One shot from the inside corner, reaching a speed of 237 kilometers per hour.
The ball hit the service area, bounced, and flew straight towards the advertising board.
Zverev only had time to tilt his head slightly before the ball swept past him.
His pupils contracted slightly, his racket paused in mid-air for a moment, and then slowly fell to the ground.
"Fifteen to zero."
Lin Yan's voice burst out from the commentary booth, as if someone had stepped on the gas pedal.
"Two hundred and thirty-seven kilometers! Cheng Che's first serve set the fastest record of this Master tournament! Zverev had no chance to react at all!"
Zhou Zhou leaned forward beside him, resting his hands on the commentary table, staring at the replay on the monitor.
"Look at Zverev's start; he moved for a fraction of a second, then gave up. It wasn't that he misjudged the direction of the ball; it was that the speed exceeded his reaction threshold."
A barrage of comments flooded the screen.
[Full house on the first ball???]
[I screenshotted Zverev's expression; his eyes were practically wide open.]
[No, if they're this strong right from the start, how are they going to fight later?]
[Don't rush, it's just a serve. Let's see how Zverev adjusts.]
For the second point, Cheng Che served a shot from the outside corner.
Zverev made a move this time, taking a big step and hitting a straight shot with his forehand.
The ball lands inside the sideline. Cheng Che moves laterally, executes a single-handed slice, and the ball grazes the net and lands in front of the net.
Zverev rushed up and lobbed the ball high, Cheng Che had already retreated to the backcourt. He swung a wide forehand diagonal shot, and the ball hit Zverev's backhand corner.
Zverev lunged forward, almost sprawling on the ground.
The racket reached the ball, but the ball bounced up and flew into the sky.
"Thirty to zero."
Zverev got up from the ground, his knees covered in dust from the hard floor.
He patted his trouser leg, his expression unchanged, but his lips were pursed into a thin line.
Lin Yan, commentating from the podium, said, " Cheng Che's baseline play today was incredibly precise. He first used a slice to bring Zverev to the net, then returned the ball. He used this tactic against Khachanov in the semifinals, but executed it even more smoothly today."
Someone commented in the live chat.
Zverev's knees were covered in dust; it was a bit heartbreaking to see.
[What's there to feel sorry for? He's third in the world, what's a little competition like this?]
[But Cheng Che really played well; he moved his opponent around with every shot.]
[The world's third-ranked player is being treated like a puppet; I never expected this scene.]
In the third point, Cheng Che fired an inside shot at 235 km/h.
Zverev managed to block the shot, and the ball flew high into the air.
Cheng Che went online, jumped up, and delivered a powerful smash.
The ball hit Zverev behind him, bounced three meters high, and flew directly into the stands.
The audience in the front row quickly moved aside, and a middle-aged man wearing glasses instinctively shrank his neck.
"Forty to zero."
When Zverev walked back to the baseline, his steps were a half-beat slower than before.
He tapped the sole of his shoe with the edge of his racket, as if trying to knock the sand out of his shoe.
His coach shouted something in German from the sidelines. He glanced at it, neither nodding nor shaking his head.
Fourth point, Cheng Che tosses the ball.
Zverev lowered his center of gravity even further, shuffling his feet back and forth on the hard ground a couple of times.
He moved in advance when the ball flew towards him, his direction was right, and his hand was outstretched.
But the ball was too fast; before the racket face could even open up, the ball had already hit the racket frame and bounced away.
Cheng Che holds serve. One to zero.
Lin Yan's voice could no longer be suppressed:
"Four serves, four ace points. Zverev didn't touch a single ball in Cheng Che's service games. This is the eighth time Cheng Che has shut out his opponent in a service game at this Master tournament."
Zhou Zhou shook his head, a bitter smile playing on his lips.
"I've played professionally for ten years, and this is the first time I've seen someone get so badly pressured when receiving serves. Look at Zverev's expression right now—he's not nervous, he's confused. He's thinking, 'How am I supposed to receive this ball?'"
A few comments scrolled by.
[ Zverev's expression was like he couldn't solve a math problem.]
His coach shouted at him from the sidelines for a long time, but he ignored him completely.
[The world's number three was so badly beaten by the serve that he questioned his existence. Who wrote this script?]
Honestly, Cheng Che's serve is about the same as Federer's in his prime.
