Lin Zijun issued a very standard near-point short backspin in the center position.
This represents his attitude towards this game.
"I know you're nuanced and I'm not, but that's okay."
"I heard that a truly evenly matched high-level game must start with a defensive attitude, test with a cautious attitude, look for opportunities with a precise eye, then launch an attack with thunderous momentum, and finally decide the winner with a bayonet that sees red."
"Then let's fight like this."
Theoretically, all long balls can be attacked, all sneak attacks can be predicted, and all deceptive moves will reduce the quality of the serve. Only short backspin that is served low enough and rotates close enough is truly invulnerable.
The theory also says that between serving and receiving, when both parties have equal control, the receiving party will definitely reveal a flaw first.
This is because the essence of serving is to make the ball move from stationary to moving, and the entire process is completely controllable. The essence of catching the ball is to let the ball that has already moved move in another mode. You can only estimate its initial value and adapt to it, but you cannot make absolutely accurate judgments.
So even if Lin Zijun didn't pay attention, he still believed that now that he had the right to serve, he could try the in-table short ball with Wang Chao.
Of course, this has a prerequisite: he needs to have strong enough offensive ability and keen enough ability to capture opportunities.
Because theoretically, even if the receiving party is more likely to reveal flaws, when the opponent's touch is good enough, the flaws may be extremely subtle, fleeting, and even difficult to detect.
Therefore, he must seize this flaw the moment it appears and launch an attack without hesitation. Moreover, he must ensure the success rate of such a difficult attack.
This kind of game strategy would not be used by Lin Zijun before, because at that time he played extremely rationally and everything followed the established rules. He would not do things that seemed too extreme and had a low success rate, let alone take this life-or-death path when there were other normal options.
But now, he can do whatever he wants.
Faced with this serve, Wang Chao's only choice was to swing it short, and he also swung it closer to the center of the table on Lin Zijun's side.
He doesn't think there's anything wrong with his short pendulum.
Close enough, low enough, turning enough.
But Lin Zijun took action without hesitation, with a fierce forehand.
Note that it is not a challenge, but a blow, which means that there is no follow-up to the ball. After he completed the challenge, his body turned a small half circle in the direction of the arm due to inertia. If Wang Chao can block a super-fast turning ball at this time, then Lin Zijun, whose body is still trapped in inertia, will definitely not be able to force his body to stop and change direction to save the ball.
This is a life or death choice.
But he made the right choice.
Lin Zijun successfully picked the ball and scored directly.
1:0, only 3 seconds into the game, Lin Zijun scored first.
In the auditorium, there was a lot of "wow" sounds.
This ball was so unexpected that no one expected it. It is no exaggeration to say that not even Sun Tianlong, who was sitting on the side of the fence behind Wang Chao, and He Jingping in the row behind, did not expect it.
Because there is actually nothing wrong with Wang Chao's swing back. It neither takes too much height nor lacks a turn. In the conventional sense, it is not a ball that can be rebounded at all. Instead, it is a standard template for tight defense.
Only Wang Chao narrowed his eyes slightly at this moment and mentally re-raised his awareness of the danger level of Lin Zijun.
Of course, his own backswing can be attacked, because if you really use tools to measure the differences in indicators between his backswing and Lin Zijun's serve, you will inevitably find that his backswing is slightly higher and has slightly weaker spin than Lin Zijun's serve.
This is a natural disadvantage of returning serve compared to serving, and under normal circumstances, it can be ignored.
But if it must be theoretically accurate to a certain extent, this can certainly be regarded as a flaw.
Since it is a flaw, it can be attacked, but it is very difficult and the success rate is very low.
This kind of flaw that does not appear to exist to the naked eye, once it is struck, actually appears as the "Unreasonable Shot" we have said many times before.
The essence of Unreasonable Shot is a reasonable ball under extremely extreme and narrow conditions.
Playing this kind of game requires players to work very hard.
Wang Chao had already guessed that Lin Zijun would fight hard, but he didn't expect that Lin Zijun would fight so hard.
In fact, when he saw Lin Zijun's pre-game interview, Wang Chao already realized that Lin Zijun had changed.
The former Lin Zijun would never say these words in public, let alone challenge another person in front of the whole world.
At that time, Lin Zijun would blush even when talking to strangers. He was afraid of being noticed, afraid of being discussed, and even more afraid of getting caught in a fishing boat. He wished he could be invisible and transparent.
But now Lin Zijun has taken the initiative to attract the attention of the world, just to build momentum for himself and put pressure on his final opponent.
This is already a superficial application of "potential".
If a person dares to speak in public as if no one is around, it only shows that he is thick-skinned. But if he dares to speak freely in front of the whole world and does not care about other people's reactions, it proves that he has gained spiritual freedom and become unrestrained. This feeling is actually of great benefit to the performance of the game.
This truth was not fully understood even by Wang Chao himself when he first traveled through time. It was not until he had a peerless battle with Zhu Ding in Table Tennis Super League that he was stripped naked by Geng Shuai in full view of the public. He was so ashamed and angry that he faintly realized this level.
