On the second day of the team event at the National Championships, the men's and women's quarterfinals and semifinals took place. Sitting in the adjacent stands watching Wang Chuqin's match, Sun Yingsha felt a mix of heartache and helplessness—she wanted nothing more than to jump down there and hit a few shots for him herself.
Shasha had slightly strained her lower back in her previous match, and her stamina was flagging. Coach Yang, worried about her physical well-being, urged her to rest. He Zhuojia was also sidelined with a cold, so in the end, the Hebei Team had to deploy three youngsters—Zang Xiaotong, Zhu Ziyu, and Li Yuqi—for the semifinals.
Having spent a full month playing matches away from home without any real rest or recovery, no one understood better than Shasha that Wang Chuqin was reaching his physical limit. Yet he kept pushing blindly ahead, gritting his teeth and fighting through it.
Chapter 141