Chapter 028: Small Victory at Half Time
Liu Guopang's serve grabbing mainly relies on prediction and reaction.
Kong Zhendong had never been so serious before this ball, and he had served so extremely.
Whether it is Hong Tao, Li Jun, or the three main young players in South Korea, Kong Zhendong does not feel that he needs to pursue the serve to deal with it.
Kong Zhendong's biggest advantage in facing Liu Pang is that he understands Liu Guopang's characteristics, and Liu Guopang's understanding of him is only a half-time ball.
Kong Zhendong's serve went straight to Liu Guopang's backhand, Liu Guopang's backhand was weaker than his forehand, but it was not enough to be killed in one board.
Liu Guopang quickly dialed back and pushed the ball very deep to Kong Zhendong's forehand, which seemed to give Kong Zhendong a chance to pull the ball half-back, but in fact, once Kong Zhendong semi-retreated, he could only pull the ball with a big slash, so that the two entered the forehand position to pull the stalemate.
And Liu Guopang's forehand? Kong Zhendong does not have such blind confidence.
Kong Zhendong did not pull the ball as Liu Guopang wanted, but still rubbed a straight line, continued to grab Liu Guopang's backhand, Liu Guopang's backhand returned the ball to the net, Kong Zhendong 1:0.
Guo Bing saw Kong Zhendong taking the lead, and said with a smile: "Zhendong is really a bottomless pit, I don't know where his technical limit is, he is obviously more difficult to beat South Koreans than Xiao Liu, but when the two really compete, Zhendong still has the advantage." β
Ye Xiaoya said excitedly: "Both of them are trying their best to scramble, this young man is good at forehand attack, Kong Zhendong is good at backhand, the two of them will see who can grasp the rhythm earlier and more accurately." Whoever enters the strong point will score! β
On the field, as Ye Xiaoya judged, Kong Zhendong and Liu Guopang won their two serves, and the score was 2:2.
Liu Guopang smiled: "You are stronger than I imagined, I don't want to break the golden body that swept Shichahai!" Liu Guopang joked, but the whole person entered a more excited and active state. He felt a hint of crisis, because although he won both points on the serve, Kong Zhendong did not eat his serve.
Liu Guopang started practicing at the age of six, and it has been three years since he entered the national youth team, even if it is a player of the national youth team who is older than him, no one does not eat his serve. The unique skill of spinning the waist and half-turning the serve, the weird spin, and the companions who have practiced together for several years can only prevent two or three of the five.
In the ensuing confrontation, Liu Guopang was full of firepower, and his forehand attack was fierce and turning. Kong Zhendong and Li Jun's achievements in training have also been shown, in addition to the backhand arc circle, backhand near the stage twisting and pulling and other advanced techniques, Kong Zhendong's small ball in the stage is held, that delicate feel, Liu Guopang has been practicing hard in the national table tennis for three years and is barely matched.
Liu Guopang opened and closed like a spear, and Kong Zhendong held the short ball without leaking, like a shield.
Ye Xiaoya and the others appreciated the extreme offensive and defensive battle of spear and shield.
Although Kong Zhendong and Liu Guopang are only ten and fourteen years old respectively, and their skills are far from being formed, they are very clear-minded, and they are constantly setting up games and breaking the game in the rapid confrontation!
The score came to 9:8, Kong Zhendong took the lead, but Liu Guopang held the serve.
CHUAοΌ Liu Guopang spun to serve again, and the ball was high-speed, high-spin, and had a fairly strong forward rush.
Kong Zhendong can only semi-unload the forehand push, and the quality of the return ball is very high, but the line can only enter Liu Guopang's forehand field.
Guo Bing sighed and said: "It's in the forehand, it seems that Zhendong is going to lose points again, it's 9 draws, and the score can't be opened." β
In the forehand hold, Kong Zhendong tried to change the line, sacrificing the attack power, but finally changed the line to the backhand.
Liu Guopang is not afraid, his backhand is not strong, but I have not been afraid of the transition ball that is not threatening.
Liu Guopang returned the ball with a backhand, he was ready to transition a board, and after turning back to the forehand, he grabbed the point sideways and won the point directly.
Everyone waited for Kong Zhendong's response after the backhand call, but he didn't call back!
It's time! The two held each other for too long, and Kong Zhendong decided to use a unique trick.
Kong Zhendong's backhand did not pull back and push, but quickly cut down.
Kong Zhendong relied on the famous backhand to cut the ball and change the line.
If it is just a line change, it is impossible to leave a mark on the century-old table tennis world. His backhand changes the line like the button of the remote control, which can suddenly fast forward and rewind.
The most terrifying thing is that with the change of line, the speed and rhythm change sharply.
Liu Guopang is a quick reaction player, and his movements are often done in front of the force. He has already set up a sideways snatching action, and the opponent actually returned a backhand cut?
It's like a smooth video tape that briefly jams, causing Liu Guopang's racket and high-speed table tennis ball to intersect like a folded garbled picture.
Guo Bing jumped up with cheers: "He didn't pull the ball!" "Liu Guopang, a fast-moving player like him, once he gets started, the threat is too great, but Kong Zhendong's magical change in the ball path won a point in a passive situation.
At 10:8, Kong Zhendong served.
Liu Guopang has always been known as the smartest table tennis player in the nineties, and he is also the most pondering table tennis player.
This ball Kong Zhendong served, took the initiative, and after entering the backhand stage, Kong Zhendong used a backhand cut again.
Although the line and ball speed have changed fundamentally, Liu Guopang, who was prepared, still received the ball.
Kong Zhendong's backhand cut ball has never been a means to sneak attack to score points, but a clarion call for counterattack and attack!
entered Kong Zhendong's rhythm of attack and quickly won this point.
At 11:8, Kong Zhendong should continue to serve, and Liu Guopang was also completely inspired to win by these two cut balls, and he was ready to do a big job!
Kong Zhendong pressed the racket on the table tennis ball and said: "That's it, in the international junior competition, the 11-point game system is also being implemented. β
Kong Zhendong didn't deliberately take advantage of the lead to stop the game, but today the two of them played two or three games in a row in front of them, and their physical strength was overdrawn, and if they continue to fight more and more fiercely, it will bring injuries.
Through this 11-point showdown, Kong Zhendong also felt that he and Liu Guopang still had a lot of skills that they had not learned, and continuing to fight was just a repetition of the same technology, and they couldn't learn anything new.
Liu Guopang didn't complain that Kong Zhendong ended the game when he was ahead, he just smiled: "The prestige of sweeping Shichahai can't be kept after all!" β
Kong Zhendong continued: "Sweeping Shichahai only lost one game, such a prestige sounds very high!" β
The two talked unconsciously, and they had an inexplicable tacit understanding.
Kong Zhendong felt in his heart that Liu Guopang was only fourteen years old. For him, losing one game is really more advantageous than sweeping Shichahai.
He will eventually become the first Chinese Grand Slam player in the future.
Liu Guopang's Grand Slam is by no means won only by clever moves such as spinning the serve and grabbing the serve. These are indeed his killer features, but they are all based on the basic offense of the world's top players.
Losing a game like this, Liu Guopang may rein in his skills and practice his basic skills even more, which is the cornerstone of the world championship!