During the match between Cheng Che and Volkov.
Matches are also taking place simultaneously in other venues.
Qizhong Tennis Center, Hall 3.
Lu Yunxiao stood behind the baseline, his chest heaving violently.
In the second set, he was down 4-5.
Across from him was Tsitsipas, the Greece Champion of this year's Australian Open, ranked 42nd in the world, and four years younger than him.
In the last round, he fought hard for three sets to defeat a veteran Spain player, and today his steps were a beat slower than usual.
Tsitsipas's serve.
The Greece tosses the ball and swings his racket.
One shot from the outside, at a speed of 210 kilometers per hour.
Lu Yunxiao moved two steps to the side and then struck a straight shot with his forehand.
The ball landed inside the baseline, and Tsitsipas ran over and chipped the ball with a backspin.
Lu Yunxiao rushed to the net and lobbed the ball high.
Tsitsipas retreated to the backcourt and unleashed a powerful cross-court shot with his forehand. The ball landed in the corner of Lu Yunxiao's backhand side.
He couldn't reach it.
"15 to 40. Match point."
Lu Yunxiao stood in front of the net, bent over, his hands supporting his knees.
Sweat dripped from his chin onto the ground, forming a small, dark puddle.
His arms ached, and his legs felt like they were made of lead.
He is twenty-four years old this year, which is not old.
But standing opposite this eighteen-year-old Greece boy, he felt like someone who couldn't run anymore.
He returned to the service line and bounced the ball twice.
Tsitsipas received the serve to the inside corner, launched an attack, and hit a wide cross-court shot with his forehand.
Lu Yunxiao ran over and managed to block the ball back.
The ball landed in midfield and bounced up.
Tsitsipas was already standing at the net. With a gentle backhand stroke, the ball rolled along the net and landed at Lu Yunxiao's feet.
He didn't move.
The referee announces the final score.
Four to six, four to six.
Lu Yunxiao stood behind the baseline, head down.
Tsitsipas walked to the net, extended his hand, shook it, said "Well played," and then turned and left.
His steps were slow, and his shoulders were lower than at the start.
The coach was waiting for him at the player tunnel entrance, patted him on the shoulder, and didn't say anything.
"We'll wait for the draw," the coach said. "One win and one loss, we still have a chance."
Lu Yunxiao nodded.
He leaned against the wall of the corridor and wiped his face with a towel.
Then he remembered something.
How's Cheng Che doing?
The coach shook his head. "I don't know. He's in his second round today, he should still be playing."
Lu Yunxiao took out his phone and opened the live streaming platform.
The screen was showing the game in Hall 2. Before he could even check the score, he heard Lin Yan's voice.
" --Cheng Che defeated the tournament's eighth seed and world number fourteen, Volkov, in straight sets 6-4, 6-3 to advance to the fourth round! This is the first time in his career that he has defeated a player ranked in the top fifteen! Throughout the entire match, he did not give his opponent a single break point!"
Lu Yunxiao stared at the screen for a few seconds.
In the video, Cheng Che is standing on the court, waving towards the stands.
The cheers from the stands were so loud that my phone's speaker was shaking.
He gave a wry smile.
The student surpasses the teacher.
A few months ago, at the Hang City Open, he and Cheng Che played a five-set battle.
Although he lost at that time, he felt that he lost because of physical strength, but still had the advantage in terms of technique.
But now, Cheng Che has defeated the world number fourteen in straight sets without giving his opponent a single break point.
He lost to the 42nd in the world.
"The hope for Xia Country tennis truly rests on him." Lu Yunxiao put away his phone, leaned against the wall, and closed his eyes.
Hall 2, the competition venue.
Cheers erupted from all directions.
In the stands, some people held up banners in Chinese, some held up signs in Korean, and others held up a small Xia Country flag.
Pei Jingshu stood in the fifth row, cupped her hands to her mouth, and shouted in Korean, " Cheng Che, you're amazing!" Her voice was loud, and the surrounding audience turned to look at her, but she didn't care.
