Chapter 9 Part1 (1/2)
9.1: Top 32 of the Tournament
Translator: Pineapple
Editor: Isalee
Especially in Korea, tennis futures tournaments weren't popular. Therefore, there was nothing much to see.
The opening announcer's speech was irrelevant, and s.h.i.+n Sae Yeon spoke to Han Woo Jin who touching his racket frame.
”… Mr. Woo Jin, how is your body condition?”
”It's at its best. I'm ready to play.”
You could hear the confidence in his voice.
There was a reason why he sounded so confident. Surprisingly, when he finished a practice game yesterday, his smash level went up by one and he earned a new special skill.
'It's still not available for me. I still need to fulfill one more condition to obtain this skill.'
If he didn't see that player's special skill, then he wouldn't have recognized it. Yet he didn't know why his skill was still blocked. However, he still couldn't be any happier because of the fact that he could have another weapon like Sparrow.
Furthermore, his body condition was great. He closed his eyes and concentrated and his senses. He could decipher the wind direction based on the breeze that brushed his skin. This meant that his mental and physical health were in peak condition.
”Mr. Woo Jin, you're in the second match.”
In this Andong Futures, the first set of matches would take four days to complete. It was the top 32, so there were 16 matches lined up. There would be about 5 to 6 matches a day.
Also, Han Woo Jin's number was the second match on the first day. As soon as the announcer finished the opening, the first match would begin.
”I believe my match will start in about two hours. Ms. Sae Yeon, are you going to stay here?”
There was nowhere to hide from the harsh rays of the sun in the stands. This place would obviously be very hot for her who was wearing a suit while sitting down. s.h.i.+n Sae Yeon took out a hand fan from her bag and began waving it.
It was the sign that showed that she was fine. Han Woo Jin stood up next to s.h.i.+n Sae Yeon. The first match was almost over so he wanted to warm up his body.
[Now we will begin the Andong Futures Top 32! We will start the first match! All of the viewers…]
Han Woo Jin walked away from the announcer to start his warm up.
He was more excited than nervous the closer it was time for him to play. Han Woo Jin smiled as he gripped the racket with his trembling hand.
'It's ending.'
Han Woo Jin watched the two players rally back and forth and it seemed like they were even.
The set point was 1-1. The person in the lead was a Korean player in his thirties. Thirty was considered to be old in tennis and he was drenched in sweat, but his serve was still very strong.
”Game, set and match, Kim Jin Hyun! Score 7-5, 4-6, 6-2!”
You could hear the crowd cheering from the stands. They shouldn't cheer for only one person. Since the players weren't world rankers and this tournament wasn't that big, the viewers were just watching them play.
However, player Kim Jin Hyun who won this game with difficulty deserved to be praised and encouraged.
”Thank you!”
With his back covered in sweat, he made a 90-degree bow to the audience and left the court. Han Woo Jin watched him pa.s.s by and thought about his next opponent.
'Lee Yong Woon… average. Even according to Ms. Sae Yeon, he is mediocre. Can I take it easy?'
The tournament was long. There was no exact time schedule, and it depended on how long the players' matches were.
The reason why players tried so hard to get a seed placement in the tournament was because if one started out from the preliminaries, the further one progressed, the more difficult it would get and the player would be physically and mentally exhausted by the time they reached the finals.
There were many cases of those who started in the preliminaries by going against a strong opponent, and by the middle of the tournament, they couldn't even unleash half of their full strength. That was why players needed to carefully take care of their bodies and muscle exhaustion. That was also why being a pro in tennis didn't just mean being able to hit the ball well.
”Player Lee Yong Woon and Player Han Woo Jin, please step onto the court.”
”Yes.”
A staff member came to the players' area and called their names. Han Woo Jin gave a short answer and went up.
The staff cleaned and tidied up the court from the previous match that was covered with dirt and sweat. It looked like they were using hard courts in this tournament, so they cleaned the court perfectly. Due to the smooth texture of the ground on the hard courts, it was easy to clean.
As Han Woo Jin walked up to the court, a young player stood up. Han Woo Jin knew that he was Lee Yong Woon and he just expressionlessly looked at him.
[Lee Yong Woon]
Strength 47 / Stamina 50 / Agility 46
HP 1890/2000 SP 370/370
Forehand: 5/20
Backhand: 5/20
Serve: 7/20