Chapter 34: The Qualifying Rounds Begin!
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After changing trains several times, Jiang Hong finally arrived at the airport!
“Need a room?”
“Need a taxi?”
“The rooms at our inn are wonderfully comfortable. We’ll even turn on a fan for you!”
The voices of innkeepers and taxi drivers rose and fell around him.
Jiang Hong saw a middle-aged woman tugging at a young man’s arm.
“Young man, why not stay and rest for a while?”
“My plane takes off in ten minutes!” the young man replied, shaking his head.
“Don’t worry, you’ll make it in time!”
Watching the scene unfold, Jiang Hong’s lips twitched.
He hurried past them, waited in the departure lounge for roughly half an hour, and finally boarded his flight.
An hour and a half later, Jiang Hong arrived in Shanghai.
The weather in Shanghai was somewhat more humid than in Chang’an.
He did not take a taxi. After all, at a time like this, Shanghai’s cabdrivers would surely fleece an out-of-towner.
Jiang Hong went to the registration desk and signed in, then rented a room at a nearby hotel.
Players in the main draw could stay free of charge at hotels arranged by the organizing committee, with meals and drinks provided as well.
A qualifier like Jiang Hong naturally enjoyed no such privileges.
He glanced at the qualifying draw. There were sixteen players in all.
Four would ultimately advance, which meant that anyone hoping to enter the main draw had to win two rounds.
To save time, the organizers had scheduled the entire qualifying competition for a single day.
In other words, the players would have to compete twice in one day.
This was quite different from the Base Cup Jiang Hong had played before.
Even the players in qualifying were among the very best amateurs.
As a result, playing two matches in one day would put their stamina to a far greater test.
Jiang Hong ate a little that evening and had no inclination to wander around.
After all, compared with the Shanghai of the future, the city at this time was still rather ordinary.
Early the next morning, Jiang Hong arrived at the tournament venue.
All the players in qualifying were domestic competitors; there were no foreigners.
That was only natural. The prize money at a ten-thousand-dollar event was barely enough to cover expenses.
If a foreign player crashed out in qualifying, the trip would be a heavy loss.
Thus, the foreigners who came to compete were essentially all main-draw entrants.
Most of the players looked eager to begin, and Jiang Hong felt a stir of anticipation as well.
“Status panel.”
Jiang Hong called it up silently.
[Host: Jiang Hong]
[Age: 17]
[Dominant Hand: Right]
[Condition: Full of Energy]
[Serve: 69]
[Baseline Play: 67]
[Forehand: 68]
[Backhand: 66]
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[Net Play: 60]
[Tactics: 60]
[Stamina: 70]
[Speed: 75]
[Mental Strength: 75]
Looking at the figures on the panel, a smile appeared on Jiang Hong’s face.
For a newcomer like him, with no background on a professional team, there was no point dreaming of a favorable draw.
It was already fortunate enough not to be used as someone else’s stepping-stone.
Just then, a staff member informed Jiang Hong that his match was about to begin.
Jiang Hong glanced at his opponent.
The other player was a member of the Shanghai team, and his expression was brimming with confidence.
Clearly, this was the home-court advantage.
Jiang Hong had once again been served up as a generous gift.
He and his opponent stood at the net and listened as the umpire explained the rules.
They then determined the right to serve with a coin toss.
“Serve goes to Jiang Hong!” the umpire announced before returning to his chair.
The two players went back to their respective baselines. They hit a few practice serves and rallied to warm up.
Although this was a professional tournament, hardly anyone was interested in watching the warm-up.
There were even fewer spectators in the stands than there had been at the Base Cup.
“Old Zhang, you’re quite crafty. You actually gave your pupil an opponent with no competitive background at all. Are you sending him straight into the main draw?”
The coach of a neighboring provincial team teased the Shanghai coach.
The latter showed no embarrassment at all.
“It’s perfectly normal for the host to influence the draw. Sometimes we care too much about appearances and deliberately give the foreigners favorable draws. We should hand out a few more main-draw wild cards instead—at least give our local players some experience!”
“There’s nothing we can do. We have to consider the repercussions.”
“Repercussions? Hmph. Our players get targeted plenty when they compete abroad!”
In tournaments hosted by certain countries, the protection of local players had reached an utterly outrageous level.
A ball that landed in could be called out, while a ball that landed out could be declared good.
After all, electronic line judges and Hawk-Eye did not yet exist.
Amid their discussion, the umpire finally announced the start of the match.
Jiang Hong’s gaze turned serious. He gently bounced the tennis ball.
He bent his knees, tossed the ball into the air, drove up from the ground, and swung.
Bang!
The only sound was the crack of ball against racket.
The ball transformed into a streak of fluorescent green and shot straight toward the inner corner of the deuce court.
The Shanghai player’s expression changed instantly.
What the hell?
Hadn’t he been told this was merely a newcomer?
How could his serve be so fierce?
The Shanghai player immediately quickened his steps and rushed toward the center line.
But Jiang Hong had imparted heavy spin to the serve. After striking the inner corner of the deuce court, it kicked sharply to the right.
Zhang Long swung desperately, only to miss the ball completely.
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The tennis ball flew beyond the baseline.
“Fifteen-love.”
The umpire announced the score.
Zhang Long’s expression became solemn. When he returned to the baseline, he no longer stood out wide.
Instead, he positioned himself in the center of the baseline on the deuce side.
He was worried that Jiang Hong would fire another ace like the one before.
Jiang Hong stood in the deuce court and prepared to serve again.
This time, the angle was not as vicious, but the speed was tremendous.
Zhang Long estimated that the serve had reached roughly one hundred and ninety kilometers per hour.
He immediately shifted his body, retreated and turned sideways, then swung his racket and sent the ball back.
However, Jiang Hong’s shot was so heavy that the return landed rather short.
Thud, thud, thud!
Jiang Hong rushed to the net and struck the ball into the open court on Zhang Long’s right.
The ball landed too far away, leaving Zhang Long no chance to reach it.
Zhang Long gritted his teeth.
He had to win.
The Shanghai team had plenty of funding, but if he continued failing to produce results, the resources allocated to him would be given to athletes with greater potential.
The world of sport was one in which a single champion’s success was built upon the ruin of countless others.
Zhang Long fought noticeably harder on the next two points, but in the end, he still failed to win either of them.
Jiang Hong took the first game without dropping a point.
A love game!
“Game, Jiang Hong. One-love!”
After the umpire announced the end of the first game, the two players returned to the nearby rest area and sat down.
The coach from the neighboring provincial team turned to look at the Shanghai coach.
“Old Zhang, looks like you picked the wrong soft touch.”
“Hmph. It’s only one game. No one can say what will happen later.”
The Shanghai coach shot him a glance, but his expression was clearly no longer as relaxed as before.
After they changed ends, it was Zhang Long’s turn to serve.
He looked somewhat more confident than before, clearly possessing a powerful serve.
Standing at the baseline, Zhang Long fired a cannonball of a serve.
Its placement, however, was quite ordinary.
Jiang Hong reached the landing point early and returned the ball cleanly with a firm swing.
Zhang Long was no pushover either. He immediately moved forward.
He drew back his racket and chose a flat forehand.
The return came back at tremendous speed, and Jiang Hong’s eyes flashed.
An image of facing a ball machine appeared in his mind.
Suddenly, he gave his wrist a slight flick and sliced across the ball with his backhand.
The tennis ball transformed into an elegant arc and floated over the net...
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