Who would still play tennis after being reborn?

Chapter 98: Two Professional Singles and Doubles Titles Won

After finishing his meal, Yu Haoyang didn't go back to his own room, but instead went into Gu Cheng's room and sat down on the sofa.

Gu Cheng casually took out a PSP from his backpack, turned on the game console, and was about to play when Yu Haoyang suddenly leaned over and asked, "PSP? What game?"

"Do you play tennis for the general public?"

"You play this too?"

"It was recommended by Brother Ming before."

"Senior Zhang Ming also plays amateur tennis?"

Yu Haoyang looked surprised, as if he was hearing this for the first time.

Gu Cheng nodded: "I used to play, and I heard him say that he played often, but he recommended that I play, and I stopped playing not long after that. I asked him to log on the other day, but he didn't say anything. It seems like he quit the game."

Yu Haoyang was unaware of the story behind it, but simply nodded: "Zhang Ming is a regular at ATP events, and he has a lot of matches to play, so it's normal that he doesn't have time to play."

"So, do you want to play?"

"This game is quite interesting."

"Let's play!"

"Wait a minute, I'll go back and get my PSP."

"it is good."

Two minutes later, Yu Haoyang rushed into Gu Cheng's room with a PSP game console. The two added each other as friends, and then each lay down on a sofa and started a three-hundred-round battle in the game.

ten minutes later.

Yu Haoyang was somewhat surprised to see the 6-0 score: "How come you play games so well? This game is quite difficult. Several of my friends play it, but they are all terrible at it. I always manage to crush them."

Twenty minutes later.

Yu Haoyang frowned deeply; something was wrong here!
It was bad enough that we were beaten 6-0 in the first game, but how come we were beaten 6-0 again in the second game?

While the game "Tennis for All" is quite fun, it becomes rather pointless if you keep losing and don't score a single point.

"Come again, come again!"

Somewhat skeptical, Yu Haoyang challenged Gu Cheng to another game. Eight minutes later, a glaring 6-0 scoreline appeared before his eyes. Yu Haoyang couldn't sit still any longer and looked at Gu Cheng with a wry smile: "I finally understand why Senior Zhang Ming stopped playing."

"Why?" Gu Cheng looked up at him.

Yu Haoyang said helplessly, "Even the most fun game can't withstand losing every day! Losing is bad enough, but not getting a single point is even worse. So you not only shut out your opponents in matches, but you also have this habit in games?"

"No wonder Senior Zhang Ming stopped fighting. If I were getting thrashed like a pushover every day, I wouldn't fight either!"

Gu Cheng suddenly realized.

So this is ah!

in the afternoon.

The scene of the junior Zagreb Cup doubles final.

Croatian players Grasnovic and Petrin arrived at the competition venue early. After a brief warm-up on the court, Petrin, feeling about the same, left the court and sat down on a bench.

Grasnovich followed closely behind, and while drinking water, he suddenly said, "Hey, Peterlin, do you have any thoughts on the afternoon's match?"

Peterlin put down the water in his hand: "What?"

Grasnovic said, "Tactics! As before, let's do some pre-match tactical preparations first."

"You don't want to win, do you?"

"otherwise?"

Peterlin almost burst out laughing: "Glasnovich, abandon those unrealistic fantasies. Our tactics are simple: just don't get shut out like everyone else. Try to get a point from CHENG. That would be the biggest victory for us."

Glasnovich: "..."

"Hasn't CHENG's ball skills already been figured out?"

Peterlin revealed a deep look in his eyes: "Being cracked doesn't mean you can fight back. Theory and practice are always two different things. Don't be swayed by some idiots on the internet. They always think they can easily counter those ball skills after watching a few episodes of anime."

"I could do it too, but that's just unrealistic fantasy."

"However, we shouldn't underestimate ourselves. At least in doubles, we're not weak. And doubles has one advantage: many of CHENG's skills are naturally suppressed."

"For example, the 'Swallow Return Flash' serve is unlikely to be used in a match given CHENG's personality. As for the 'disappearing' serve, as long as you pay attention to what's behind you, you should be able to return it. This can actually be seen from the singles semi-final that ended this morning."

"CHENG did not use those skills when facing Thomas, which is enough to prove that CHENG also knew that his skills were highly likely to be countered after being studied, so he chose to give up."

"But... in the match between CHENG and Thomas, that invisible serve posed a great threat to us. We shouldn't even dream of winning points in our return games; our only hope must be placed on our own service games."

Glasnovich nodded after listening: "Then what do you think we should do?"

After a moment of thought, Peterlin said, "With two players at the net, we'll aim the ball specifically at Yu Haoyang. He'll be standing in front of us, which will distract Cheng. Whether Yu Haoyang returns the ball or not, we have a high chance of scoring."

Glasnovich's eyes lit up: "Pidelin, you're so smart, let's do it that way."

