World Table Tennis Championships The seventh match day of the main race.
8:30 a. m. local time.
Men's Singles finals officially begin.
But Jiangcheng City and Fan Xiaoxian, thousands of miles away, were sitting alone in the room, staring intently at the big screen in front of them.
She's watching the game.
But she is not in the live broadcast room of Qin Huachang, but in the live broadcast room of Budapest, Hungary official channel.
Of course she didn't have any objections to Qin Huachang, she just subconsciously resisted watching Qin Huachang and listening to Qin Huachang's explanation patterns that were like spoilers and prophecies.
Because she really, really, really wants Luo Jiu to win.
But strangely, even though the whole world was saying that Luo Jiu had a greater chance of winning, her sixth sense as a woman kept calling the police, warning her: Please be prepared for the worst, Wang Chao will win.
Thanks to Luo Jiu's big mouth, she knew that Qin Huachang was fighting openly and secretly with Wang Chao when she was a coach, and she suffered a lot.
She also knows that Qin Huachang today has high praise for Wang Chao. She has praised Wang Chao in her live broadcast room more than once for being the first in intelligence, potential and technology in Huaping.
So she was really afraid of herself watching. Qin Huachang suddenly said with a smile, "Okay, I already know the result of this game."
In the past, she liked Qin Huachang's words very much. She always thought he was so handsome. It also allowed a half-hearted fan like her to really understand a game.
But today she was so afraid that Qin Huachang would say these words that she didn't even dare to go to the live broadcast room.
Seeing it for herself, she could at least see the moment when the game ended.
Even if her Xiaojiu is going to lose, she hopes that Xiaojiu will really lose when the last ball hits the ground, instead of fatefully deciding the outcome many minutes in advance.
Of course, if Xiaojiu wants to win, she also hopes to win as slowly as possible.
After all, Wang Chao is also one of our own and a flower that needs care.
It was very quiet in the Spade Q base today because everyone went out to compete.
Yes, there is a very, very important game today, and its importance can be ranked in the top three of the entire autumn Table Tennis Super League schedule.
Today Spade Q plays Jiangcheng University Team, a city derby.
There was no suspense in this game in the past. The lineup gap between the two sides was huge, especially after Hook came to Jiangcheng University. Jiangcheng University was simply the configuration of Table Tennis Super League's top giants.
But today is an exception.
Luo Jiu, Hook, Wang Chao, these super first-class players and the main players of the team are all in Budapest, Hungary.
Even substitute Ma Angxing was called up by the national team due to his good performance in recent months. He went with the team to Budapest and became a temporary and glorious sparring player.
Therefore, the only teammates that Jiangcheng University can play today are the retired national team veteran Wang Bo and the third single Duan Changying. The last one is their second substitute, whose name is unknown.
The so-called unknown name means that this person has never had the opportunity to play in a game in the past year and is definitely a rookie.
As for Spade Q, naturally Geng Shuai, Wu Li and Tian Zhengguang will fight.
Tian Zhengguang naturally didn't have any chance of winning in the past, but if nothing unexpected happens today, he will face Jiangcheng University's substitute, and he will have a chance to score points.
And Wu Li returned after half a month of crazy special training with Hook. His strength has improved by leaps and bounds. He can already crush Geng Shuai in internal training at will. He has been signed by Spade Q to this day. It can be said that his current strength has truly reached the level of a normal main player of Table Tennis Super League.
In fact, a very strange phenomenon appeared on Wu Li, which was not even discovered by Wang Chao. It was only discovered by everyone at Spade Q in the past few days, that is: Wu Li's strength will change simultaneously with the change of daily training intensity.
At the beginning of the year, Wu Li had special training with Wang Chao. After the special training, he entered Spade Q. At that time, his strength had almost reached the level of Table Tennis Super League's regular player. He played several spring games with the team, winning and losing. Although he lost more than he won, he was actually combative and worth looking forward to.
But then Wang Chao went to the Imperial Capital, and Wu Li was left alone. He could only practice with Geng Shuai Gao Ming and others. So as he continued to practice, his strength declined again, and he never won again in the second half of the spring game.
When the autumn season resumed in August, Wu Li also started losing in a row. At that time, everyone did not pay attention to it, and they only thought that Wu Li was like this.
