Table tennis: Swinging the racket billions of times, achieving a grand slam

Chapter 376 Building a Talent Pool is of Utmost Urgency

Chen Jin sat cross-legged at the foot of the bed.

Xie Mingyang crossed his arms and leaned against the headboard.

The two remained silent, their expressions focused, watching the game.

At this moment, Zhang Jiahao and Xue Fei had already taken the stage, and the final match officially began.

first round.

Xue Fei got into the zone extremely quickly and started working decisively.

His signature backhand topspin was like a cannonball, powerful and relentless, bombarding Zhang Jiahao's forehand position.

Zhang Jiahao's touch was clearly not warmed up yet.

Under Xue Fei's fierce offensive, they appeared passive and suffered more setbacks.

They were caught off guard at the start.

They were down 1-7 at one point.

However, as the game progressed, Zhang Jiahao finally regained some of his touch.

Stand close to the table and launch a fast forehand attack.

Using their speed advantage, they brought the score back to 5-7.

However, Xue Fei was no ordinary player either. He made timely adjustments and changed the landing point, widening the score gap again.

They ultimately won the first game with a score of 11-6.

The light projected from the television screen shone on Chen Jin's face.

This outcome was entirely expected.

After all, for a player like Zhang Jiahao who relies on his form, the first game is a must-play if he wants to win the championship.

"Zhang Jiahao seems to be struggling to withstand Xue Fei's counter-attack."

Xie Mingyang frowned slightly. "Didn't you tell him not to fight Xue Fei head-on?"

"He wanted to use Xue Fei's backhand to warm up his own shooting touch."

Chen Jin smiled slightly, seemingly confident, "Just watch, at most in the second half of the second game, once Jiahao gets into his rhythm, Xue Fei will definitely lose."

Break between games.

Zhang Jiahao walked to the sidelines, wiped his face hard with a towel, and tilted his head back to gulp down a few mouthfuls of water.

The camera pans across his face.

There was no panic, and no discouragement.

Only the focused and fierce intensity that is ignited within.

Second round.

The situation changed suddenly.

Zhang Jiahao seemed to have completely let loose, defending the mid-to-close range and launching a rapid, relentless attack on Xue Fei's backhand, like a storm.

This forced Xue Fei to step down from the stage.

However, in a stalemate, once you step back, maintaining the momentum requires an extremely high level of effort.

Xue Fei's backhand is good, but when he moves to the mid-to-long range, both his power and speed are reduced.

In contrast, Zhang Jiahao positioned himself firmly in the mid-to-close range, using the opponent's momentum against them and employing speed to suppress Xue Fei.

Xue Fei was indeed put on the defensive.

In addition, Zhang Jiahao takes advantage of his speed near the table to adjust his landing points quickly and varied his movements.

Xue Fei's steps seemed somewhat heavy.

Zhang Jiahao repeatedly exploited the openings in the forehand position.

Zhang Jiahao played better and better, as if it were a natural progression.

11: 4.

They decisively won back a point.

"nice shot."

Seeing the final point of the second game, Zhang Jiahao and Xue Fei went head-to-head with forehand attacks, with Zhang Jiahao holding his own and even winning against Xue Fei. Xie Mingyang couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"Zhang Jiahao has finally found his rhythm."

Xie Mingyang nodded.

"Ah."

Chen Jin smiled with satisfaction, "It's even faster than I predicted."

In the third game.

Zhang Jiahao completely controlled the pace of the game.

His serves are varied and his control within the table is exquisite. His first three shots are aggressive and fierce.

Compared to Xue Fei, Zhang Jiahao, although a shakehand grip player, is more like a penhold grip player.

Knowing that Xue Fei would rely on his backhand to win the match, Zhang Jiahao stopped trying to fight back and avoided his strength.

Use speed to limit the counter-pull, and adjust your steps based on the landing point.

Xue Fei was exhausted from running, and his signature backhand clash became much less powerful.

He struggled with handling small balls, resulting in numerous mistakes.

The score was quickly widened.

11: 5.

Zhang Jiahao scores another goal.

The score is 2-1.

"Choo-hoo!"

Zhang Jiahao raised his arms and shouted.

Sweat splattered with his movements.

He turned around, his gaze seemingly piercing through the camera lens, locking onto the two people in the hotel room.

He grinned, revealing a bright and smug smile.

Then he stretched out his right hand, spread his thumb and forefinger, and made a gesture of picking up food and putting it into the pot—hot pot!
"While others were opening champagne at halftime, he was eating hot pot at halftime."

Xie Mingyang snorted, "Arrogance is a recipe for defeat. We'd better not let Xue Fei turn the tables on us."

"a bit difficult."

Chen Jin laughed and said, "If Xue Fei couldn't suppress Jiahao in the second game, he would have a hard time playing against him."

"Moreover, the final round of the sideline tournament is a best-of-five format, which doesn't allow for much error."

As expected.

In the fourth game, Xue Fei made a desperate counterattack.

However, their momentum had already dissipated.

Zhang Jiahao became more and more excited as the game progressed, engaging in forehand and backhand rallies without fear of Xue Fei.

11-7, securing the victory.
"Won."

Chen Jin smiled.

I got up, jumped out of bed, and stretched.

On the screen, Zhang Jiahao looked excited.

The moment the match ended, he threw down his racket, spread his arms, and excitedly sprinted half a lap around the not-so-spacious court. Finally, he jumped up and punched the air hard.

Immediately, he rushed in front of the camera again, pounded his chest, pointed at the camera, and opened and closed his mouth.

