Return to 2002: Freestyle Superstar

Chapter 298 The first local tour championship

At this time last year, it was also at this stadium that Chen Ran unexpectedly reached the finals of the Magic City Challenge.

A year later, on this same golf course, Chen Ran reached the finals of the Heineken Open as expected.

For many fans who follow China Sports and China Tennis, this year has turned upside down, enough to subvert many of their perceptions.

Finally, China has invested heavily in hosting an ATP Tour event, and finally there are local Chinese players in the finals.

Many sports media can even proudly shout that we are finally no longer accompanying the prince to study.

In addition, according to optimistic estimates, this year's Heineken Open will be profitable for the first time.

Of course, for Jiushi Group, which has always been wealthy, no matter whether it is losing money or making a profit, it does not have much impact, but it also reflects Chen Ran's influence and box office appeal from the side.

On the final day, countless people flocked in, including sports fans who really came to watch the game and ordinary spectators who came to join in the fun.

Fortunately, there is no Xiaohongshu in this era, otherwise there would be many more internet celebrities coming to check in.

Having reached the finals, Chen Ran must also hope to add another golden championship trophy to his career resume.

Although he was obviously stronger than Philippoussis and ranked more than ten places higher than his opponent, in order to avoid capsizing in the gutter, he still made very cautious and thorough preparations before the game, and even watched Philippoussis in the hotel. Sith video.

"I thought this guy would be depressed for a while after breaking up with Hilton, but I didn't expect that he would recover so quickly."

In any level of tour, even a mere 250, it is not easy to reach the finals.

After all, the competition in men's professional tennis is too fierce, and the strength gap between players is far smaller than the world ranking.

"Hey, it seems like Roddick is in very good shape after breaking up with Hilton."

"What does this mean? Could it be that Hilton is the Kardashian of tennis, the best defensive player in ATP!"

Chen Ran suddenly thought of the Kardashian family, which would become famous in the future and even become popular all over the world. But now the eldest daughter of the Kardashian family is just Hilton's little follower.

Zhang Depei didn't know what Chen Ran was thinking, so he slowly said: "Chen, to be exact, Philippoussis is in pretty good shape after the US Open, and he has a completely new look. Although... uh... he is not too young. , already 27 years old.”

"He has not had many injuries in his career, and 27 is also his peak age."

After Chen Ran came to his senses, he nodded seriously: "I understand. He is a veteran of the ATP Tour, and this is only my first season, so I will not underestimate the enemy."

After the US Open, many top players are adjusting to their form.

Both Roddick and Federer want to make money from playing fees while using these tours to find their game status.

Although the US Open is over, the season is not over yet.

In addition to the Paris Indoor Masters, major events include the more important year-end finals in Houston.

For points and bonuses, everyone gritted their teeth.

"Are you confident?" Zhang Depei suddenly asked.

"I..." Chen Ran stared at the video and said, "The opponent's serve should give me a headache."

After all, his condition is not at its best, and the gap between him and those top 0 players is not obvious.

The cruelty of competition in tennis is that even in those tournaments with a mere 250 players, there are often top 20 or even top 0 players.

Players at this level are very eager to win the 250 tournament. After all, no matter what, they are still tour champions, enough to be included in the ATP's glory archives.

Zhang Depei shrugged and continued: "I have played several games with Philippoussis in my career, and I understand how good the opponent is. Since this season, you have won a total of 7 championships, and Philippoussis It’s nothing.”

"I think his desire for this championship will definitely far exceed yours."

Chen Ran also instantly understood that the biggest difference between him and Philippoussis in this game was that the two sides had completely different desires for this championship, and the other side was obviously the more eager one.

……

The Magic City Tournament Organizing Committee, which has deep pockets and extensive connections, must pay attention to pomp and circumstance.

Especially for this year's final, all the tickets were sold out and the venue was packed, which turned the atmosphere of a mere 250-meter race into the world's top competition.

They even invited entertainers to sing, and they are now a well-known double band in the Chinese music scene. However, Chen Ran knew that a few years later, one of them was first cuckolded and then exposed as a drug addict. However, he was banned and completely disappeared from the public eye.

But now is their period of popularity, and their song "Cold to the End" won the applause of the audience.

The two of them even joked: "It seems we don't need a million tuners, right?"

In the past few days, through extensive media coverage and dissemination, and with the blessing of Chen Ran, a top figure, this word has become popular on the Internet, and has even become a household name in the entertainment industry.

"Are you cold to the end?"

