.jpg)
The third set was a tight battle.
As promised, Jiyu did not take her eyes off Hunter.
Dmitri, who had returned to the court emboldened after winning the second set, seemed to take control of the match by winning the first two games. However, Hunter gritted his teeth and caught up, bringing the score to a 2:2 tie.
The cycle repeated—whenever Dmitri took a game's lead, Hunter would catch up—and before they knew it, the match had lasted over two hours. Dmitri used every dirty trick in the book, while Hunter, firing blue lasers from his eyes, doggedly closed the gap in a way that was almost irritating.
The third set eventually ended in a 6:6 tie, and the match moved to a tiebreaker.
It was an exciting match, rare for the junior level.
Jake, who had been watching the match while shaking his legs, shook his head and laughed boisterously, revealing his bright white teeth through his bushy beard.
As the dedicated coach, it was a proud and rewarding moment to see Hunter, the 'underdog' of this match, fighting such a fierce battle.
[To go to a tiebreaker in his first U18 National Tournament final. I have to hand it to Hunter Hamilton; his competitive streak is something else. His focus didn't waver even with those low-brow provocations in this set. With that fiery temper of his, that alone is as good as winning.]
Unable to hide his excitement, he let out a sharp, tense breath.
Jiyu’s heart wasn't just racing; her body was trembling slightly.
Playing a full set in a junior tournament was not common.
Due to Ae-jeong's insistence that she prepare for the varsity team, Jiyu also participated in tournaments held at the tennis academy a couple of times per quarter. In the level of matches she played, the third full set was replaced by a short 'super tiebreaker' where one only needed to score 10 points after the first two sets.
Even so, by the end of those tournaments, she would be so exhausted that her hand holding the racket would shake. Her muscles were so overworked that she could barely walk the next day.
[He must be exhausted, right? He played the semifinals this morning, then a full set in the finals, and now a tiebreaker... ]
Worried that Hunter might hit his physical limit before the final point, Jiyu let her voice trail off.
[Who? Hunter?]
Jake threw his head back and laughed heartily, as if he had heard a funny joke.
[Olivia, don't underestimate teenage boys. To actually wear out kids that age, you wouldn't just need three sets; you'd have to make them play five full sets and drag it out until the tiebreaker hits about 20 points. Look at him, he's still full of energy.]
Just then, Hunter, who was warming up with footwork, jumped high into the air.
But Jiyu couldn't laugh.
Hunter was human; there was no way he wasn't tired.
The headband and wristbands he had changed after the second set had already turned dark, soaked in sweat. His chest heaved rapidly with every breath. Perhaps the sweat stinging his eyes, he frowned and wiped his eyes with his wristband.
Jiyu consciously avoided looking toward Dmitri. Part of it was that she hated seeing his dirty play, but she also felt uneasy because the last time she had ignored Hunter's request and looked at Dmitri, Dmitri had happened to win that set.
She used to think it was ridiculous that athletes were obsessed with superstitions, but now that she was in the thick of it, she couldn't completely ignore it.
'Am I really Hunter's winning jinx...?'
Superstitions were strange. Even knowing they were baseless beliefs, she couldn't bring herself to defy them, just in case.
[In a full set tiebreaker, Hunter wins if he gets 7 points first, right?]
Jiyu searched through the complex tennis rules in her head and double-checked with Jake.
[That's right. You know there has to be a lead of at least 2 points at match point, right? If Hunter has 7 and Dmitri has 5, Hunter wins. But if Dmitri gets 6, Hunter has to get 8. Because he needs to be ahead by 2.]
She nodded to show she understood. Meanwhile, the match resumed, and Hunter scored a point with a serve ace. Jiyu, who had been watching him with her shoulders hunched in tension, clapped vigorously along with the crowd.
It was a tiebreaker where neither player gave an inch. Dmitri scored a point with a serve ace and then followed up with consecutive points using unpredictable drop shots.
'Please. Please, Hunter...'
Jiyu thought deeply about why she was rooting for him so desperately.
Though Hunter was sometimes irritating and at other times someone she didn't even want to look at, the two had grown up together, clinging to each other like makeshift family. Because of that, she had witnessed exactly how much sweat he had shed to reach this position, and the honest effort of that long, long journey.
Jiyu smiled bitterly.
She knew very well how Hunter thought of her. She wasn't unaware that on the rare occasions he was nice to her, it was because he needed his winning jinx for a tennis tournament.
She had denied it for a long time, but she had to admit it now. Despite being treated that way, she had always considered Hunter a friend in her heart.
Her heart tightened with a poignant ache.
Jiyu sincerely hoped that Hunter, her friend, would win.
[4 to 5!]
Dmitri was one point ahead of Hunter. Without realizing it, Jiyu shouted Hunter's name in support.
[Hang in there, Hunter!]
She didn't know where that courage had come from. Hunter, who was taking a ball out of his pocket to serve, glanced over at her.
Jake also clapped and cheered for Hunter. Not to be outdone, Dmitri's parents added their loud encouragement in Russian. The watching spectators also broke into applause all at once.
Hunter, looking at the ground to catch his breath for a moment, bounced the ball exactly three times and tossed it up without hesitation. The racket in his left hand sliced through the air, exquisitely brushing the side of the ball.
The ball, hit as a kick serve, landed in the corner of the court and shot off at an unpredictable angle. Dmitri quickly stepped back behind the baseline and reached out his arm, but it was too late. It was a serve ace.
Jiyu leaped up and clapped. Then, she sat back down just as quickly as she had risen.
Now it was 5:5, a tie. The first person to score 2 more points would be the tournament champion.
Dmitri, a massive figure over six feet tall, leaped up and fired a serve putting the full weight of his body into it. It was a flat serve, clearly intended to crush the opponent with power and speed.
Hunter, with his upper body slightly bent and feet moving busily to track the ball's direction, struggled to return the ball with a forehand.
Dmitri leaped up and slammed the high-floating moonball into the court like a volleyball spike. Hunter, quick on his feet, barely managed to return the ball with a backhand as it bounced up at high speed.
Then, immediately after a fake motion that looked like a powerful smash, Dmitri relaxed his grip on the racket. The ball dropped softly, landing close to the net as a drop shot.
Fooled by the fake and thinking the ball would go far, Hunter had sprinted toward the baseline; he screeched to a halt, pivoted instantly, and ran back desperately. Stretching his leg out in a slide, he barely managed to flick the bouncing ball over the net.
Seizing the opportunity, Dmitri fired a powerful forehand before the ball even hit the ground. Hunter was already deep inside the court, but the ball flew far back to the baseline.
[Ah...]
Jiyu let out a quiet sigh. He had defended well against the relentless barrage of attacks, but returning this ball seemed nearly impossible.
However, she saw Hunter sprinting madly beyond the baseline. But it was obvious he lacked both the time and space to get into a proper swinging posture.
The moment the ball hit the ground and bounced, he glanced back, leaped with his legs spread, and flicked the ball rising between them with his racket.
Gasps and cheers erupted from the stands simultaneously. Dozens of heads moved in unison, following the trajectory of the ball.
Dmitri, who hadn't expected Hunter to hit the ball while facing away, stood frozen for a moment before scrambling to move. However, the ball, crossing the net at an angle, missed his racket by a paper-thin margin, struck the white sideline, and bounced away.
It was a magnificent point—a combination of persistence in not giving up until the end, incredible reflexes, and a stroke of luck. The thunderous applause from the crowd filled the tennis court.
.jpg)