Although the words couldn't be heard, the lip movements clearly said: "Brother Jin! Hot pot!"

The simple venue and sparse applause could not conceal the radiance and joy emanating from this young champion.

at the same time.

A hotel room.

Liu Guoliang, Qin Zhijian, Li Xun, and Wang Hao gathered together, all paying close attention to this WTT sideline tournament held in Turkey.

The atmosphere was somewhat heavy.

"Over the years, opportunities have been given to middle-generation players like Xue Fei and Xu Yingbin."

Liu Guoliang frowned and tapped the armrest of his chair with his fingers. "We've played in all the competitions, big and small, and we've practiced what we were supposed to practice, but in the end, we still haven't been able to truly perform."

Wang Hao, standing beside him, rubbed his temples, glanced at Xue Fei's dejected figure on the screen, and sighed.

As a penhold grip player, his forehand and table play are actually inferior to that of a new shakehand grip player.

"Ugh……"

Wang Hao was also somewhat helpless.

At the same time, a sense of relief rose in my heart.

Judging from the current situation of the men's team, the development of the youth team is facing a shortage of qualified players.

With Long Pang retiring, apart from Lin Shidong, no other middle-generation player has been able to fill his shoes.

Fortunately, Chen Jin emerged and filled the gaps in the talent pool development.

It's hard to imagine how badly the men's team development would have fallen without Chen Jin.

"Zhang Jiahao is a powerful striker with comprehensive skills. He's daring, aggressive, and quick-witted. Plus, he's left-handed, a rare find."

Qin Zhijian continued, "Runner-up in the National Youth Championships, third place in the U16 selection trials, men's singles champion in the National Championships, men's doubles champion in the World Table Tennis Championships... Every step he took was significant."

"The enemy."

Li Xun agreed, saying, "They are young and energetic, have solid basic skills, and possess a good competitive spirit."

"In Türkiye, he participated in three events and lived up to expectations. In the singles, he even defeated Simon Gauzy, Xu Yingbin and Xue Fei to reach the top, which is quite impressive."

Listening quietly to Qin Zhijian and Li Xun's words, Liu Guoliang crossed his arms and stared intently at the screen showing Zhang Jiahao's celebration, his eyes sharp as a hawk's.

It was as if they wanted to see through the screen and uncover all the details of this young man's life.

After a while.

Liu Guoliang finally spoke.

The voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable determination.

“Building a talent pool is of utmost urgency.”

He paused, then glanced at the other three people in the room, "Raise Zhang Jiahao's priority in the competition."

"Key events should be included if they are appropriate, and the necessary resources should be provided accordingly."

This statement came out.

Qin Zhijian, Li Xun, and Wang Hao exchanged glances.

what happened?

Seems a bit rushed!

Although Zhang Jiahao's performance in this Turkish qualifying tournament was indeed quite impressive.

However, it's not worth that much attention.

After all, he is still young and needs more competition experience.

But now, Liu Guoliang plans to promote Zhang Jiahao directly, which seems a bit too hasty.

Could it be that... those rumors circulating recently are true?

"it is good."

Wang Hao was the first to speak, "Will he be given a spot in the World Cup?"

"He's still too green to play in the World Cup."

Liu Guoliang shook his head.

It's important to know that the World Cup is one of the three major tournaments in table tennis.

There are limited spots available, so careful consideration is necessary.

Unless one possesses the skill and achievements of Chen Jin, it is not an easy task for a newcomer to participate in the three major tournaments.

Before Chen Jin, there was only Fan Zhendong.

"Speaking of the World Cup, I have an idea."

Liu Guoliang continued, "Before the World Cup, besides the ongoing Asian Cup and the WTT branch tournament, there are two championship tournaments."

"One is the Chongqing Championship, and the other is the Incheon Championship."

"The Chongqing Championship is next month. We have to play at home, so there's no doubt about it."

"The problem is the Incheon Championship in early April."

He paused, looked at Wang Hao and the other two, and said, "The timing is awkward. Although it doesn't conflict with the World Cup in mid-April, the back-and-forth travel is too tiring."

Using competitions as training might be a viable approach.

However, adjusting one's form and the risk of injury are both problems.

Liu Guoliang's only thought right now is to secure the World Cup title.

"Therefore, I propose that we take advantage of WTT's new rules to have our main players withdraw from the Incheon Championship and focus on preparing for the World Cup."

The voice just fell.

Li Xun thought for a moment and asked, "Who are the main players? Has Chen Jin also retired?"

"Correct."

Liu Guoliang nodded, "On the men's team side, Chen Jin, Wang Chuqin, Lin Shidong, Liang Jingkun, and Lin Gaoyuan are not registering for the Incheon Championship."

"Then the vacant spots?"

Wang Hao asked.

As is well known, the championship is a high-level event second only to the three major tournaments and the Grand Slam.

Both the prize money and the points are quite substantial.

It would be a shame to just hand it over to foreign players.

Even though the main players of the Chinese national table tennis team have withdrawn from the competition, such an opportunity should not be missed easily.

In fact, Liu Guoliang shared the same thought.

For him, there are several important things that must be done well and made visible.

Talent pool development is one of them.

"For young people."

Liu Guoliang waved his hand decisively, "Xiang Peng, Xie Mingyang, Zhang Jiahao... let them give it a try."

"The Incheon Championship is a high-level tournament with many top players, making it an excellent testing ground."

"Let's see how well they perform, and also see if this newly elevated priority is worth it."

(End of this chapter)