Lu Yunxiao stood behind the baseline and slammed the ball to the ground three times.
His movements were steady and rhythmic, like a calibrated machine.
Cheng Che stood opposite him, his center of gravity slightly lowered, his eyes fixed on Lu Yunxiao's hand.
In the first game, Lu Yunxiao served an outside corner.
The ball speed wasn't fast, but its landing point was extremely tricky, landing on the sideline of the service area and bouncing outwards.
Cheng Che moved two steps to the side and then struck out with his forehand.
Lu Yunxiao was already waiting in the middle. He calmly blocked the ball with his backhand, sending it back to Cheng Che's deep backhand area.
Cheng Che took a step back and pulled his DSLR camera back.
The angle wasn't large, but the power was considerable.
Lu Yunxiao returned to the middle lane.
Without applying force or changing the trajectory, simply push the ball gently to Cheng Che's most uncomfortable position.
Cheng Che was forced to retreat again.
He hit a wide, angled shot.
Lu Yunxiao took two steps, then sliced the ball with his racket face, sending it landing in front of the net with backspin.
Cheng Che rushed up from the baseline and lobbed the ball high.
Lu Yunxiao retreated to the backcourt and hit a deep shot with his forehand.
Cheng Che ran back to the baseline from the net and managed to block a shot with a backhand.
The ball went too shallow.
Lu Yunxiao went online and launched an interception.
The ball landed behind Cheng Che.
"Fifteen to zero."
A round of enthusiastic applause erupted from the stands.
Cheng Che picked up the ball and walked back to the baseline.
His breathing was relatively steady, but his fingers tightened slightly on the handle of the racket.
He ran four laps for that one point.
From the baseline to the net, and from the net back to the baseline.
Lu Yunxiao only ran back and forth twice, and he didn't rush at any step.
He was being led around like a fiddle.
In the second game, Cheng Che had his turn to serve.
He took a deep breath, tossed the ball, jumped, and swung his racket.
An inside corner ace.
The ball hit the T-zone, bounced, and flew towards the advertising board. Lu Yunxiao didn't move.
"Fifteen to zero."
Screams erupted from the female fans in the stands.
But Cheng Che knew that he couldn't keep serving that kind of ball.
Lu Yunxiao didn't return the ball because he judged it was unreturnable; he was waiting for Cheng Che's serve to drop in quality.
Then he would push the ball back, just like before, deep into the middle, letting Cheng Che run.
As expected, Lu Yunxiao received Cheng Che's second serve in the second game.
The ball returned to the middle.
Cheng Che executed a forehand smash, hitting the target at a wide angle.
Lu Yunxiao ran over, flicked the ball with his backhand, and sent it back to the middle.
Cheng Che exerted his strength again, Lu Yunxiao retaliated again, and returned to the mid lane.
Cheng Che's every attack felt like hitting a ball of cotton.
Thirty to fifteen.
Cheng Che won the point, but he was exhausted.
It was much more tiring than the match against Zhu Junchi.
Zhu Junchi engaged in open and direct confrontation, while Lu Yunxiao used a more gradual and methodical approach.
He won't give you a chance to win, but you shouldn't expect to get an easy point from him either.
The first set ended in a 6-6 tie.
Game 7.
Cheng Che led 4-2 at one point in the tiebreaker.
His fans in the stands had already stood up, holding up banners and chanting his name.
But Lu Yunxiao didn't panic.
His serves were incredibly accurate, landing point by point.
Cheng Che could catch it, but not in a comfortable position.
If the return shot is too shallow, Lu Yunxiao will go to the net to volley; if the return shot is too deep, Lu Yunxiao will retreat and continue to grind the ball.
Lu Yunxiao scored five consecutive points.
Lu Yunxiao wins the first set 7-4!
There was a moment of silence in the stands, then applause erupted.
Lu Yunxiao's fans applauded, while Cheng Che's fans sighed.
Cheng Che sat on a lounge chair, his face covered with a towel.
He didn't say anything.
His breathing was steady, and he didn't sweat much.
His body wasn't tired, but his mind was racing.
Qin Lie handed over the water and said in a low voice:
"He's wearing you down. Every shot goes back to the middle, giving you no angle, no leverage. The more effort you put in, the more comfortable he feels."
"I know," Cheng Che said.
But he always felt something was off.
It wasn't that Lu Yunxiao played poorly; it was just that he felt he was lacking something.
I was so close to catching something.
But he couldn't say exactly what that "something" was.
The second game begins.
Cheng Che changed his playing style.
He no longer sought to exert force.
He started going online, dropping small balls, and hitting them shallowly and quickly.
Lu Yunxiao was forced to his limit, and then Cheng Che suddenly accelerated and hit a big diagonal shot with his forehand.
Lu Yunxiao ran over, but couldn't reach it.
"Fifteen to zero."
The stands erupted!
Cheng Che found a solution.
Use short balls and net play to force Lu Yunxiao away from the middle, then attack behind him.
This tactic worked in the first three games of the second set.
Cheng Che holds serve, breaks serve, holds serve again.
Three to zero.
Lu Yunxiao called a pause.
He sat on a bench with a towel draped around his neck, and the coach squatted down beside him, talking to him.
Lu Yunxiao nodded and took a sip of water.
Then he stood up and walked back to the baseline.
Cheng Che noticed that he made a very small movement. He moved his position back half a step.
