Chapter 202: Takahashi VS Amadeus, Spiral Counter-Shot

On the court.

Amadeus narrowed his eyes as he watched Takahashi slowly approach.

This middle schooler from the Japan Team was the dark horse of this World Tournament.

He had defeated the Germany Team's No. 2, Q. P, in an exhibition match, causing a sensation everywhere.

One must know that Q. P was the highest-level elite cultivated by Germany, a tennis powerhouse.

Moreover, Q. P was in his second year of high school this year, while Takahashi was only in his first year of middle school.

If he hadn't seen the match recording with his own eyes, Amadeus would never have believed that such a talented genius could emerge from Japan, a tennis desert.

Professional level!

This was Amadeus's judgment of Takahashi.

Because at the end of that match, Q. P released three instances of Light of Restraint simultaneously and fused them together.

And those rays of light had pushed Q. P's strength steadily into the professional level.

In that state, Takahashi was still able to defeat Q. P; his strength was undoubtedly also at the professional level.

A first-year middle schooler at the professional level?

It was simply unheard of and unseen.

However, Amadeus himself was also a professional-level player, and having spent two years grinding in top-tier professional tournaments, he had rich experience with high-end matches.

And although Takahashi, who was participating in the World Tournament for the first time, was powerful, he lacked experience in major events.

Therefore, even though he valued this opponent highly, Amadeus felt his own winning percentage was not low.

Once strength reaches a certain level, other factors such as match experience and on-court mentality become particularly important.

And these were precisely the strengths of him, a professional player.

"One set to decide the winner! First is the service game of Amadeus from the Switzerland Team."

The umpire announced loudly.

"Bang!"

The tennis ball turned into a yellow streak of light, darting rapidly toward Takahashi's half of the court.

Takahashi kept his eyes fixed on the ball's trajectory, moving quickly toward the left baseline.

"Thud!"

The tennis ball exploded almost right in front of Takahashi.

"Bang!"

Takahashi raised his arm with force, swung his racket, and successfully sent the tennis ball into the air.

Such a complex ball path!

As expected, the serve of a professional player is different.

Although Q. P, who had evolved to Ultimate Quality at the time, had also reached the professional level, Q. P's serves emphasized fundamentals like speed and power.

This ball from Amadeus not only had speed and power, but it also contained complex angles and spin.

Is this Amadeus, the professional player tempered by professional tournaments?

Takahashi's expression began to turn serious.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

Yanagi Renji looked at the watch on his wrist and said, "It has been 5 minutes."

"They still haven't finished this point."

Byodoin said in a deep voice, "To be able to engage in a tug-of-war with Amadeus right from the start and play neck and neck."

"Takahashi is already very impressive."

Byodoin couldn't help but recall that duel he once had with Amadeus.

That was 2 years ago, before Amadeus had officially turned professional.

Byodoin had a duel with Amadeus in the wilderness.

And in that duel, Amadeus occupied an absolute advantage from the start, quickly taking the score with a crushing momentum.

At that time, facing Amadeus's offensive, Byodoin was beaten with no power to counterattack.

Whether it was the speed, power, spin, or various angles of the tennis ball, none were things Byodoin could easily return.

That was the Amadeus of 2 years ago, an Amadeus who wasn't even a professional player yet, and he had already forced Byodoin into a desperate situation at the start of the match.

And the Amadeus standing on the court now had been tempered by 2 years of professional play; his strength had improved substantially compared to back then.

That Takahashi could actually play neck and neck with such an Amadeus, how could Byodoin not be shocked?

Takahashi was nearly 6 years younger than them!

Coach Mifune, standing to the side, took a sip of wine and said, "Professional players and amateur players are different."

"They not only have richer match experience, but they have also formed their own unique playing styles."

"In terms of strength, Ultimate Quality Q. P and Amadeus are about the same, but Amadeus's shots are executed with more precision in the details than Q. P's."

"Those subtle angles and changes are not easy to return."

"Takahashi was only defending passively at the start and hadn't begun to counterattack; he must be adapting to the style of a professional player."

"This steady, step-by-step approach is the optimal solution when facing a professional player."

"Because once you start attacking and expose a weakness, a professional player will target that weakness, mercilessly dismantle the offensive, and end the match."

Oni said: "This is the terror of professional players; they have experienced even more brutal slaughter on the court than we have."

Mifune said: "But I didn't expect that when facing Amadeus's attacks, Takahashi would actually not fall into a disadvantage; this is a good start."

……

"Bang!"

……

"Bang!"

Amadeus quickly ran two steps to the left, swung his racket, and successfully hit the tennis ball.

His expression became somewhat grave.

At the beginning, when facing his own shots, Takahashi was clearly struggling to keep up.

Although he was able to return them, Amadeus could clearly feel that he was having a hard time.

As the number of tennis ball returns increased, Takahashi actually began to become composed and at ease.

He even had the presence of mind to start adding more spin to the tennis ball.

This is not a good sign!

Before Amadeus could continue thinking, the tennis ball flew toward him again.

"Bang!"

He ran forward quickly and successfully returned this ball.

When he looked up again, Amadeus was shocked to discover that Takahashi had already arrived at the net.

When did this happen?

How could his speed be this fast?

"Bang!"

Takahashi leaped high and smashed the tennis ball fiercely.

A diagonal Smash.

After judging the trajectory of the tennis ball, Amadeus quickly ran toward the opposite corner.

Just as he finally caught up to the tennis ball and prepared to use a Half-Volley the moment it bounced, he was surprised to discover the astonishing spin on the tennis ball.

This is...

After the tennis ball landed, it spun rapidly in place.

Wisps of thick smoke drifted out from the landing spot.

Amadeus reached out to cover his nose and mouth, his eyes fixed intently on the tennis ball.

The tennis ball was like a spiral drill, continuously boring into the ground...

When the dust cleared, the yellow tennis ball was lying right in a small pit.

"0-15!"

"Point for Takahashi of Japan Team!"

The umpire announced loudly.

……

Amadeus took a deep look at Takahashi.

Utilizing the astonishing speed and force from just now, Takahashi added intense backspin to the tennis ball, causing all the speed and force on the tennis ball to be converted into kinetic energy that drilled through the ground.

The tennis ball did not bounce after landing, instead drilling directly through the ground; this shot is simply unsolvable.

But what Amadeus found even more incredible was that under such intense attacks from himself just now, Takahashi not only quickly adapted to the rhythm but even had the energy to launch a counterattack.

He even utilized the speed and force that he himself had imparted to the tennis ball.

Such powerful fundamental strength!