Cheng Che walked to the center of the field, bowed to the stands, then straightened up and waved.
His gaze swept across the stands, lingering for a moment on the dark green figure in the fifth row.
Pei Jingshu waved at him, but he didn't respond, only his lips twitched slightly.
Qin Lie was already waiting in the players' tunnel.
He patted Cheng Che on the shoulder, unable to suppress his smile.
"Round 4. Your current ranking has already climbed into the top 80." He glanced down at his phone. "Your next opponent won't be determined until tomorrow's draw. Players with one win and one loss will have to play an additional round, so you'll need a couple more days to rest."
Cheng Che nodded.
He followed Qin Lie towards the locker room, but halfway there he suddenly remembered something, took out his phone and checked it.
Then his expression froze.
The top trending topic Pei Jingshu Cheng Che
Second on Yan Ruanning trending list: # Cheng Che Pei Jingshu
Third on the trending the Bund list: # Cheng Che #
He scrolled down and saw the photo of the Bund bench.
In the photo, he is wearing a mask and sitting at one end of a bench.
Pei Jingshu sat at the other end, the two of them neither too close nor too far apart.
He also saw various analyses, comparisons, lamentations, and sarcastic remarks from netizens.
Qin Lie was suppressing a laugh, his shoulders shaking slightly.
Cheng Che stared at the screen for several seconds.
"I only met her once," he explained, spreading his hands.
"Hmm." Qin Lie nodded. "One side."
"It was just a coincidence that we bumped into each other on the Bund that night."
"Yes, it was a coincidence."
"We were sitting so far apart in that photo, didn't they notice?"
"It's obvious. But netizens only believe what they want to believe."
Cheng Che remained silent for two seconds.
He put his phone back in his pocket and rubbed his temples.
He could understand that Pei Jingshu had feelings for him.
The effect of the "[ Heartthrob of Ten Thousand ]" effect is a filter that makes people like him/her.
But when this became a trending topic across the entire internet, it got a bit out of control.
He thought about it and decided to ignore it.
The competition is the most important thing.
He just won a tough match against Volkov, and his next opponent will only be stronger.
We'll talk about these things after the Magic City Masters.
He packed his things, slung his tennis bag over his shoulder, and pushed open the side door of the venue.
Outside the gate is the exit of the players' tunnel, and a little further ahead is the parking lot.
He walked with his head down, still thinking about the tactics for the next round.
Then he stopped.
Pei Jingshu stood outside the exit, accompanied by her best friend in a red coat.
The two stood at the entrance of the passage. Pei Jingshu's gaze swept across the crowd before settling on him.
She wasn't wearing a mask or a hat today; she just stood there openly and naturally.
The sunlight shone on her face, making her features as clear as if they were painted on.
Several staff members nearby had already recognized her and were taking pictures with their phones.
Cheng Che stood there, looking at her.
Pei Jingshu smiled at him and said in Chinese, "Congratulations on winning."
Her Chinese pronunciation wasn't perfect, but she enunciated each word very carefully.
Cheng Che looked around.
More people have noticed this area, and some have started walking in this direction.
He sighed and waved to Pei Jingshu.
"Get on the bus."
Pei Jingshu was stunned for a moment, then happily pulled her best friend along and walked over quickly.
Cheng Che opened the door of the van, let them get in, and then got in himself.
Qin Lie sat in the driver's seat, glanced at the back seat in the rearview mirror, his lips twitched, but he didn't say anything and started the car.
The moment the car door closed, the outside world was shut out.
Cheng Che leaned back in the back seat and glanced at Pei Jingshu.
What are you doing here?
"I've come to cheer you on," Pei Jingshu said matter-of-factly. "I wanted to wait for you to come out after the game."
Cheng Che stared at her for two seconds, then leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
So what if there are rumors? He's an upright man, what's there to be afraid of?