Now that I've been reborn, I have to play tennis!

Chapter 58 The Battle for Number One? This is Just an Ordinary Challenge Match

Meng Hao glanced at Zhang Ze from afar and thought to himself: He is indeed a very energetic young man.

Yesterday's match was a three-hour battle, and it was incredibly fierce.

Judging from his current appearance, he doesn't seem to be affected.

As the top player, he has been provided with a strength and conditioning coach, a physiotherapist, and a full-time coach by the Tennis Association.

For a player ranked in the top 200 and competing in the Challenger League, this lineup is already quite impressive.

However, he is also under a lot of pressure.

If you can't break into the top 100 and play in tournaments, then a team with this level of caliber won't last long.

The match officially began when Meng Hao gently tossed the green tennis ball into the air.

"So fast!"

He shifted his body to the side, swung his racket, and barely managed to return the tennis ball.

But Meng Hao had already appeared at the net immediately and easily intercepted the ball to score.

On the second ball, Meng Hao created space with a serve to the wide outside corner, and then scored directly with a "one two push" angle.

The third was an ace, and the fourth was a second ace from Meng Hao, who, despite a first serve error, managed to serve a second serve.

They scored four consecutive points, leaving the opponent with no chance.

After the two switched places, Zhang Ze's expression turned serious.

"I originally thought this kid was only good at clay courts, but I didn't expect him to be so good at hard courts too!"

Although Meng Hao had already won two consecutive hard court Hope Tournaments, Zhang Ze did not take it to heart.

After all, he had reached the finals of the Challenger Tournament.

"A top 200 player who is good at playing on hard courts usually has a decent serve!"

Meng Hao dared not underestimate his opponent at all. "Even if the opponent is on steroids, he still beat Gasquet at the China Open, although that was two years ago."

A crisp "bang" was heard.

The tennis ball grazed past Meng Hao, but he didn't react.

Clearly, the opponent's serve was also in good form, giving him an ace right at the start of the game.

Meng Hao glanced down at the center line.

It seems like I hit that ball, but then again, I didn't.

The ball is moving too fast to see clearly, but unfortunately, the Challenger Series doesn't have Hawk-Eye technology.

In fact, in 2014, many 250-level tournaments did not have Hawk-Eye challenges.

In this service game, Meng Hao mainly focused on probing and observing, without exerting too much force.

Unsurprisingly, the score became 1-1.

After the first two games, both sides seemed to have a tacit understanding and ended their probing, starting to move up the pitch almost simultaneously, and the game became more interesting.

In their long rallies, they often produce some very impressive winning points.

The match quickly entered a heated phase, with both sides locked in a tug-of-war.

"I'm pretty sure Meng Hao is indeed at the TOP200 level!" CCTV Sports reporter Chen Yu clapped his hands excitedly, "and he has that ability on both clay and hard courts."

As soon as he finished speaking, Meng Hao stood at the baseline, gripping his racket with both hands, and suddenly changed direction when hitting the ball.

A nearly straight shot drew cheers from the entire audience.

The stands in this indoor stadium are temporary structures with about 1000 seats, and they are almost full.

The tennis atmosphere in Guangzhou is quite strong.

As a full-time tennis reporter for CCTV Sports, Chen Yu also considers himself to have a very professional eye.

He had a feeling that this match would be a battle for the title of "China's No. 1 Player," and his mind raced as he compared the two players' technical characteristics.

"Their serves are very close, both reaching top speeds of around 210 kilometers per hour, but Meng Hao seems a bit more consistent!" "Their forehands are also evenly matched!"

"It seems similar in terms of backhand, but Meng Hao has an additional backhand slice!"

"Words from the front of the net..."

"Zhang Ze's net play really does inherit the tradition of Chinese tennis players! In short: it's unbearable to watch!"

Just as Chen Yu had this thought, Meng Hao, facing Zhang Ze who was taking the initiative, once again completed a beautiful through ball.

The first round of inventory has been fulfilled!

"That guy really enjoys giving away points online!" Meng Hao thought to himself. "Could it be because he doesn't believe in superstitions?"

As an individual sport, tennis players sometimes get carried away and like to argue with fans and reporters.

You say my overhead smash isn't good? Well, I'm going to prove you wrong. I'm pretty good at overhead smashes too.

You say I'm no good at using the internet? Well then I'll just keep going online to prove you wrong.

After Meng Hao scored several points with interceptions, Zhang Ze actually got into a competitive spirit.

That guy always wanted to do a net volley as a response to the other side.

In the past, when he was this serious, he could always get a few points.

But today, he went online three times and didn't get a single point.

I'm about to lose it!

"This mentality is too easily agitated, but tennis is a sport that requires patience!" Meng Hao also noticed this characteristic of his opponent.

The battle for "China's No. 1 Player"?
No, this is just an ordinary challenge.

During his break, Meng Hao sat in a chair, leisurely drinking water, his face unusually calm.

In contrast, Zhang Ze's face was flushed, and he was panting heavily, seemingly still immersed in the intense battle of the first round.

Three minutes passed in a flash, and the second set of the match continued.

"The first set was actually very close, and the outcome of the second set is still unpredictable!" Chen Yu analyzed the situation on the court.

Meng Hao gained the first move due to the price breaking the opening price at the end of the session.

Compared to the first game, Zhang Ze seemed a bit impatient in the second game.

He seemed impatient to get into a prolonged stalemate with Meng Hao, always wanting to exert his strength and defeat his opponent within a few shots, which led to a series of mistakes.

There was even one ball where, despite having the advantage, Meng Hao managed to save several consecutive high-pressure shots.

The first ball was a high volley, but Meng Hao's defense was spot-on, and he delivered a high and long lob, forcing the opponent back to the baseline.

This forced Zhang Ze to make his next shot a high-pressure drop shot.

Meng Hao has saved the ball once again!
On the third shot, the ball went out of bounds!

This angered him so much that he threw his racket on the ground, and this was just a microcosm of the second set.

In addition, this guy is still a bit skeptical and will still choose to go online whenever he has the chance.

Although he did manage to snag a point, he lost far more points.

"This is the real serve and volley!" After Meng Hao served a beautiful first serve, he immediately moved towards the net.

This is an instinctive reaction, and it is also based on confidence in one's own ability to succeed.

With a gliding step, he stretched out his hand and gently flicked the ball with his backhand, effortlessly sending it wide open.

He converted his first match point.

With a score of 6-2, Meng Hao swept through the second set.

After the match, when asked about the "battle for the top spot" among CCTV reporters, he simply replied, "This was just an ordinary challenge match."

……

(End of this chapter)