"Yes! You should never extinguish your desire for the championship under any circumstances. As long as your opponent is your opponent, you should be ruthless to the end. Even the story of your opponent is very inspiring."

Some unscrupulous hosts at the scene asked Chen Ran again: "Do you also want to sing a song in front of such a large audience?"

Chen Ran just replied coldly: "No, I never do. I am a professional tennis player and I am only responsible for playing ball."

The host was obviously frustrated, but could not refute.

After the game started, as Zhang Depei had predicted, Felicis showed his extremely strong desire for the championship. One cannon-like serve after another formed one wonderful ACE after another. In many cases, Chen Ran's body didn't even move, and then he walked to the other side of the court with his head lowered.

The back-and-forth between the two sides was extremely fierce. The first set was tied at 6-6, and then it entered a tie-break.

“Is this the world’s No. 1 and two-time Grand Slam winner?”

"The opponent's world ranking is only sixteenth!"

Some spectators who came to join in the fun usually didn't pay much attention to tennis matches. Seeing Chen Ran and Felicis playing so anxiously, they couldn't help but complain.

In their perception, Chen Ran should take away the victory of the game as easily as the spring breeze sweeping away fallen leaves.

"besides……"

"Why does Chen Ran always stay motionless when the foreign player serves?"

"It's not worthy of the name. It seems that the media has blown it too loudly, as if the championship is within their grasp!"

There are nearly 1 spectators, and the proportion of laypeople is definitely not small.

Especially in the first few rounds of the match, Chen Ran went relatively smoothly, which made many people ignore that tennis is a sport that is prone to upsets.

From the ATP Challenger Tour, to all major levels of tours, and even the highest level of the four Grand Slams, upsets often occur in tennis matches.

However, the tiebreaker was still Chen Ran's advantage. In the end, he won the first set 7-4 through two "mini breaks".

In the second set, Felices, who was one set behind, still showed excellent competitive form.

Not only did he secure his serve without any danger, he also attacked Chen Ran's serve again and again.

Finally, he broke serve in the tenth game and won the second set 6-4.

The score is tied!

After two sets, Felices sent out ten aces, like a perverted and violent serving machine.

Even Chen Ran himself must admit that this guy's competitive status has improved by a whole level compared to the US Open.

"The record between Chen Ran and Philippoussis is 2-1. Will it become 2-2 today?"

"Oh my god, this is the first player to defeat Chen Ran twice."

The host who just felt frustrated at Chen Ran seemed to be "gloating" about his misfortune.

Anyway, it’s just a 250 race championship, if you lose it, you lose it, what’s the big deal.

After the start of the third set, there was still back and forth between the two sides.

After two sets, Chen Ran's concentration finally improved, and he seemed to be back to when he participated in the US Open three weeks ago.

Like a leopard lurking in the dark, ready to come out to hunt at any time, he finally caught the ups and downs of Felicis's serving state and completed the break with a shot full of hidden moves.

After all, as the tiebreaker got closer and closer, Felices, who had been unable to break serve, finally showed a hint of panic.

He knew very well how terrifying Chen Ran was in the "tiebreak", and the "king of tiebreak" was definitely not in vain.

Felices knew that once he entered the "tiebreak", his possibility of winning the game would be greatly reduced.

The fluctuations in mentality and state allowed Chen Ran to seize the opportunity in the eleventh game and successfully break serve.

There is no room for slacking in the duel between masters.

Immediately afterwards came Chen Ran's serve game. Amid the cheers of the audience watching, he successfully secured serve.

7:5, Chen Ran won the deciding set as he wished!

三盘比分分别为：7:6（7:4），4:6，7:5！

Chen Ran shook his fists excitedly, finally winning his first local tour championship.

Although a 250 race champion will not bring much bonus in terms of honor for him today, a champion is a champion after all.

The moment he won the championship, Chen Ran was still very excited.

In contrast, Felicis, who was extremely eager to win the first championship of this season's tour, sat on the ground very disappointed, his disappointment was palpable, and he looked very pitiful.

He even felt that it would be difficult to win another tour championship in the rest of his career.

However, after feeling frustrated, Felicis quickly stood up, shook hands with Chen Ran, and congratulated him on winning the championship.

"Chen, I really thought I had a chance just now."

"Yes, I think you have a chance too."

It's just that this is a cruel competitive sport. Even if Chen Ran knows that his opponent is eager for this championship, he can only be "cold to the end."

……

(End of this chapter)