It wasn't until Wang Chao came back and took Wu Li to practice with Hook. After practicing for a few days, he returned. After a little practice with the team, he beat Geng Shuai violently. Then everyone suddenly realized, oh, it seems that Wu Li was like this when he first came here in the first half of this year? I still remember that he beat Geng Shuai like this at that time, but later in the Spring Split, he lost too much, and he seemed to be on par with Geng Shuai again.
But now, after practicing with Hook for a few days, he started beating Geng Shuai again.
Using Geng Shuai as the unit of measurement, we can see that Wu Li has regressed, but now it has improved again.
Therefore, the talent "Hundred Refinements" has a price for its abnormality. Wu Li is really just a spring. The harder it is pressed, the harder it bounces. Moreover, this spring cannot be left to play. If you leave it for a long time, it will lose its energy. It must be wound up at all times.
Well, in a sense, Wu Li is a "swordsman".
There is a six-hour time difference between Budapest, Hungary and China. Therefore, the game in Hungary at 8:30 in the morning actually started at 2:30 in the afternoon in China, and today's Table Tennis Super League derby actually started at 1 pm in the imperial capital.
So Spade Q and Jiangcheng University Team actually started fighting an hour and a half ago, and Fan Xiaoxian, as the coach and team leader, seriously neglected his duties today and did not go to Sequoia Stadium with the team.
But no one blamed her.
Recently, with the rise of Luo Jiu and the gimmick of the battle between brothers has become more and more popular, many people in the industry have gradually learned the inside story about Luo Jiu. The team members of Spade Q have also learned about this history after private popularization of Geng Shuai.
So today Spade Q has no team leader and no off-field guidance. They go into battle shirtless and guide each other.
In the first game, Geng Shuai played Wang Bo, and it was Gao Ming who temporarily served as the off-court coach.
The reason why it is Gao Ming is because the other characters are stuffy. Since everyone has zero vision, at least choosing someone who dares to speak loudly and clap as a coach can boost morale.
In the second game, Wu Li played Duan Changying, and the off-site coach was Geng Shuai, because Geng Shuai was more lively than Gao Ming and had a bigger card.
In the third game Men's Doubles, the off-site guidance was still Geng Shuai.
In the fourth game, Tian Zhengguang played Wang Bo and coached Gao Ming off the court.
The reason why Gao Ming was used as the coach for this game was because Brother Geng needed to warm up urgently, concentrate like crazy, and prepare for the fifth final game.
Of course, this also means that everyone assumes that Tian Zhengguang will definitely lose to Wang Bo.
So the last game was Geng Shuai playing the second substitute of Jiangcheng University.
Just talking about this formation, it can be said that Spade Q inexplicably did the best this time.
As for Fan Xiaoxian, he has been answering the phone.
"Sister Xian Sister Xian, let me report to you, Brother Geng lost the first game."
"Sister Xian Sister Xian, let me report to you again. What a big surprise. In the second game, Wu Li wiped out the opponent's national team player Duan Changying!"
"Sister Xian Sister Xian, what a big surprise. Wu Li and Tian Zhengguang actually won the third doubles match. Can you believe it?"
The team members were very excited because they had seen the dawn of victory today. They thought Fan Xiaoxian must be sitting at home and caring about the competition field, so they took the trouble to call and report over and over again.
Little did she know that Fan Xiaoxian was annoyed to death. She really didn't care whether her team could win today. She only cared about whether Luo Jiu could get the World Table Tennis Championships gold medal.
Although she is an outsider in watching football, as the coach of the Table Tennis Super League team, she is definitely first-hand in information, so she knows how difficult it is for Luo Jiu to win Grand Slam this year.
This year is the craziest year for Huaping.
People like Wang Chao and Fan Xiaodong are super geniuses who only appear once every ten years, but two of them appeared this year.
And the most terrifying Sun Tianlong in the world.
It can be said that as a bystander, Fan Xiaoxian feels like his scalp is numb just by looking at the obstacles in front of Luo Jiu.
What's more, Luo Jiu is the party involved.
What's more, Luo Jiu can no longer afford to lose.
That man who smiles playfully every day, how much pressure must be hidden under his superficial frivolity?
Fan Xiaoxian called Luo Jiu yesterday and chatted with him about some random things. I originally wanted to wish him great performance and success in winning the championship, but I realized immediately that this was actually putting pressure on him, so I swallowed my words again.