Later he changed. When he faced Lin Zijun for the first time in T2, in order to win, he directly imitated Zhang Benkuang, yelling and trying to destroy Lin Zijun's mentality. As a result, he was unanimously disgusted by the fans at the scene and booed on the spot, creating a situation that was criticized by thousands of people, but he didn't care at all.
Precisely because his mind has gained freedom, he can guarantee absolute peace of mind in all subsequent games without interference from the outside world. No matter home or away, no matter whether there are cheers or boos from others, no matter whether the situation is good or bad, he can guarantee to perform at his best.
That's why his technical stability is as high as it is now.
Now he doesn't even feel anything after hearing the "prestige" roar of Zhang Benkuang's talent.
It is precisely because he knows how precious this kind of release of the soul is that Wang Chao immediately realized that Lin Zijun has become scary after seeing Lin Zijun's interview, and quickly increased his awareness of the danger of Lin Zijun.
But after the first ball was played, Wang Chao found that his thinking was still conservative.
Lin Zijun serves again, still with short backspin.
Wang Chao still swings back. This time, the ball is slightly different from the first ball. The landing point of the ball is not in the center of the near point of the table, but in the backhand position of the near point of the table.
Lin Zijun still didn't hesitate at all, he stepped forward directly and performed a smooth backhand twist.
With a "pop" sound, the ball hit the net, spun around, and made a chirping sound as it rubbed against the net. In the end, it still did not crawl over the net.
1:1, Lin Zijun committed suicide while Wang Chao regained one point.
There was a cry of "Alas" in the stands, and the audience generally felt regretful, because they wanted to see this kind of unreasonable and extreme attack ball again.
The camera on the big screen above the venue quickly split into two halves, showing close-ups of Wang Chao and Lin Zijun's expressions respectively.
The director is quite good at causing trouble, but unfortunately, the expressions of both players were very calm, as if the ball just now was not played by them at all.
"That's only reasonable." He Jingping smiled at Sun Tianlong.
Sun Tianlong only said "hmm", his eyes still fixed on the field, looking extremely focused.
He can sit in this position because Wang Chao and He Jingping persuaded him together. He is a very responsible man. Since Wang Chao made an exception and asked him to be an off-site coach, he must try his best to observe Lin Zijun clearly and make the most valuable suggestions to Wang Chao.
But he agreed with He Jingping's words.
No one expected the ball Lin Zijun just played, but after playing it, both he and He Jingping expressed their understanding.
In essence, it was nothing more than a fight, except that Lin Zijun fought more fiercely.
But since it is a fight, there is still a question of success rate.
With Wang Chao returning the ball so accurately, if Lin Zijun can successfully fight both balls, then this game will probably be quite difficult.
But since he has become one and committed suicide, everything is still normal.
Wang Chao got the right to serve and also served an extremely accurate short backspin.
Lin Zijun Select the center position of the near point of return swing.
Wang Chao responded directly to Lin Zijun with a forehand blow that was exactly the same as before.
In fact, Lin Zijun was able to successfully pick up the ball, not only because his skills are good enough, but also because he has undergone special strength training in the forehand position during the past few months of practicing mixed doubles. It is precisely because of the improvement in strength that he can really pull the ball up with his forehand.
But the power of Wang Chao increases faster than that of Lin Zijun, so this attack is more powerful, spins stronger, and is faster.
It's a pity that it didn't go online...
1:2, Wang Chao committed suicide by attacking, and Lin Zijun regained the lead.
Wang Chao served again, and it was still a precise short backspin.
Lin Zijun still perfectly swings back a short ball from near point.
Wang Chao picked again.
This time the challenge was successful.
But at this time, Lin Zijun came with the power of Hook, who had zero seals in the morning. It was when he was in superb form. Faced with such a terrifying on-stage challenge from Wang Chao, he actually reacted.
His lower body was hidden under the table. Just looking at his upper body, he almost "floated" out. In an instant, he had already taken at least three steps back from the table and caught up with the ball that had almost passed his body.
The speed he is showing at this moment can indeed be called the fastest "speed" talent in history.
The ball was on the left side of his body. It was impossible to pull the forehand, and the backhand pull was not strong enough. At the critical moment, he directly held the racket with his arm and slashed downwards. The racket was tilted at a 45-degree angle. The rubber on the back was in contact with the ball, completely rubbing across the entire length of the racket surface. The ball turned on the spot, drew an arc like an arch bridge, and then floated back leisurely.
This is a very extreme and difficult side cut, and it is an absolute super ball.
All the spectators were amazed at this moment, because what they saw was a ball that had fallen below the table, and was cut out by Lin Zijun in an almost miraculous arc from an extremely long distance with a very reluctant gesture.
No professional player would catch the ball like this.
When encountering this kind of situation, even the coach will tell you, "Pick it over. As long as you can pick it up to the opposite table, it will be considered a success. As for the initiative, don't think too much, just survive."
