The male commentator also laughed.
"Is it because Xie Shi'an defeated you in the semi-finals that you're particularly concerned about her performance?"
Jiang Yunli nodded.
"Of course, I hope she can win, but I also look forward to Kim Nam-ji having a good performance."
"A truly exciting match is one where both sides are evenly matched, which is a feast for the eyes for the audience."
The male commentator continued.
"Having watched so many matches, I believe everyone is already very familiar with Xie Shi'an. Yunli, you are also a professional player, could you give us a brief introduction to Jin Nanzhi's playing style and characteristics?"
That's a very good question.
Jiang Yunli said, "Kim Nam-ji won the women's singles championship in the All-Korea High School League when she was fourteen years old, and upset the Korean star Jung Mi-soo."
"What level is this award at in our country? It's equivalent to the National University Games. The competition is extremely fierce, and the winner can be said to have one foot already in the national team."
"During her time with the Beijing team, I watched many of her matches. She is indeed very strong, and she is also a left-handed player who is unpredictable. Her feints often make it difficult for opponents to defend against her."
"After hearing so much from Yunli, it seems this is indeed a match full of suspense. The venue is ready, and the match is about to begin. Let's wait and see!"
The match officially began with the referee's whistle.
From the start, Kim Nam-ji made full use of his strengths, scoring frequently by using feints with his left hand.
"Perhaps due to a lack of experience, Xie Shi'an seemed to struggle a bit when dealing with left-handed balls," the commentator said.
Jiang Yunli explained it to her.
"Left-handed play is actually the opposite of our usual way of thinking. The opponent's movements are like a mirror image. You have to think in reverse. There's no rush. It's only the first game. There's still time for Xie Shi'an to make adjustments."
As expected.
After taking control of the game, Kim Nam-ji scored consecutive points and won the first game in one fell swoop.
Xie Shi'an returned to the rest area to wipe his sweat and drink water, his face still expressionless, seemingly unaffected by the first game loss.
***
"Miss Qiao, it's time to change your dressing." The nurse pushed open the ward door, and the bed was empty.
"Hey, where is she?" She walked closer and saw a note left on the bedside table. It was written by Qiao Yuchu with her left hand, and the handwriting was crooked and messy.
"I'm going to watch the game. I'll be back after I finish."
***
"Let's lose the first round and let her get cocky for a while. Then we'll go all out in the second round and give her a good beating. It's time to put our training results to the test."
Yan Xinyuan placed his hand on her shoulder and gave her some instructions.
Xie Shi'an nodded, picked up her racket, and was about to go on the court when she suddenly heard someone calling her name from behind.
"Please rest in peace!"
She turned her head and saw Qiao Yuchu rushing over. She was panting heavily from running, and her hair was plastered to her forehead.
Xie Shi'an was overjoyed and a smile appeared on his face.
Why are you here?
"This is your first time winning the national singles championship. I don't think I can go on stage, but I should be here."
Because of her sudden appearance, spring blossomed in the boy's heart, and at this moment, she was invincible.
Xie Shi'an's smile deepened.
"Not the champion yet."
Qiao Yuchu extended her left hand.
Xie Shi'an understood and exchanged fist bumps with her.
"In my heart, you always have been."
Jian Changnian also reached out her hand from the side.
“Shi’an, and me too.”
The boy smiled slightly, bumped fists with her, and strode onto the field amidst the roar of the audience and the blessings of his friends.
The second game has officially begun.
After losing the entire game to her, Xie Shi'an displayed a strong offensive attitude at the start of the second game.
As she played, Yan Xinyuan's words seemed to echo in her ears again in the training room.
"As far as I know, Kim Nam-ji is young, immature, and easily agitated. Lose the first game to lull her into a false sense of security. However, you can't let this game go to waste. Try to observe her as much as possible and figure out her strategies and tactics."
"In the last match against Jiang Yunli, she also used a lot of feints and saw through a lot of your moves. I don't believe you didn't learn anything from her. If you did, then you'd better put it to good use."
"When you reach game point in the second game, Kim Nam-ji will definitely panic. That's when you should seize the opportunity and win the game."
Xie Shi'an silently recited the words "go all out in one go," and with a feint of his right hand, seemingly pushing the ball horizontally towards the net, he suddenly unleashed a smash.
Her movements and ball speed were just too fast.
Kim Nam-ji only saw a white shooting star fly towards her right half of the court, and before she could react, she fell to the ground.
The scoreboard lights up.
17:21
Xie Shi'an won the second game, and she gritted her teeth as she returned to her team's rest area.
The coach handed her a bottle of water.
"Don't rush. Take it slow in the last game. Xie Shi'an is a fast-paced player. You need to be patient and take the initiative to win the game."