[Don't overhype it, it's only the first game.]
[What's wrong with bragging? Wasn't what was said in the first game true?]
The second game, Zverev's serve.
He stood behind the baseline and dribbled the ball one more time than usual.
With a serve of 218 kilometers per hour, Cheng Che received the serve and launched an attack, hitting a wide cross-court shot with his forehand.
The ball landed on the sideline of Zverev's forehand side, bounced up, and flew towards the paddle.
Zverev's feet seemed glued to the ground; he was a fraction of a second too slow to start, and the ball had already passed him.
"Zero to fifteen."
Zverev looked down at his feet.
He stretched his ankle, and his expression became more serious.
He served an inside serve, Cheng Che returned a deep ball down the middle.
Zverev hits a forehand down the line, the ball landing inside the line.
Cheng Che hit a backhand shot down the line, and the ball flew over the sideline at Zverev's forehand side.
"Zero to thirty."
Lin Yan's voice carried a suppressed excitement:
" Cheng Che Che's serve return and attack were too decisive. Zverev's two serves were of high quality, but Cheng Che completely anticipated the landing point and directly broke through the opponent's defense."
Zhou Zhou added from the side, " Zverev's footwork is slower than usual. He's keeping his center of gravity low, but his initial burst of power isn't enough. It's probably because he hasn't mentally recovered from being swept in the first game."
Some people in the live chat started making sarcastic remarks.
[Third in the world?]
Did Zverev not eat today?
Cheng Che played well, but Zverev's form is just too poor.
[If you're so capable, go up and receive Cheng Che's serve, let's see if you can even move.]
[No, to be fair, Zverev was indeed out of form today, but that doesn't contradict Cheng Che Cheqiang's situation.]
To be fair, neither side should hype things up too much; the game is still a long way off.
Zverev served an outside shot, but the ball was slower than before.
Cheng Che launched a direct attack, striking with a forehand backhand.
Zverev lunged forward, his fingertips touching the ball, but the ball bounced up and went out of bounds.
"Zero to forty."
In the fourth point, Zverev stood behind the baseline and suddenly increased the speed of his dribbling by two beats.
When he tossed the ball, he tossed it half an inch higher than usual, and the point of contact with the ball was also higher.
The ball landed right on the service line, and Cheng Che chopped it with a backhand, sending the ball to the net.
Zverev rushed up, and as he lobbed the ball, his wrist flicked, and the ball went out of bounds.
Cheng Che breaks serve. Two to zero.
Lin Yan leaned slightly forward from his commentator's chair, his voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement.
" Cheng Che broke serve in the second game! Zverev's first serve percentage was only 48% today, which is the lowest he has achieved in this year's Master tournaments."
Zhou Zhou nodded, but added:
"However, I must say that Zverev's problem isn't just his serve. His footwork was noticeably slower than usual today, which could be due to insufficient pre-match warm-up or psychological factors. In any case, Cheng Che seized every opportunity."
The comments section split into two camps.
[It's 2-0! The world's third-ranked team is getting beaten like this, am I seeing things?]
Zverev was in terrible form today; this was nowhere near his usual level.
[Zverev's poor performance was caused by Cheng Che; try letting Zverev play against someone else.]
[No, to be honest, no one could stop Cheng Che in this state.]
[Don't celebrate halfway through; it's best two out of three sets, the first set isn't even over yet.]
The third game, Cheng Che's serve.
He stood behind the baseline and dribbled the ball twice.
One shot from the inside, at 236 km/h. Zverev didn't move.
"Fifteen to zero."
In the second point, Cheng Che fired a shot from the outside corner at a speed of 234 km/h.
Zverev managed to block the shot, and the ball landed in the midfield. Cheng Che moved to the net and volleyed with his backhand.
"Thirty to zero."
In the third point, Cheng Che fired a shot straight at him.
Zverev hastily blocked with his backhand, sending the ball soaring high into the air.
Cheng Che jumped up and delivered a powerful smash.
The ball hit Zverev behind him.
"Forty to zero."
In the fourth point, Cheng Che served a shot to the far corner. Zverev didn't move.
Cheng Che holds serve. Three to zero.
Lin Yan's voice was already a little hoarse:
" Cheng Che's serve remains unstoppable today. Zverev only managed one point in three games."
Some people in the live chat started to express their envy.
[Is Zverev still half asleep today?]
