Chapter Ninety-Seven: Pre-Game Provocation
Stopping in the semi-finals is already a good result for Lin Teng, who is participating in adult professional competitions for the first time. In particular, his opponent is recognized as the first person in China, so he has nothing to regret.
But for Lin Teng, when he lost the last point and lost the game, he still felt a little lost in his heart. Especially in this match, he lost to Wu Di only because of his lack of experience, and it can be said that in terms of physical and technical level, he is almost not lagging behind.
Back on the sidelines, looking at the smiling Pan Xiqi, Lin Teng lowered his head and said in a muffled voice: "Uncle, I really lost." ”
"Silly boy, you've done perfectly today. You must know that you are only eighteen years old, and in two years, whether it is Wu Di or Zhang Ze, you will definitely not be your opponent. Pan Xiqi touched Lin Teng's head and comforted.
"yes. Lin Teng, the team is very satisfied with your performance in this competition, you have done your best. Coach Zheng also said on the side.
"Uncle, although Wu's enemy is very strong, in my opinion, he is far from your opponent. Not only him, but I think there is no one in this country who can stop you. Lin Teng suddenly raised his head and said to Pan Xiqi with bright eyes.
Although he was depressed about losing the game, he thought that through his fight with Wu Enemy, he could be regarded as understanding the potential opponent of the final for Pan Xiqi, and Lin Teng felt that his loss was also valuable.
"Hehe, don't think about it so much yet, it's not too late for me to win the semi-finals for a while." Pansiqi chuckled, a glint of confidence in his eyes.
Ten minutes later, the second Men's Singles semi-final was played. Compared with the last semi-final, this match between Pan Xiqi and Zhang Ze, the second person in China, is obviously more interesting. For the audience, the result of Wu Di's victory over Lin Teng seemed to be a matter of course. But whether Zhang Ze can take Pan Xiqi or not, it's hard to say.
Through the first few rounds, Pansiqi's reputation as a serve cannon can be regarded as completely launched. As long as you follow this competition, you should have heard the story of Pan Xiqi of the Beijing team who gave the opponent an ace rain if he didn't agree with each other. Coupled with the two sets of the quarterfinals, the famous Zhang Zhizhen won the heat, which made Pan Xiqi's popularity rise to a few levels. It can be said that Pan Xiqi's current momentum is almost not weaker than that of Wu Di and Zhang Ze, the two domestic hegemons.
Compared with the last game, the number of spectators on the sidelines is actually a little more, and the atmosphere is a little more enthusiastic. Before the game started, the stands were already full of excitement and noise. You can still hear some spectators arguing fiercely about the outcome of the match.
"In this semi-final, I think Panci should have a good chance. In the last game against Zhang Zhizhen, I went to watch it. Tut-tut, as far as Pansizi's serve, I don't think there is a second person in China who can compare. In the whole game, Zhang Zhizhen didn't catch a few good balls at all. As long as Pancich maintains his previous serve, it is difficult to lose. One spectator was clearly impressed by Pansizi's stunning performance, and was happily telling his companion his analysis of the game.
"Hmph, I don't think so. Zhang Ze is a strong man who has been known as the peerless double pride in the domestic tennis world along with Wu Di over the years, except for Wu Di, he is rarely defeated by others. As for Pansiqi, although his previous performance was good, I am afraid it was because he did not meet a real strong person. I watch this match, Zhang Ze will definitely defend his title as the strongest player. In the blink of an eye, it turned out to be an audience member on the other side of him who was indignantly retorting his words. Looking at him in his hand, he is still holding the slogan "Zhang Ze will win", it seems that he is a die-hard fan of Zhang Ze.
Now the audience didn't do it, and suddenly the two quarreled. Seeing that no one could convince the other, the two had to make a bet and wait for the result of the game to be decided.
On the side of the Jiangsu team, the team doctor is relaxing the last leg muscles for Zhang Ze, who is about to play. On the side, the coach of the Jiangsu team was also whispering something to Zhang Ze.
"Zhang Ze, have you thought about it? Is it really necessary to use new tactics in a game? The coach asked Zhang Ze one last time.
"Yes, I've made a decision. But when I'm on the field, I'll be able to do it, and if everything goes well, maybe it won't be useful. Zhang Ze replied in a low voice. However, looking at his expression, it seems that this is not very likely.
When the game time came, Pan Xiqi, Lin Teng, and Coach Zheng slapped their hands respectively, and then picked up the racket and went on the court. On the other side, Zhang Ze also trotted all the way to the court, and when he arrived at the net, he even jumped with his legs restored, as if he was doing a warm-up action before the game.
As the players from both sides took the field, the audience erupted in a round of applause. It was also mixed with the cheering of Zhang Ze, who had a lot of momentum. And in the meantime, shouts of cheering for Pansiqi could be heard from time to time. It can be said that before the game even started, the fans of both sides had already started the first round of confrontation.
Looking at Pan Xiqi, who looked mediocre on the other side, Zhang Ze narrowed his eyes, as if he wanted to see the other party through. It's a habit he's developed over the years in domestic competitions, and under his oppressive gaze, the average younger or less powerful opponent will often find it uncomfortable and choose to avoid his edge. In this way, the opponent will be pressed by him in momentum before the start of the match.
However, he watched for a long time, but Pan Xiqi was completely unmoved, just kept fiddling with the net cable of his racket with his hand, as if he didn't notice that Zhang Ze was looking at him at all. Seeing that his psychological warfare didn't seem to work, Zhang Ze snorted, turned his head, and ignored Pan Xiqi no more.
After the two sides picked the sides, they began to practice for five minutes. In these five minutes, both sides will practice technical movements such as serve, high-pressure ball, and ball in front of the net in turn. Normally, both sides will be very friendly and feed each other the ball. And the attacking side will not exert much force, basically just ensure that the body is stretched.
However, when Pan Xiqi fed Zhang Ze a high-pressure ball, Zhang Ze was surprisingly merciless, and actually used all his strength to smash it. In this way, every time Zhang Ze finishes dunking, the tennis ball will fly high out of the bottom line, instead of controlling the strength and dunking the ball to the position of Pansiqi like normal matches. Although there are caddies who pick up the ball for both sides without Pansiqi's hands, but in this way, Pansiqi's rhythm is also disrupted, and it does not have a good practice effect.
It can be said that Zhang Ze's behavior is not very respectful of the opponent, which can be regarded as breaking the tacit understanding between the two sides in pre-game practice. Lin Teng in the audience looked very angry, looking at Zhang Ze with round eyes, as if he wanted to eat him. However, Pansiqi, who was on the field, seemed to be nothing wrong, and didn't seem to feel anything unusual.
Seeing that Pan Xiqi still had no reaction to what he had done, Zhang Ze felt a little depressed. The small gestures he made before the game were just to provoke Panci and disrupt his mentality, so that he could have a mental advantage in the game. But looking at the way he looks now, Panci seems to be a guy who doesn't eat oil and salt, and he doesn't know how much effect he can get from what he does.
At the end of the five-minute practice, with the referee's order, the second semi-final began!