Chapter 43: First Professional Championship!

When the chair umpire announced that Jiang Hong's previous serve was out, everyone was dumbfounded.

Even Jiang Hong's opponent, Jun Shimashima, was stunned for a moment.

He had seen the tennis ball land clearly inside the service box.

However, since the referee had made the call, he naturally was not going to step forward and declare that Jiang Hong's ball was actually in.

After all, if Jiang Hong failed to win the point, it was a good thing for him.

Besides, what if speaking up made the chair umpire feel that his authority was being challenged?

"Ah? The chair umpire has called Jiang Hong's serve out. I wonder if there was a misjudgment, and right now Jiang Hong is communicating with the chair umpire!"

Although the commentator wanted to say that he clearly saw the ball land in, as an official broadcaster, he could not simply blurt that out.

Jiang Hong was somewhat exasperated. He walked up to the umpire's chair and spread his hands.

"Referee, my serve just now should have successfully landed in the box!"

The umpire sat in his chair and waved his hand. "No, no! Your serve just now was out. You need to prepare for your second serve."

Jiang Hong raised his head and looked at the umpire. "I believe it was very clear that the ball was not out!"

"It was out. Please return to the court and continue the match, player Jiang Hong!" the umpire said firmly, shaking his head.

Jiang Hong took a deep breath. Before the Hawk-Eye system was universally implemented, various misjudgments were a common occurrence.

In situations like this, the outcome was basically decided entirely by the chair umpire.

If the umpire was also unsure, the point would be replayed.

However, the current chair umpire was clearly extremely confident in his own judgment!

Jiang Hong had no idea whether the man genuinely failed to see it clearly or if he was intentionally biased.

Either way, he certainly wouldn't give the opponent another such opportunity!

The commentator in the booth nearby had a subtle expression upon learning the result, and then spoke into the microphone.

"The chair umpire confirms that Jiang Hong's serve was out. Moving on to the second serve!"

The spectators in the stands, however, were not nearly as calm as Jiang Hong.

People immediately started shouting and venting their anger!

"Biased referee! Change the official!"

"There's corruption going on! Investigate the referee!"

"The ball clearly landed in just now, how could it be called out?"

Jiang Hong turned a deaf ear to all the commotion. Without the Hawk-Eye system comprehensively widespread, as a Chinese player competing abroad, encountering biased refereeing was a distinct possibility.

In his past life, people used to call Novak Djokovic the global away player.

Perhaps Jiang Hong would now get to enjoy that very same treatment.

Still, "this is also a part of the game."

Jiang Hong returned to the baseline, gently tapping the tennis ball on the ground with his fingers!

His gaze fixed on the opponent's half of the court as he mentally calculated his service placement.

Facing Jiang Hong's intense gaze, Jun Shimashima suddenly shivered, seized by an inexplicable, ominous premonition!

He tossed the ball, pushed off the ground, and swung his racket!

Bang!

The tennis ball shot forward like a bolt of lightning!

It smashed heavily right into the dead center of the opponent's first service box.

That's right, Jiang Hong did this on purpose!

Jun Shimashima's eyes lit up.

"It looks like Jiang Hong's mindset has been affected by the referee; he doesn't dare hit those tricky serves anymore!"

Originally, he had thought he was like a frog being boiled in warm water and was destined to lose the first set!

His plan was to grind down the time in the second set, exhausting the opponent's stamina to scrape together a chance at victory.

He never expected such an unexpected windfall!

Focusing his attention, Jun Shimashima naturally refused to let go of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

After bouncing off the ground, the tennis ball soared into the air!

He swung his arm with a rotation so fast that his racket blurred into a shadow.

A crisp sound echoed as the strings struck the ball!

In an instant, the tennis ball hurtled toward Jiang Hong's vacant right side!

The moment his opponent swung, Jiang Hong had already anticipated the move in his mind.

He sprinted toward the right sideline in advance!

Fast!

Jiang Hong's speed was blistering, and his stroke execution was even faster!

In a flash, he returned the ball at the exact same angle toward the sideline of his opponent's half.

After recovering his position in the center, Jun Shimashima rushed forward to chase the ball!

As Jun Shimashima was forced to dash back and forth, left and right, to return shots, Jiang Hong continuously varied the landing spots of the tennis ball.

Suddenly, with a single-handed backhand slice,

he dropped a delicate short ball!

"Oh no!"

Jun Shimashima's eyes widened instantly. Because Jiang Hong had consistently targeted the deep baseline zones, this sudden drop shot caught him completely off guard, leaving him scrambling desperately!

Before he could even make it halfway to the net, the tennis ball had already bounced out past the sideline.

For the next few serves, Jiang Hong did not use any tricky placements.

Yet, through his exceptional court coverage and ability to manipulate the rallies, he beat Jun Shimashima so thoroughly that the latter had no room to fight back.

Jun Shimashima even felt that Jiang Hong possessed an even greater sense of oppression now than before.

Shortly after, Jiang Hong ended the game with a brilliant passing shot, claiming the first set!

Seeing Jiang Hong serve earlier had made everyone break out in a cold sweat.

They had worried that his competitive state would be compromised by the referee's interference.

Only after the play concluded did they realize:

Jiang Hong was proving that even without relying on his serves, he could still effortlessly sweep his opponent.

"After a thoroughly satisfying and hearty duel, player Jiang Hong takes the first set 6-3. After a brief rest, we will begin the second set of the match."

The brief 120-second interval flew by in the blink of an eye.

In the previous set, Jiang Hong had deliberately made his opponent run all over the court.

This had caused severe physical stamina issues for Jun Shimashima!

Even during Jun Shimashima's own service games, he was completely unable to utilize his grinding baseline tactics to look for flaws in Jiang Hong's play.

Unlike the fiercely contested first set, the second set completely degraded into a massacre—a personal showcase of Jiang Hong's tennis mastery.

When the score reached 3-0, Jun Shimashima's stamina seemed to recover slightly, and he began to fight back with everything he had.

However, Jiang Hong was simply too hot to handle, and Jun Shimashima had no way to break through.

With a beautiful serve, Jiang Hong bounced the ball in the service box and sent it straight toward the diagonal corner.

Although Jun Shimashima had read the trajectory of the ball, the moment he tried to give chase, his legs felt as though they had been filled with lead, refusing to budge an inch.

Although tennis is a sport played by swinging a racket, footwork is often far more crucial.

If an arm is injured, one might still manage to continue playing.

But if a leg is injured, retirement from the match is practically the only option.

After barely holding his serve for a single game, the last bit of fighting spirit within Jun Shimashima completely evaporated, leaving him utterly dejected.

His subsequent serves appeared entirely mechanical!

The seventh game of the second set stood at a score of 5-1.

It had reached Jiang Hong's championship point!

With Jun Shimashima's physical strength completely exhausted, he was incapable of producing any high-quality serves.

The rallies between the two players essentially concluded within three or four strokes.

0-40!

Championship point for Jiang Hong!

Tempered by the temptation of his very first professional career title, Jiang Hong did not relax. He placed his feet shoulder-width apart and assumed a standard receiving stance.

His face remained expressionless, revealing nothing of the thoughts running through his mind!

Jun Shimashima served into the court, and Jiang Hong immediately moved into position for a forehand strike.

Swinging his arm like a whip, his racket lashed heavily onto the tennis ball!

Taking Jun Shimashima completely by surprise, it pierced straight through his open court!

He won!

Jiang Hong raised his racket and swung it fiercely through the air.

At that moment, all physical fatigue seemed to vanish instantly, leaving his mind briefly blank.