[The world's third-ranked team is performing like this, it's so embarrassing!]
[It's not that Zverev is embarrassing, it's that Cheng Che is too strong.]
[Can you guys stop hyping him up? Zverev was clearly not in good form, there's nothing to be proud of in winning.]
[A win is a win, why should you care if they're in good form or not?]
[Hilarious! Winning before meant they were good, but winning now means the opponent was in bad form. Such a double standard!]
[ Cheng Che's fans, calm down, the competition isn't over yet.]
But then, in the fourth round, something unexpected happened.
Zverev's serve.
His shot missed.
For his second serve, he hit a sidespin ball that landed in the inside corner.
Cheng Che received the serve and launched an attack, unleashing a powerful cross-court shot with his forehand.
The ball, with strong topspin, flew over the net and landed on Zverev's forehand sideline.
The ball bounced.
Then it bounced onto the mesh belt.
The ball rolled once on the net and then landed in Zverev's half of the court.
Zverev had moved to his forehand position, ready to receive the ball.
But after the ball rolled once on the net, it changed direction and landed in the exact opposite direction.
He lunged forward, extending his racket to its maximum extent. He missed.
Zverev looked surprised, then lowered his head and gave a wry smile.
"Zero to fifteen."
Lin Yan paused for a moment.
Then he spoke, his tone hesitant and uncertain:
"This... this ball grazed the net. It rolled across the net and then landed in the opposite direction from Zverev. You'd only get one like that in a hundred."
Zhou Zhou paused for a moment, then chuckled.
The laugh was short, carrying a sense of helplessness that said, "I can't explain it either."
"There was definitely an element of luck in that shot. But to be honest, Cheng Che Che's overall performance today was overwhelming; this lucky shot was just icing on the cake."
The live chat was silent for a moment, then exploded.
[That was such a lucky shot!!!]
[It rolled all the way on the net and still landed on the other side, that's incredible luck!]
[ Zverev had just gotten to his forehand side, but the ball landed in the opposite direction of him. That was terrible!]
[Is this the chosen one?]
Luck is also a part of ability, right?
[I'm impressed, even God is on Cheng Che's side.]
[ Zverev: I'll beat your mother up!]
Cheng Che stood behind the baseline, watching the ball land.
He looked down at his hands, then looked up at Zverev.
Zverev stood still, his hands supporting his knees.
He neither watched the game nor Cheng Che.
His gaze was fixed on a single point on the ground, his lips parted slightly, and his breathing became a beat heavier than before.
His shoulders were trembling slightly.
It was an indescribable feeling of powerlessness.
In the following matches, Cheng Che continued his dominance.
In the fifth set, he held serve.
Six to zero.
In the sixth game, Zverev held serve.
Six to one.
In the seventh inning, Cheng Che held serve.
Six to one, the first set ends.
Lin Yan's voice rang out on the radio:
Cheng Che won the first set 6-1. He had 18 winners and only 3 unforced errors in the first set. Zverev's first serve percentage was only 52%, his worst set performance in Master tournaments this year.
The screen was filled with comments.
[Six to one, that's too ruthless]
Zverev is ranked third in the world, and he got beaten like this.
Cheng Che's performance today was terrifying; Zverev was completely out of sorts after that lucky shot.
[This is the chosen one, there's nothing we can do about it.]
To be honest, Zverev didn't play well today, but Cheng Che did play very well.
Is it really that hard to admit that someone else is stronger?
[It's not a matter of admitting or not admitting it, the game isn't over yet, don't celebrate prematurely.]
In the stands, Jiang Xue clutched a water bottle in her hand and glanced sideways at Su Miaoyin and Yan Ruanning.
Su Miaoyin's hands rested on her knees, her fingers gripping the hem of her clothes, her knuckles turning slightly white.
Her lips were pursed, and her eyes were fixed on the white figure on the field.
Yan Ruanning placed her hand on the armrest, her fingers tapping lightly on it, a rhythm a little faster than usual.
Her hat brim was pulled low, but the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned beneath her mask.
Neither of them spoke, but they were both looking at him.
Jiang Xue turned her gaze back to the basketball court.
Cheng Che walked back to the lounge chair, picked up the water bottle, and took a sip.
With a towel draped over his head, his breathing was steady, the rhythm of his chest rising and falling almost identical to that at the beginning.