Lin Zijun's touch is just a hair away from being subtle. He can hit this kind of ball because he has completely let go of his mind, so when he sees this ball, some wild ideas will pop up in his mind. And when this idea happens to be theoretically achievable, he can't help but give it a try.
On the other hand, it was because he was indeed in great shape, full of fighting spirit, and full of strong desire to defeat Wang Chao.
The ball flew flatly and landed in the forehand area of the Wang Chao side of the table. It was neither close nor far, and it was almost capable of being launched. It was extremely spinning, extremely floating, and unpredictable.
Everyone is waiting for Wang Chao to make a mistake in catching the ball and achieve this famous super ball scene.
But Wang Chao just moved steadily, stood still, charged with a forehand, and killed Lin Zijun with a single board.
Maybe others would be panicked and unable to judge when encountering a super ball, but he himself is a person who often plays super balls, and he is too familiar with it.
Although Lin Zijun's side cut is extremely difficult, Wang Chao really doesn't think the quality of the ball it cuts is high.
It's just wonderful and bluffing enough.
As long as the judgment is accurate enough, the explosion is a matter of course.
This board cannot be said to be very fast, at least it is definitely not faster than Lin Zijun with Super Speed, but the problem is that Lin Zijun used up almost all the control on the super ball just now. At this time, the body is already unbalanced and there is no way to save the ball.
2:2, Wang Chao tied the score.
Up to this point in the game, both sides have served two balls each, and each side has scored one point and lost one point in the serving round, which has created a vague atmosphere of evenly matched tension.
At this moment, the audience all sat upright, eyes wide open, waiting with excitement for the unprecedented battle that was about to take place.
Only Qin Huachang suddenly said "Huh" at this time, frowned and said, "That's not right."
He did not elaborate on what was wrong, but stopped there and allowed the frustrated audience to ask questions.
It's not that he deliberately pretended to be a show-off, but because if he said the following words, the audience would say that he was deliberately pretending to be a show-off.
But in fact, he really thought like this, "If Lin Zijun only has this little thing, is it necessary for Wang Chao to change coaches on the spot?"
"Could it be that... that boy really overestimated Lin Zijun?"
When the whole world thought that the two were evenly matched, Qin Huachang thought that Lin Zijun was not worthy of the name.
This is because of the two violent picks of Wang Chao.
The audience in the stadium generally believed that Wang Chao was really fired up by Lin Zijun's attack, so they fought tit for tat, refused to give in, and gambled for a breath.
Rohlskov and other coaches believed that Wang Chao did not want to let Lin Zijun fight, and wanted to use counter-fighting to gain the upper hand and knock down the opponent's momentum.
But Qin Huachang was one step ahead of them after all. What he saw was: Wang Chao was playing.
Yes, Wang Chao is playing.
This kind of forced attack that pursues theoretical feasibility must have a very low success rate. Don't think that one success from two balls means a 50% success rate. In fact, this is just because the sample size is too small.
If playing like this is really universally true, the sport of table tennis has already developed to the magical stage dominated by Unreasonable Shot. How come it is still the same situation after decades?
Therefore, if the Lin Zijun style of play is put on the long scale of a whole round or even a whole game, it is not feasible. The outcome and specific content of the first two goals have no actual reference value, it is just luck.
But it is undoubtedly fun to play like this, and only Lin Zijun, whose mind has just let go, can play in an unrestrained state.
After a few days, Lin Zijun will gradually realize that the freedom of the mind must be restrained, otherwise it will go to extremes and become laissez-faire, without rules, and unruly.
True spiritual freedom is actually about reaching a new balance in a broader and more macro scope, rather than really acting recklessly.
Just like true personal freedom, it does not mean killing people and setting fires at will, but doing whatever you want on the premise that everyone abides by the law.
Wang Chao understood the situation of Lin Zijun, and also saw through the details of Lin Zijun. Perhaps Lin Zijun could still create difficulties for himself in terms of technology and speed, but his cognitive upper limit has been exposed. Wang Chao also had the confidence in his heart, and he dared to use his two serving rights to play.
After all, you dare to play without being subtle, but I am, so why wouldn't I dare?
Qin Huachang will never tell this answer that makes outsiders laugh, because it will destroy the mystery of top professional players in the minds of the audience.
At this time Lin Zijun regained the right to serve.
He sends short backspin again.
Wang Chao swing short.
As expected, Lin Zijun no longer fought, but chose to directly pass Wang Chao's forehand baseline.
The ball does not spin strongly and is in a very positive position. It is obvious that he is inviting Wang Chao to attack, just as he invited Hook to attack in the morning.
He originally wanted to give Wang Chao a blow at the beginning, but obviously he failed to do so, because after he finished fighting, Wang Chao gave him two fights in return.
Even the scores are exactly the same, full of a certain sense of ridicule and ridicule.
So the foreplay ends here.
What follows is a real stab at the bayonet.
Now, Lin Zijun has to use the Super Speed he just realized, plus the super push block he inherited from Jiang Peirong and modified by himself, to fight Wang Chao head-on.
In response, Wang Chao smiled, did not refuse, and charged forward with a forehand without hesitation.