Cheng Che quickly understood what this half-step meant.
Lu Yunxiao no longer gave Cheng Che the opportunity to go online.
His returns went deeper, each shot hitting the baseline and preventing Cheng Che from advancing.
Cheng Che wanted to play a short ball, but Lu Yunxiao moved first, smashing it with his forehand.
The score was tied at 3-3.
Then it was four to four.
Lu Yunxiao's serve.
Cheng Che forced a break point, but Lu Yunxiao scored two consecutive points to defuse it.
In the stands, Yan Ruanning gripped her water bottle tightly. Su Jianqiu whispered beside her, "Don't rush, there's still a chance."
Yan Ruanning nodded, but she knew that if they couldn't secure those two break points, the second set would be very difficult.
Lu Yunxiao sent a message from the outside corner.
Cheng Che attacked after receiving the serve, and Lu Yunxiao managed to block it back. Cheng Che volleyed at the net, and Lu Yunxiao retreated to lob the ball high.
Cheng Che jumped up and smashed the ball.
The ball hit Lu Yunxiao's feet.
But Lu Yunxiao sliced the ball back.
A low, flat slice shot rolled across the net.
Cheng Che got up from the ground and rushed to the frontcourt. But the ball bounced too low, and he could only flick it upwards with his racket.
The ball went out of bounds.
"Forty to thirty."
Lu Yunxiao secured his position.
Five to four.
Cheng Che stood behind the baseline, looking at Lu Yunxiao.
The twenty-four-year-old man was bent over, his hands supporting his knees, his chest heaving violently.
His breathing was heavy, and sweat dripped down his chin.
He was panting.
Cheng Che saw it.
But he also saw something else.
Lu Yunxiao was panting, but every time he returned the ball, the landing point was exactly the same as in the first set. Not a single point different.
This doesn't seem right.
The second set ended with a score of 6-4.
Lu Yunxiao won.
The stands were silent for several seconds.
From the commentary booth, Lin Yan's voice carried a hint of regret:
" Lu Yunxiao was in fantastic form today; his control over the placement of his returns was textbook perfect. Cheng Che tried many variations, but they were all neutralized."
Zhou Zhou continued:
"That's the difference in experience. Lu Yunxiao knows all too well how to handle this kind of situation. Cheng Che's tactics weren't wrong, it's just that Lu Yunxiao was too cautious."
The mocking comments on the screen were uncontrollable.
[What did I tell you? They overhyped it in the previous matches. They'll immediately show their true colors when they face a real strong opponent.]
[Seven to four, six to four. The game was much worse than the score. Cheng Che couldn't break through Lu Yunxiao's defense at all.]
[What happened to his speed-up tactics? His lane-changing? None of them seem to be working anymore?]
[ Lu Yunxiao's shots are too steady; every shot Cheng Che makes feels like he's hitting a wall. What kind of result can you get by hitting a wall?]
[That's normal. What level is Lu Yunxiao? He's someone who's competed on the international stage. Cheng Che, who's only been training for a few months, is already doing very well.]
[Didn't some fans say he was going to win the championship? Where is the Champion?]
In the stands, Su Qingyue sat next to her father, her brows furrowed.
"He actually played quite well," she whispered. "Every shot was threatening, it's just..."
"They just can't break through," Father Su chimed in. " Lu Yunxiao's basketball IQ is too high. He doesn't try to outmuscle Cheng Che with strength or speed; he just puts the ball in the most difficult position, forcing Cheng Che to make a mistake."
Su Qingyue bit her lip. "Then what should we do?"
Father Su shook his head:
"It's difficult. Lu Yunxiao is a top 150 player in the rankings, and the organizers arranged for him to be Cheng Che's first opponent in the knockout stage. To be honest, it's a bit underhanded."
Su Qingyue was taken aback. "Why?"
"Because Cheng Che has a backup plan," Father Su said. "He's the top scorer in the college entrance Zhuangyuan; if he loses, he can go back to Peking University. But Lu Yunxiao can't; he needs his performance in this competition to maintain his ranking. The organizers arranged it this way to make Lu Yunxiao the goalkeeper."
Su Qingyue pouted, "How could you do this?"
Mother Su patted Father Su on the shoulder and said, "Your dad just subconsciously thinks the worst of people. It's not that outrageous."
On the other side of the stands, Su Jianqiu leaned close to Yan Ruanning's ear. "Don't rush, he's also observing during the first set."
Yan Ruanning nodded and said, "I know."
But the knuckles of her hand, which was gripping the water bottle, had turned white.
Break between games.
Cheng Che sat in the chair, his face covered with a towel.
Qin Lie squatted down beside him and lowered his voice:
"It's alright, just gain experience. The organizers are clearly targeting you, putting you on Lu Yunxiao's team so they can get you eliminated sooner."
Cheng Che took the towel down and glanced at him.
I didn't notice.
He took a sip of water and closed his eyes.
For the first two games, Cheng Che had a certain feeling.
He felt there was something wrong with Lu Yunxiao's playing style, but he couldn't pinpoint the problem.
He tried increasing his speed, changing his line of fire, moving closer to the net, and dropping the ball.
Every tactic he employed was neutralized, but the way it was neutralized always left him feeling "just a little short."
Almost there.
He was always just a little short of finding Lu Yunxiao's Achilles' heel.
Just then, a sound rang in his mind.
"Bite."
[ Flash of Inspiration ] has been triggered!