Return to 2002: Freestyle Superstar

Chapter 266: Tying the record, the fourth Masters championship of the year!

Two days later, Chen Ran and Hewitt met in the final.

This is the second time the two have fought.

In fact, the Australian Hare has been in a sluggish state since the 2003 season. So far, there has not been a heavyweight championship, not even a 500 race championship, but only a 250 race championship.

But for Hewitt, he doesn't want to have to hang out in low-level events in the future.

In this Toronto Masters, Hewitt's condition seems to have recovered, and he once again reached the final, which also allowed fans to see the past style of this two-time Grand Slam winner.

Although the topic of this final was not as high as the semi-final match between Chen Ran and Roddick, it still attracted the attention of many fans.

In fact, until this point in time, basically no one thought that Hewitt would die.

After all, in the history of professional tennis, many top players occasionally slump for one or two seasons after winning great honors.

Chen Ran wants to cross the Hewitt hurdle, which is definitely not that easy in the eyes of the outside world.

"ladies and gentlemen!"

"The finals of the Toronto Masters are about to begin!"

"Prior to this, Chen Ran has already consolidated his ranking as the number one in the world."

"But today, there is still a great record waiting for Chen Ran to chase."

While the ESPN host was talking eloquently, the reporters from China had also done their homework.

The host of C5 Sports said excitedly: "Unknowingly, a brand new record has arrived in front of Chen Ran. If Chen Ran can defeat Hewitt in today's game, he will win the Toronto Masters championship. Do you know what this means?"

"It means this is Chen Ran's fourth Masters championship of the year!"

"He will equal the record set by Sampras!"

In the current men's professional tennis world, the most number of Masters championships a player can win in one year is four, which was created by the American king Sampras.

As long as Chen Ran wins today's game, he can tie the record set by Sampras.

However, in later generations, Federer and Nadal successively created 5 Masters championships in the year, and Djokovic finally set this record at 6.

Chen Ran didn't pay attention to this record at first. He was even more concerned about whether the final would be the best of five sets or the best of three sets.

It wasn't until he reached the final venue that he finally realized that he was only one step away from tying Sampras' record.

"and many more!"

"So far, in addition to the Toronto Masters, there are two Masters this season, the Cincinnati Masters and the Paris Indoor Masters."

"Does this mean that I have a chance to surpass Sampras and set a new record?"

Standing on the court, after shaking hands with Hewitt, Chen Ran looked around at the packed house of more than 1 spectators, and finally began to feel excited.

Finally, I reached the finals again.

Although Chen Ran already holds a Grand Slam championship, the Masters championship is still full of huge attractions for him.

He is also eager to tie the record set by Sampras in the presence of so many people.

Will you surpass Sampras at the next Cincinnati Masters?

Chen Ran directly ruled it out.

The record of five Masters titles this year is tempting, but the top priority this summer is still the US Open.

There is no point in doing your best at the Cincinnati Masters and thereby affecting your preparation for the US Open.

But no matter what, Chen Ran will go all out for today's final.

Hewitt also looked at Chen Ran with a complicated expression.

He had to admit that if Chen Ran maintained his competitive state in the semi-finals, it would be difficult for him to win.

It is unimaginable that at the Magic City Year-end Masters Cup last year, Chen Ran could only participate in the exhibition match as a rookie player. In just one year, the opponent's popularity has surpassed his own.

"Tie Sampras' record? I won't let you achieve it so easily!"

Hewitt muttered to himself, this time he was going to be a sniper.

In this final, Chen Ran started serving.

He glanced indifferently at Hewitt's position, then slapped the tennis ball with a calm expression.

boom!

Chen Ran instantly exerted his strength, swung the racket, and smashed the tennis ball out.

Hewitt, known as the "Australian Hare", moved very quickly, but as soon as his body moved, a yellow-green light flashed past his shoulder.

It's too fast, and the placement is too tricky.

"His serving level has improved so much compared to March this year!" Such thoughts flashed through Hewitt's head.

At this time, there were occasional boos in the audience.

Some American fans, especially Sampras’ die-hard fans, don’t want Chen Ran to equal his idol’s record.

But the boos from these American fans had no impact at all. Chen Ran, who entered the finals, showed excellent competitive form from the beginning.

3 is better than 0!

Chen Ran held serve in two consecutive games and also broke Hewitt's first serve. From the beginning of the first set, he firmly took the initiative.

Hewitt tried to launch a counterattack, but the rhythm of the game was still under Chen Ran's control.