Peterlin laughed and said, "Playing ball is not just a physical activity, you also need to use your brain."

While the two were talking, Gu Cheng and Yu Haoyang arrived late.

Gu Cheng's appearance immediately drew cheers.

Yu Haoyang looked on with envy: "I've been playing in ITF junior tournaments for three or four years, and I still don't have a single foreign fan. You've only played in your first tournament, and you already have a lot of fans in Croatia alone, not to mention all over the world. It would be great if you could share some of your fans with me."

"Okay!"

"You can take it."

Gu Cheng readily agreed.

Yu Haoyang looked frustrated: "I wish I could, but the problem is they only recognize you, not me!"

The two walked into the stadium chatting and laughing.

Peter and his companion also stopped smiling.

The four entered the court, and the scene immediately quieted down. The referee in charge of the doubles final was a familiar face, and he showed excitement when he saw Gu Cheng arrive.

Yu Haoyang turned his head.

Goodness! Even the referee has become your fan?
Gu Cheng shrugged and exchanged glances with Yu Haoyang.

I don't know either!

Yu Haoyang chuckled, then went up to the opponent to confirm the priority serve before returning to the court.

Yu Haoyang was unlucky; Peterlin and Glasnovich got the first serve.

However, Yu Haoyang didn't care. With that freak behind him, whether or not he got the serve wouldn't affect the outcome of the match.

Peterlin is a baseline player, and he served first in the first game.

Zhu Wen's live stream.

"Brothers, it's the Zagreb Cup Junior Doubles Finals. Those of you with money, buy early and enjoy it sooner."

"Let me introduce the players on both sides."

"First is our god Gu Cheng, and then there is Yu Haoyang, who is also a domestic player, Gu Cheng's personal assistant, the ball-holding master, and known as the puppeteer."

"Their opponents are two Croatian players: the 1.8-meter-tall strongman Pidelin and the even taller, 1.9-meter-tall, 17-year-old Grasnovic, who has a very large build."

The frenzy among Happy Bean players erupted instantly when Zhu Wen announced the player information.

[Thanks to Gu Shen, I've successfully won money for several days in a row!]

[I've received the foot massage fee from Gu Shen. I hired two last night, one for my shoulders and one for my feet. I'm really indulging in luxury.]

……

As Grasnovich turned around after standing at the baseline, Peterlin exchanged a subtle glance with him. Then, the nearly 1.8-meter-tall Grasnovich tossed the tennis ball and slammed it down with his racket like a hammer.

The high-speed spinning ball flew towards Gu Cheng with a sharp whooshing sound. Gu Cheng quickly turned to the side and slicing a low, flat shot with his backhand. The tennis ball grazed the net and landed between Peterlin and Glasnovich.

Peterlin hastily stepped forward and volleyed the ball towards Yu Haoyang.

Yu Haoyang was stunned for a moment. When he was about to swing his racket to return the ball, he realized it was too late. He could only quickly squat down and pass the tennis ball to Gu Cheng behind him.

Gu Cheng seemed to have anticipated this, quickly moving to the front and leaping up, slamming his racket hard into the tennis ball before it reached its highest point.

A smash down the dunk!
The tennis ball slammed into the ground like a bomb, leaving a shallow mark before flying out of bounds at incredible speed.

Pidelin and Glasnovich looked at each other in bewilderment.

That smash looks so familiar.

Takeshi Momoshiro's slam dunk.

These past few days, they've practically worn out the Prince of Tennis series. They know the plot by heart, especially the tennis skills; they know almost every single one by heart.

Gu Cheng's spike just now was exactly the same as a slam dunk.

Utilizing his explosive jumping ability and excellent balance, he uses the momentum of his forward sprint to deliver a super smash with a vertical trajectory.

It is extremely powerful.

Even if you learn the Bear Counter, you might not be able to counter it. It's not that you can't, but it's too fast. Most people wouldn't even have a chance to touch the ball, let alone counter it.

If you can't even touch the ball, even a bear's counterattack won't help.

For the second goal, Pidelin still opted for the tactic he had previously discussed with Glasnovich.

After serving, quickly move to the net to intercept.

Gu Cheng immediately saw through Peterlin's idea and swung his racket to hit a high loft shot.

Frustrated, Peter Lin could only retreat quickly to the baseline and, taking advantage of Gu Cheng's lob, hit a high-volley serve. His target was Yu Haoyang, who was standing there idly, his eyes darting around.

"Yu Haoyang!!"

Gu Cheng's shout came from behind. When Yu Haoyang came to his senses, he found that the tennis ball was already in front of him. In his haste, he didn't have time to squat down and could only raise his racket.

--boom! !
The tennis ball hit the racket and bounced off.

This shot was incredibly lucky; the rebound force sent the tennis ball back to Peterlin's half of the court.

