The Second Singles Match Begins

The two menacing groups had vanished, leaving only Arnold and his companions lying on the ground.

"Back then, I was fighting every day. It wasn't that I liked fighting, but I had no choice. I couldn't go on living without fighting."

But it was around that time that an article about Coach Baker in a tennis magazine caught my attention.

The magazine said that Coach Baker was an expert at discovering the talent of the new generation, which gave me some hope when I was at the bottom of society.

From the second day onward, I was determined to devote all my energy to tennis, and I went to find Coach Baker with the page from the magazine.

Having never played tennis before, I couldn't even hit the ball at first, and everyone around me was laughing at me. Only Coach Baker showed me respect.

So even if you can't hit the ball, or get injured all over from being hit by the ball.

With that belief in moving towards a new life, I grew stronger and stronger through rigorous daily training. To climb to the top of the world, I resolved to become a precise Tennis Machine.

"I must win. I never want to go back to that hellish life again."

His thoughts pulled him back to reality, and Arnold stood up from his chair and walked onto the pitch.

Hello, nice to meet you.

On the court, Fuji extended his hand as he spoke.

Arnold, however, made no move to reach out, staring silently at Fuji before turning and walking back to the back of the court.

Fuji, despite being treated rudely, didn't get angry; instead, he quickly adopted a serious expression.

"That's really strange."

"What's wrong, little one? Did you find something?"

"Fuji- Senpai actually showed that expression so early; it's never seen in regular matches."

Ryoma and the others on the sidelines also noticed Fuji's change, and were not happy that Fuji had been serious at first.

This is unusual given Fuji behavior; the fact that this has happened can only prove that the opponent is very strong.

"Let's see your current strength, Fuji- Senpai. Can you surprise me?"

Coach Horio watched Fuji on the field with a smile. He knew that Fuji was someone who liked to hide his true abilities, so Horio was unaware of Fuji hidden strengths Fuji possessed.

"The match begins, with Arnold Iglijef serving."

After the referee announced that it was Arnold's turn to serve, Arnold went to the baseline.

He tossed the tennis ball into the air and then swung his arm out with great force.

The tennis ball was tossed into the air and flew out, but it didn't fly straight like a normal serve.

Instead, it arcs upwards and then lands at an extremely high speed near the bottom corner.

The ball's unique trajectory, coupled with its high speed, meant that Fuji didn't have time to react.

"West Coast team scores, 15:0"

"What was that serve from Arnold just now?"

"That serve was incredibly powerful! To start with that kind of power is a bit over the top."

"That nickname 'Arnold Tennis Machine' really isn't just for show. How should Fuji deal with it?"

In the spectator area, Seigaku and the others were also taken aback by Arnold's serve.

On the court, Arnold prepared to serve again, his eyes constantly shifting between Fuji's receiving area and his.

After aiming for a spot near the baseline corner again, the tennis ball was tossed up once more.

Seeing the tennis ball fly out, Fuji quickly judged its trajectory and then moved.

Just as Fuji moved his foot, the tennis ball changed direction again.

The ball, which should have landed on the inside, suddenly changed direction after crossing the net and flew towards the outside baseline.

Bang...

"West Coast team scores, 30:0"

Fuji had misjudged the situation, saw the ball land in the opposite direction from him, and his expression changed somewhat.

"Given Arnold's ball speed, he could have chosen a more advantageous hitting position, but he actually chose the outside corner. That's truly terrifying ball control."

After two mistakes, Fuji figured out some patterns.

If you return the ball in the opposite direction of the trajectory you predicted, you can successfully return it.

But even if you manage to return the ball successfully, it's still not enough.

After Arnold repeated his trick and hit a third shot, Fuji successfully returned the ball thanks to this discovery.

Arnold then passed the ball to Fuji's left corner, Fuji quickly defended.

Seeing that Fuji was able to keep up with his counterattack, Arnold changed tactics again.

The short ball was hit, and the tennis ball flew towards Fuji's right frontcourt.

Unexpectedly, Arnold hit a short ball after several powerful returns. Fuji didn't think much of it and quickly ran forward.

He even lunged forward, finally managing to hit the ball back before it bounced off the ground.

Although he caught the ball, Fuji had already fallen to the ground.

Arnold's opportunity also came; his eyes were once again locked on Fuji's left rear, and he struck out with a backhand.

Bang...

"West Coast team scores, 40:0"

"To concede three goals right at the start is really unlike Fuji's style."

"It's probably just a test..."

Kikumaru noticed that Fuji was being somewhat suppressed by Arnold and immediately sensed something was wrong.

Arnold quickly reached game point in the first set, and Fuji prepared to fight back.

After falling for Arnold's trick in the previous goal, Fuji became even more cautious.

With Fuji handling the ball carefully, Arnold was no longer able to score by exploiting distance differences as he had in the previous play.

Seeing that Arnold didn't hit the same shot as before, Fuji subconsciously thought that Arnold could only hit that strange shot when there was an opening.

Fuji then fought back even more fiercely, and after several rounds of fighting with Arnold, Fuji prepared to launch a counterattack.

After Arnold hit a straight shot, Fuji moved and positioned himself.

Just as Fuji was waiting for the tennis ball to bounce back and preparing to swing his racket, the trajectory of the bounced tennis ball suddenly changed.

The ball, which should have flown straight after its bounce, suddenly arced out again.

The sudden change in the ball's trajectory caught Fuji somewhat off guard.

However, his solid fundamentals allowed Fuji to quickly adjust his swing angle, but the sudden change in tennis was not just a change in the trajectory of the ball.

This includes changes in the ball's spin and speed.

So even if you adjust your swing angle and successfully receive the ball, the return shot is still not satisfactory.

Puff...

"Error! West Coast team scores! Score 1-0"

As expected, the hastily played shot did not achieve the desired effect.

A sound of the net being touched rang out, and in the first game of the Second Singles lost to Arnold without scoring Fuji single point.

"Fuji didn't even get a single point. Although I saw it, I still can't believe it."

"It seems that Arnold's shot is really bothering Fuji."