Hook's ball slammed heavily into Fan Xiaodong's racket, then rebounded even faster.
At that moment, many people in the arena could no longer hold back their gasps. There were even shrieks from women. No one knew what the Swedish-speaking spectators were shouting, but the English-speaking crowd clearly cried out a despairing "No!"
What they were seeing looked far too much like Wang Chao's match against Michel that morning.
They could not accept Hook being beaten to death like that too.
But Hook's physical reaction was genuinely faster than their nerves could react.
Fan Xiaodong's first defense had already been nearly perfect, but Hook was not Michel. After his Overlord Twist, he did not pause in the slightest. He simply sent his racket toward a certain spot, then made a small upward pulling motion as quickly as possible.
The return ball Fan Xiaodong had defended struck Hook's racket perfectly, bounced back once more, and still landed on Fan Xiaodong's side of the table.
After two rebounds, the ball should have slowed down. But because Hook had forcibly pulled it upward in that split second, its speed did not diminish at all. In an instant, it was at Fan Xiaodong's side.
Fan Xiaodong's body shot backward. He retreated two steps in an instant, reached back with his arm, and somehow caught up to the ball that had already flown past him, barely scooping it back onto the table.
But by then, he could no longer worry about anything else. The ball was high, long, and without spin.
Hook did not hesitate. He unleashed a direct forehand smash.
Fan Xiaodong still had not collapsed. He planted himself firmly two steps away from the table, crouched low to keep his center of gravity steady, let out a low roar, and directly ripped a powerful