landing spot of the tennis ball was also extremely precise, heading straight toward the center line of the service box!

Jun Shimada immediately gave chase, but after the tennis ball landed and bounced, it actually carved out an eerie arc, flying toward the second service court direction.

Although Shimada split-stepped to nearly 180 degrees to stretch out for the shot independently, he still couldn't quite reach it.

Seeing this, the commentator immediately shouted excitedly before the ball could even bounce a second time.

"It's appeared again! Jiang Hong's ace serve!"

Right at that moment, the referee's voice suddenly rang out.

"Out!"

That wasn't right. Under normal circumstances, the referee wouldn't call it out like that.

They should only announce the score and the name of the player who won the point.

Seeming to notice everyone's confusion, the referee spoke again.

"Jiang Hong's serve is out!"