Compared with Hewitt, who is tireless and runs all over the court, Chen Ran has always shown that he is at ease.

In the blink of an eye, nine games passed by.

Chen Ran won the first set 6-3.

"Oh God!" "The former number one in the world versus the current number one in the world, the gap is so huge."

"This talented tennis player from China is so powerful that it makes people despair!"

The ESPN host from the United States said in a complicated tone: "Imagine... without Roddick, Chen Ran seems to have won the Wimbledon championship?"

Whether in the United States or in China, some Chen Ran's fans did give Chen Ran the title of "Honorary Wimbledon Runner-up."

After all, on Roddick's road to Wimbledon, Chen Ran was the most difficult match he had ever experienced.

"We hope the game will turn around in the second set." ESPN's host prayed.

As an American, he naturally hopes that the person who can equal or even break Sampras' number of annual Masters wins is also an American.

After the start of the second set, Hewitt seemed to have regained his former peak touch state, hitting incredible shots one after another, and attacking with smooth flow, forcing Chen Ran to launch several offensives in vain.

Hewitt held serve in all the first five service games, which also forced Chen Ran to play extremely hard in several of them.

But after the game entered 5-5, Hewitt gradually began to be unable to keep up with Chen Ran's rhythm.

To be precise, in this match, Chen Ran's consumption was less than that of Hewitt.

Chen Ran is like a rhythm master on the court, with sharp attacks, airtight defense, and outstanding volleying ability in front of the net.

Even when the two of them were playing a multi-shot back-and-forth game on the baseline, Chen Ran could use diagonal shots from a wide angle to tear apart the opponent's defense.

The gap between the two in terms of technical comprehensiveness became more and more obvious as the competition became more intense.

"Break!"

"In this set, the two were in a stalemate for eleven games, and Chen Ran finally found a chance to break serve!"

“The fourth Masters Championship title is just around the corner!”

The host of C5 Sports cheered excitedly.

The TV screen turned and replayed the slow motion of the ball that had just been broken.

I saw Chen Ran kicking off the ground, and then hitting a straight shot at a small angle with his backhand.

Immediately afterwards, he rushed directly to the net, as if he had predicted the direction of the ball in advance, raised the tennis racket high with a one-handed backhand, and then completely volleyed in front of the net, cashing in on the break point.

6 is better than 5!

The entire audience was already throbbing.

Chen Ran simply shook his fist, then looked up at the scoreboard, and then took the two tennis balls from the caddy with an indifferent expression.

There is still one game left to win the championship.

It's far from time to celebrate.

"calm!"

"Got to calm down!"

"I've already won a Grand Slam!"

In the sixth service game, Chen Ran did not give Hewitt any chance.

Even if the opponent continues to increase his concentration, he wants to find a break opportunity from Chen Ran's serve.

But Chen Ran still sent two high-quality ACE balls without mercy, and won the seventh game with only losing one point.

7: 5!

Hewitt was indeed very tenacious in the second set, but Chen Ran's strong performance prevented him from finding any chance of victory.

As everyone outside expected, Chen Ran took the Toronto Masters championship trophy into his arms very simply.

At the same moment, Chen Ran's coach Zhang Depei clenched his fists and opened his hands. He stood up excitedly and shouted loudly.

Sampras, a name that has always been in Zhang Depei's heart, is also a mountain that he has never been able to climb in his career.

His disciple Chen Ran tied an important record of Sampras in his first year on tour.

"If he can stay healthy, maybe..." Zhang Depei took a deep breath and swallowed at the same time.

An idea that he had never dared to think about before flashed through his mind.

"Maybe Chen Ran can really break Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slams?"

"This idea is so crazy, others must think I'm crazy!"

"Calm down! You must calm down! Chen Ran is only a Grand Slam player now!"

On the court, Chen Ran faced the camera and showed 4 fingers very excitedly, announcing to the whole world that he had won 4 annual Masters championships.

The feeling of being a champion is always wonderful!

Of course, the feeling of winning the championship and breaking the record at the same time is even more crazy.

At the same time, when the camera panned into the auditorium, some Sampras fans were holding their foreheads in frustration.

From today on, the glory that originally belonged to Sampras will be shared with others.

The host of C5 Sports also shouted excitedly: "Although the US Open is imminent, we can still celebrate wildly! The four Masters championships of the year are a great honor."

"We also look forward to Chen Ran breaking more records!"

……

(End of this chapter)