Chapter 172: US Open debut
Standing in the wide plaza of the USTA Tennis Center in New York, Pansichie felt as if he was still in a dream at this moment. In particular, not far away, the Arthur Ashe Tennis Hall, which towered like a giant, occupied almost all of Pansichy's sight with its huge body.
Looking at the U.S. Open Centre Court, which she had only seen on TV before, Panci felt like she was getting goosebumps all over her body. If it weren't for the crowd all around him now, Pansiqi would have had no guarantee that he wouldn't be overly excited.
It was only at this moment that Pansiqi was truly certain that he was going to play in a Grand Slam. From now on, I will no longer be a spectator of the Grand Slam, but will join the team of those tennis superstars to write their own glorious history.
Suppressing his excitement, Pansic's first task now is to find the Organizing Committee's player reception to complete his on-site registration procedures. Although the process has been clearly written on the invitation letter of the event, Pan Xiqi has limited English skills after all, and he is still confused. In addition, the U.S. Open center is too big, and Pansic sadly found that he was probably lost.
After asking several passers-by on the way, Pansic finally found the player's reception in a corner of the tennis center. At this time, there was already a small queue in front of the reception, both men and women, all carrying large tennis bags, and it seemed that they were all here to participate in the US Open qualifiers, just like Pansiqi.
Pansic observed these potential opponents with great interest. He noticed that most of the contestants were just waiting in line, unconcerned about what was happening next to them. Some of the youngest-looking players are looking around excitedly, looking very new to everything.
"It seems that these young people, like me, should be rookies who are participating in a Grand Slam for the first time. Also, I believe that even a player of the level of a cow or natto will be very excited when he participates in a Grand Slam for the first time. Making his own judgment in his heart, Panci also joined the line with a tennis bag on his back.
Fortunately, most of the registration has already been done online, and on-site registration only requires signing in and collecting your player ID. So it didn't take long for Pansizy's turn to wait. Looking at the player card with a photo of his bright smile on his hand, Pansic couldn't wait to hug it and kiss it hard.
After playing with his badge, Pansic solemnly hung it around his neck. Then he opened the schedule of events he had just received and began to study his schedule.
A total of 128 players participated in this qualifying tournament, divided into 16 groups, each with a group of 8 people, competing for 16 places to advance to the main competition. That said, Pancich will need to pass three qualifying rounds before he can achieve his true desire to make it to the Grand Slam stage. And this afternoon, Pancici will play his first qualifying match.
Looking at his opponent in the first round, Pancici found himself facing a young player from Brazil. The Brazilian has just turned 19 this year and is already on the 200th in the world rankings, so it is fair to say that if he plays well at the US Open, he will hopefully move up to the top 200 for the first time.
According to the ATP's official website, the Brazilian is a staggering 1.98m, making him the tallest player Pancizi has ever faced. In his most recent Challenger tournaments, the Brazilian has almost always been able to reach the quarterfinals or higher, and his upward momentum has been fierce. However, these are not of much significance to Pansiqi, and a player of this level will not pose a substantial threat to him.
However, when the Brazilian found Pancizi's information on the official website, he was speechless. originally thought that meeting Chinese players in the first round would not only ensure promotion, but also be able to practice their hands, which is definitely a sign. However, seeing Pancizi's impressive winning streak in recent times, the Brazilian felt that he might have kicked an iron plate this time.
For those who will be playing in the afternoon, the U.S. Open organizing committee provided them with a venue for pre-match training in the morning. However, Pansiqi was alone at this time, and there was no one to practice with. In desperation, Panci had to find an empty court at random and do some physical training, which can be regarded as a pre-game warm-up.
It was two o'clock in the afternoon, and in the late summer sun in New York, Pansic took the stage to make his US Open debut. I have to say that a Grand Slam is a Grand Slam, although it is only a qualifying tournament and the stadium is only a peripheral venue, but its hardware facilities are not comparable to ordinary competitions.
As the most lucrative of the four Grand Slams, the U.S. Open guarantees the tournament in addition to the name. In addition to the necessary caddies and lines, players will also be provided with towels, ice packs, drinks and other items that may be used during the game.
In addition, the biggest difference in the US Open for Panci is the atmosphere of the court. Pan Xiqi originally thought that today was only the first day of qualifying, and it was not a weekend, so there should not be many spectators coming to the stadium to watch the game.
Who knew that as soon as he entered the National Tennis Center, he was shocked by the flow of people in the U.S. Looking around the stadium now, the game has not yet started, but the seats are already packed with spectators, and many spectators are even standing waiting for the game to start.
Feeling the atmosphere of the arena, which was several times more enthusiastic than the previous challenge finals, Pansic's originally relaxed state of mind began to become a little nervous. It seems that the Grand Slam really has its own uniqueness, and the frenetic atmosphere alone will make the average rookie unbearable.
Standing on the court, Panci looked up at his opponent who was a head taller than him, looking a little amazed. After all, when a player of this height is actually standing in front of him, the sense of oppression brought by it cannot be felt by imagination.
"Mom, with such a height, don't go to play basketball, come to the tennis court to join in the fun." With a sigh in his heart, Pan Xiqi looked at the other party with a puzzled look.
However, this kind of look, in the eyes of the Brazilian player, was interpreted as Panci being overwhelmed by his momentum. The South American's optimistic nature was on full display at this point, and the Brazilian felt that his opponent was cowardly in the face of Pancizi's performance. As a result, I have invisibly added some confidence in my victory.
"Hehe, it seems that Chinese players are Chinese players, and in the sport of tennis, they will never be on the stage." With a strong taunt in his heart, the Brazilian started his serve.