Moreover, because it grazed the net as it fell, even though Glasnovich reacted quickly, he could only watch helplessly as the tennis ball rolled to the side.

"30-0!"

The score gap widened instantly.

Peter bit his lip, completely surprised that Yu Haoyang was so lucky.

However, he was not discouraged. Judging from the situation of these two goals, their tactics were correct, and they should focus on targeting Haoyang.

As long as CHENG doesn't receive the ball, they have a chance to score points from him, even just one point is good.

Pidelin and Grasnovich continued to execute their tactics, but then repeatedly hit the ball towards Yu Haoyang. Yu Haoyang was no fool and quickly realized their intentions. He stopped moving forward and returned to the left baseline.

Then, holding the racket, he continued to act as a puppet.

[Hilarious! Yu Haoyang is really determined to be a mere tool player! He says he won't touch the ball and he really won't!]

[Pass the ball to me? Hey, I'm not falling for that. I'm going to the baseline, so go ahead and pass it to me!]

[Yu Haoyang, the table tennis coach, is incredibly dedicated. Is he really planning to hold his racket while playing the final and win the championship?]

……

The Happy Bean players were overjoyed.

Originally, Peterlin and Glasnovich kept hitting the ball towards Yu Haoyang, and everyone thought that Yu Haoyang would counterattack, or at least he would receive the ball that was hit towards him.

To everyone's surprise, the other person had no intention of touching the ball at all, and ran straight to the baseline. In fact, worried that he would hinder Gu Cheng's movement on the baseline, he moved a meter closer to the wall and stood side by side with the caddie.

This scene left the audience stunned.

Pidelin and Glasnovich's mouths twitched.

"What do we do now?" Glasnovich looked at Pidelin with a pleading expression.

Peter Lin spread his hands: "How would I know?"

Let's take it one step at a time!

When it was Gu Cheng's turn to serve, he took a deep breath and served an extremely fast serve that directly earned him an ace from Peterlin and his opponent.

For the second point, Gu Cheng again opted for a very fast serve and scored again.

On the third ball, Peterlin returned the shot, but was met with a short drop shot from the net by Gu Cheng.

Glasnovich rushed forward to volley, but due to his speed and size, he couldn't stop in time, and his racket hit nothing but air. The tennis ball bounced gently after landing.

30-0!

The two were immediately at a loss.

This was truly a case of one against two, and the opponent was completely dominated.

They didn't give them even the slightest chance.

The match quickly entered a heated phase, with Gu Cheng and Yu Haoyang's doubles pair securing two points in a very short time.

When the third match began, the two Croatian players, Pidelin and Glasnovic, no longer cared about their physical condition and launched a fierce counterattack, sounding the horn of their attack.

However, the horn had barely sounded when Gu Cheng easily scored a point with a feint.

On the second goal, Gu Cheng deftly lobbed the ball into the opponent's backcourt, where Grasnovic was unable to recover in time and scored.

In the 37th minute, the match ended with a score of 3-0. Gu Cheng once again gained a large number of fans with his outstanding performance, and also won the championship of the Junior Zagreb Cup Doubles Tournament.

Yu Haoyang ran up from the backstage and lifted Gu Cheng high in the air: "Gu Cheng, you are my god!"

"That's awesome!"

"Winning the championship standing up is fucking so awesome."

"Make sure to reserve the 'tool' position for me!"

Yu Haoyang was incredibly excited. This was his first doubles championship in the ITF Junior Championships, a milestone for him.

Of course, the same applies to Gu Cheng.

This was also his first ITF junior championship.

The two embraced each other excitedly, their sweat mingling with the joy of victory. Across from them, Peterlin and Glasnovich, though their faces were full of resentment, still offered their sincere blessings to Gu Cheng.

"CHENG, congratulations on winning your first ITF junior tournament championship."

"Thank you."

Gu Cheng extended his hand in thanks.

For Gu Cheng, the singles final on the second day was as expected. His opponent was weak, at least not as strong as Carlo. It was just that his opponent was lucky, as the opponents in his draw were all relatively weak.

In the best-of-five series, excluding the halftime break, the match didn't even last 35 minutes before Gu Cheng secured the victory.

After the Junior Zagreb Cup, the two spent ten days in the Croatian capital, waiting for their Swedish sports visas to be issued. They then flew to Stockholm Arlanda Airport.

At the end of December, there will be a Grade 4 tournament called SALK OPEN in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden.

The day after they arrived in Stockholm, Caro and Payne, carrying their rackets, left Arlanda Airport and took an airport taxi to a hotel called Gothia Towers & Upper House, located about 200 meters from the Scandinavian Stadium, the venue for the tournament.

"The air in Sweden is really nice; it's a great place to stand on the champion's podium."

As Carlo got out of the taxi, his smile deepened as he looked at the hotel, located in three towers and offering a variety of room types from budget to luxury.

(End of this chapter)