Then she wanted to tell Luo Jiu, don't be so stressed, it's okay if you lose.
But she immediately realized that this was actually damaging the invincible momentum that Luo Jiu had finally built up before the game, so she swallowed her words again.
She found that she did not dare to speak casually. Any wrong words would affect the cute and pitiful little man opposite, so in the end she did not mention a word about table tennis, said farewell to Luo Jiu in an understatement, and hung up the phone.
Now is the last moment.
All calculations, hopes, worries, fears, and pressures must be gathered at this moment and accepted for the final test.
If Luo Jiu wins the championship today, the pressure on Luo Jiu will be reduced by half. Even if Olympic Games loses, a World Table Tennis Championships gold medal will be completely justified.
But if we lose today, Fan Xiaoxian is really afraid that Luo Jiu will be directly crushed...
She even thought about calling Wang Chao and begging Wang Chao to let him go, but in the end she suppressed the urge.
She was a girl and didn't understand boys' stubborn desire to win and inexplicable dignity sometimes, but she could guess that even if she called, Wang Chao would definitely not agree.
That is a little boy who is more proud than his own Xiaojiu.
She could also guess that even if Wang Chao agreed, Luo Jiu would definitely notice that Wang Chao was letting off steam, and would desperately ask for the truth after the game. Then... Luo Jiu, who had never been angry with herself, might burst out with unimaginable anger.
So in the end she couldn't do anything but watch the game.
The referee tosses a coin to indicate to both players to guess.
Wang Chao smiled and shook his head, asking Luo Jiu to come.
Luo Jiu also smiled and said casually, "Word."
The last one came out was "Flower", and Wang Chao got the right to serve.
Just for this small detail, the audience started to cheer crazily.
Because this meme is really popular now, and Wang Chao, as the creator of this meme, is now about to personally prove the correctness of this meme.
God will only side with the weaker player.
Wang Chao got the right to serve, so God felt that Wang Chao was weak.
This is also in line with the speculation in the minds of most fans.
Wang Chao sent a short backspin.
This is in line with the temperament of a peak duel. Starting from the most impeccable short backspin, the two sides compete for opportunities to attack based on their strength, and then rely on strong enough attack and defense to determine the final outcome.
Everyone thought that Luo Jiu would swing short.
But Luo Jiu took half a step forward, leaned forward against the table, and made a simple challenge inside the table.
This board was not fully exerted and seemed to be an understatement. However, many knowledgeable viewers let out low exclamations.
They know that the Super Luo racket in the hands of Luo Jiu has very strong friction properties.
But such an understatement of the challenge was due to the impeccable short backspin from Wang Chao.
Can this be fought?
The ball was easily picked over.
Luo Jiu's expression was indifferent, as if this ball was a matter of course.
Wang Chao's expression was also indifferent, he just took a half step back, took a step sideways, and looped the ball over his forehand again.
The arc is very small, almost a straight line, and the ball speed is very fast. When this ball falls in the eyes of most professional players, they can easily draw a simple conclusion: the forward force is strong and the rotation force is small, so the arc is small and the ball speed is fast.
Stronger professional players will see something more detailed: at the end of the Wang Chao movement, there is a small lateral movement of the racket, so the ball actually has right-side spin. Considering that its trajectory is too straight, the intensity of the right-side spin is probably greater than the top-spin.
If Luo Jiu simply treats it as a weak topspin ball, then it is very likely to get a right side spin.
This is a hidden move.
But Luo Jiu's response was neither to resolve the spin nor to retreat from the stage to resolve the intensity. He faced the ball without taking a step back, and directly hit the ball with a hard backhand.
Many people let out low exclamations at this moment because they felt unreasonable again.
It's obviously a spinning ball, but you just bounce it?
Is this to use the inclination of the racket to resolve the spin on the ball?
But they soon learned otherwise.
Because the backhand bounce of Luo Jiu is not only very fast, but also extremely extreme. It actually bounces the ball directly to the bottom line of the Wang Chao forehand table at a wide angle, and the landing point is almost on the tip of that corner.
This is by no means a state that can be achieved by eating a spin.
This shouldn't be luck either.
This can only be because Luo Jiu accurately controlled the landing point of the ball.
But the ball obviously spins very fast, and the rubber particles obviously don't rub. How on earth did Luo Jiu do that?