Kim Namji snorted and said, "What fast attack and quick kill? I think it's all just so-so. She still lost to me in the first round. She's already exhausted. I'll definitely win the last round."
The coach sighed and thought:
It's still uncertain who's at their limit.
He earnestly advised, "You fought your way up from the group stage and defeated many top players, but that's because you rarely appear on the Chinese stage, so they haven't studied you enough. Now that it's the finals, do you think Xie Shi'an will come unprepared?"
Unfortunately, Kim Nam-ji didn't take it to heart at all.
The break time came quickly, and both sides took their rackets back onto the court. Kim Nam-ji also has many fans in China, who held up light boards and support items for her.
On South Korean social media, she has been praised as "a once-in-a-century badminton prodigy in South Korea," carrying the hope of breaking China's gold medal monopoly on the world stage.
Young and arrogant, Kim Nam-ji looked down on everyone. This personality led to her temporary success, but it also destined her to suffer a major setback.
When she took the lead and reached game point in the third game, she even ran around the court triumphantly and raised her hand to signal to the audience, celebrating her victory in advance. Little did she know that the second half would be the beginning of her real nightmare.
"Here it comes! Xie Shi'an receives the serve. This angle is tricky! Kim Nam-ji sets a net shot, and Xie Shi'an follows up with a backhand cross-court shot!"
"That was a feint! Kim Nam-ji was fooled and didn't have time to get back on defense!"
"11:11, Xie Shi'an has tied the score."
Jiang Yunli watched the boy's fiercely fighting back, a hint of admiration in her eyes: "After two rounds of silence, Xie Shi'an has started to exert her strength. In this round, she knows that her opponent will formulate tactics to counter her playing style, so she will not engage in a fast-paced attack. Who says that players who play fast-paced attacks cannot play defensive counter-attacks? If she can win this round, Xie Shi'an's strength will reach a new level, marking another step towards her becoming an all-around player."
Being all-around means having no weaknesses.
11:12
12:14
12:16
Xie Shi'an took the lead, and the score gradually widened.
Kim Nam-ji gritted her teeth and, as she fell while trying to save a ball, angrily slammed her racket into the ground in a fit of rage.
The entire audience erupted in uproar.
Xie Shi'an looked at her calmly.
Are you going to abstain?
Kim Nam-ji raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, his teeth clenched.
"Of course not, the competition has only just begun."
She refused the coach's request for a medical timeout; her knee was scraped and bleeding, a rather alarming sight.
Kim Nam-ji gasped, gritted his teeth, got up, picked up his racket again, and raised his head.
"Again!"
Perhaps it is only when people are pushed to the brink that they can unleash their full potential. In the last few balls, Kim Nam-ji launched a frenzied attack. Her left-handed shots were indeed unpredictable, but Xie Shi-an had also developed a keen eye. Now that she could also skillfully use her left hand, she could not only see through all of Kim Nam-ji's feints, but also find her weak points in defense and launch attacks unexpectedly.
She stood there like a wall, impenetrable.
As Jin Nanzhi played, her eyes reddened because she realized that Xie Shi'an's show of weakness in the first two rounds was all an act, and she couldn't break through her defenses at all. After facing Yin Jiayi, an unprecedented sense of powerlessness and frustration once again overwhelmed her.
"16:20, the last ball!"
"Xie Shi'an pushes the ball to the net and then chops it."
"Kim Nam-ji is keeping a close eye on things. He reacts very quickly and makes a powerful defensive play by receiving the ball and attacking."
"Xie Shi'an retreated, maintaining control of the situation and keeping her on the defensive."
"Kim Namji jumped with both feet together, not wanting to be pulled and worn down any longer, she was going to go all out!"
Jiang Yunli stared intently at the footage being transmitted back by the director.
"That jump doesn't look like he's going for the opposite side; Xie Shi'an is in danger!"
The ball was already flying in mid-air. Xie Shian was in the backcourt, holding the racket with his right hand, but the ball landed near the left side of the center line.
Kim Nam-ji was drenched in sweat, his back completely soaked, but a confident smile crept across his lips.
Her left-handed killer move is unstoppable; she has defeated countless top players with this move, including Jung Mi-soo, the South Korean star who was ranked 25th in the world at the time.
However, the smile on her lips froze on her face the next second.
It was clearly a backhand position that Xie Shi'an couldn't get past, but in the blink of an eye, the young man's blue figure moved like lightning, rushing forward, jumping off the ground, and forcefully smashing the ball back.
Even the commentators were shocked.
"That ball was clearly a backhand shot! How did Xie Shi'an manage that?!"