They couldn't figure it out.
Wang Chao and Luo Jiu remained indifferent, as if these two consecutive unreasonable shots were taken for granted.
Wang Chao moved laterally, stepped back, and pulled the ball hard with his forehand.
Luo Jiu also moved laterally, stepped back, and pulled the ball hard with his forehand.
There was no problem this time, and the two sides directly entered the forehand loop ball stalemate.
But what followed was not the multi-round stalemate that everyone expected.
Wang Chao stretched out his hand and stabbed, an abrupt side cut.
Luo Jiu seemed to have expected it. He took a step forward, swung his arm out, and quickly brought the ball with his forehand. The ball bounced up and was just carried by the racket and flew out. It was as if the rotation and mid-air turn imposed by Wang Chao's side cut did not exist. He still grasped the spatial position of the ball extremely accurately.
Then Wang Chao is placed on the pallet Forehand Counter-attack.
Luo Jiu forehand pull.
Wang Chao stretched out his arm as if to hit the ball, but the racket did not touch the ball. Instead, it shrank back in the direction of the ball's flight. He forced the ball to fly a little longer in this unforgettable moment before launching another fierce attack.
Luo Jiu chose to take two steps back this time.
This was the furthest he had ever retreated.
He let out a low roar and swung his forehand hard. The ball exploded directly. Judging from his posture, he used at least 80% of his force.
Wang Chao also took two steps back, swung out with his forehand, and then turned his whole body over, driving the ball to fly half a meter in mid-air before it came out. At the last moment, the racket had an extremely obvious lateral displacement.
This is an authentic Great Python Turn.
Luo Jiu gritted his teeth and took a step forward. Instead of pulling, he placed the racket across his chest and pushed outwards hard, trying to push the ball back.
He almost pushed back.
But the additional spin on the ball still exceeded his expectation, and it eventually flew back along an almost parallel line, flew over the net, and landed on the farthest edge of the table, barely missing the edge.
1:0, Wang Chao scored the first point.
The audience burst into applause.
In fact, they didn't quite understand the many changes in the ball, but they felt the vaguely flowing tense atmosphere. They knew that there must be something amazing hidden in the details they didn't understand. But now that they were at the scene, they couldn't solve the puzzle. They could only watch the commentary video of Huaping coach Qin Huachang afterwards.
"I hope the subtitled version will come out soon." Many fans have this idea.
On the court, the two brothers' eyesight clearly crossed at this moment.
On the playing field, it is theoretically not recommended that the two sides have any information exchange, because this will not only affect the fairness of the game, but also cause fluctuations in the players' mentality.
But at this moment, both of them were very calm. Whether it was Wang Chao who won or Luo Jiu who lost, they both smiled slightly and nodded to each other in unison.
Like a tribute.
It's just the first ball, winning or losing doesn't really matter.
What matters is that they have seen what the other person is showing.
As for why the short backspin serve of Wang Chao can be directly picked, the reason is actually very simple, because it is not actually a short backspin.
Wang Chao's research on the superconductor racket has already begun. The day before yesterday, when he defeated Bayer, he used a fake short backspin and successfully deceived Bayer. Now he just wants to try Luo Jiu's eyesight again.
Facts proved that Luo Jiu was not Bayer. He could see through it at a glance that the short backspin was actually only short and not backspin.
He could definitely pick it violently, but he was worried that Wang Chao would have a back-up move, so he chose to pick it lightly.
Then Wang Chao took the initiative to draw a forehand arc, and there was a small lateral displacement of the racket at the end. This looked like a simplified version of Great Python Turn. In fact, Luo Jiu also used this trick when playing Lin Zijun.
But this is still a fake move. In fact, the ball does not have any spin.
If Luo Jiu chooses to pull the ball, it will directly cause the anti-aircraft gun to go out of bounds.
If Luo Jiu uses the rubber side of the racket to press down and uses the angle to break the spin, he will directly commit suicide by going off the net.
But Luo Jiu bounced perfectly and the landing point was extremely accurate, which proved that he had once again seen through Wang Chao's intention.
This is normal.
After all, it was two days ago that Wang Chao played Bayer. Luo Jiu had enough time to study the new playing style of Wang Chao's current racket by studying the video of that game.
What's more, Luo Jiu can cast the simplified version of Great Python Turn himself, how could he not see through other people's simplified version of Great Python Turn?
Xiao Fei's unique skills were originally said to be unmatched by anyone in the world, but when people like Wang Chao and Luo Jiu really put their mind to learning them, even if they can't learn the original version, they can at least learn a touch of the charm. This is the real gap between super geniuses and geniuses.
It looks like just a ditch, but it's actually as deep as a chasm.
Then the two sides held a stalemate for a round. In fact, they just wanted to test how strong the opponent's power and spin were.
Wang Chao took the initiative to cut sideways because the ball cut from the side is known as the floatiest ball among all table tennis techniques. He wanted to see if Luo Jiu could find the exact position of the ball.
Luo Jiu's response was to go straight to the chat.
If there is a pull, he needs to wait for the ball to bounce back to the highest point. For Luo Jiu, although this response is not wrong, it is too unskilled.
Since Wang Chao wants to see it, he will show Wang Chao the best one.
So he moved quickly and went directly to the dynamic mode. His arms reached, the racket reached, and the ball just arrived, everything was just right.
He was telling Wang Chao: "Not only can I see it accurately, but I can see it more accurately than you think."
Wang Chao understood what he meant, so he chose to stop the rhythm.
This time, Luo Jiu really suffered a loss.
Because the rhythm of most athletes is fixed, even a character like Dragon Team, when playing targeted tactics, will directly change from one rhythm to another. Almost no one dares to constantly change the rhythm in a ball. If he really dares to do this, then it is most likely that he will mess up before the opponent does.
But Wang Chao does exactly that.
Therefore, this change in rhythm forced Luo Jiu to compromise and take two steps back.
His purpose of taking an extra step back is clear: to let the ball fly a little longer.
No matter how the rhythm changes, as long as I allow enough time and depth, I can adapt again.
However, taking that extra step back has a price after all. Even if Luo Jiu chooses to use explosive charge to put pressure on Wang Chao, his strength is not his strong point after all. Although his explosive charge is fierce, it is not enough for Wang Chao to fully cope with it.
Wang Chao won the opportunity, depth, and more time. He also took two steps away and released Great Python Turn.
Great Python Turn has unparalleled lethality, but it also has fatal flaws. It is slow, large-scale, and restores too slowly. In a high-intensity duel between Wang Chao and Luo Jiu, it would have been difficult to have a chance. However, because Wang Chao found the opportunity through stuck points, he really took the initiative at this time.
Of course Luo Jiu can continue to retreat and choose to defend. He can block Great Python Turn, but in this case, the ball will be completely passive.
And, it's boring.
This was the first ball of the first inning of a game he had been looking forward to for a month. My junior brother played so much fun, how could I make it look hateful?
So Luo Jiu chose the most extreme method. He didn't want to defend, he wanted to counterattack.
Since pulling the ball is no longer enough to resolve this move, I will learn from Lin Zijun and hit the ball hard, turning it into a super-fast turning ball that you can't react at all.
Luo Jiu thought so and did so, but in the end he made a bad move and the ball was knocked directly off the table, losing the score.
But when the dust settled, both Wang Chao and Luo Jiu felt comfortable playing.
This is the real peak showdown.
This is the opponent that can really create pressure.
Regardless of skills, reactions, judgments, and choices, the two sides are almost identical.
They are equally proud and unwilling to admit defeat.
They have the same strong overall strength.
This is not the top of Mount Huashan.
Nor is it the top of the Forbidden City.
This is the ceiling of table tennis.
They sit together on the high ceiling and are about to start an ultimate showdown that is difficult for others to understand, but for them they are full of joy.
"Friends from the audience, friends from the audience, I am completely on fire!" Qin Huachang took a sip of water in the live broadcast room. "There is so much to say about this ball, and I will definitely not have time to say it, but it doesn't matter, I can say as much as I can. When the game is completely over, I will give you a ball-by-ball review."
He slapped the table, startling Qin Zhenyu next to him. "I want to see how far these two little guys can fight!"
(Brothers, please vote. Although there are two updates today, the total is more than 12k. I just didn't separate them. The writing is very exciting, and it will be even more exciting tomorrow, so the monthly recommendation votes are going to go)
Thanks to "book friend 20220511215953734" for the 500-coin reward.
Thanks to "Haiziyuan" for the 100 coin reward.