Characters In Order of Appearance[]
- Eiichiro Maruo
- Takuya Miyagawa
- Yukichi Fukazawa
- Takuma Egawa
- Natsu Takasaki
- Yusaku Miura
- Yuki Tajima
Summary[]
The match leads to a tie-breaking game. Due to Eiichiro taking a risk and with a stroke of luck, he wins the match against Miyagawa.
Synopsis[]
Miyagawa does not expect Eiichiro to attack and to evade his counters on the 8th game. Yet, he does not feel worried on the results but rather, he enjoys the current situation more. On the 10th game, Miyagawa notices that Eiichiro seems to know now his tendencies. According to Takuma, Eiichiro did the same thing as what Miyagawa did in the previous games - observe the opponent and exploit the weakness. With the inclusion of Eiichiro's persistence and the ability to grasp one's techniques quickly, he becomes the type of player that is tough to beat. Hearing Takuma's comments, Coach Miura tells Takuma to watch this match closely to learn what to do when someone is better.
The following games go to a stalemate as neither players allow their opponent to break, which forces the match to a tie-breaking game. As Eiichiro tries to remember the rules for the tie-breaker, he starts to see a way on how to defeat Miyagawa. He tries to remain calm by reminding him on what Natsu has said before - the pressure is a sign of the desire to win. On the other hand, Miyagawa is surprised that this match will reach the tie-breaker despite of Eiichiro's lack of winning shot. But he remains calm as he believes that he has the advantage for this tie-breaker because he does not need to worry on adjusting his swings.
At the tie-breaking game, both players have successfully kept their own service games. Eiichiro has waited patiently until the score becomes 5-all in order to execute his plan - to off-balance Miyagawa and win the point. This strategy is based on one of Takuma's strategy during their practice matches. Eiichiro has successfully executed it, making him the first to get the match point for this match. However, the following points are critical as Miyagawa is the next to serve. He tries to predict Miyagawa's serve but fails, leading to an awkward situation.
Due to his failed attempt, Eiichiro feels that he is in danger again as the moment of surprise from his previous service game is now gone. However, Miyagawa's serves are amiss, causing him to get the match point again. Turns out, even though Miyagawa thinks that he is not affected with Eiichiro's attempt on his earlier serve, his performance shows otherwise. He finally realizes his biggest mistake in the match. He played the game safe while his opponent was trying to improve his play style by taking risks. He decides to deliver everything that he got in the next three points. Unfortunately, due to Eiichiro's accidental hit in the ball after Miyagawa's smash, the ball goes to Miyagawa's side. Miyagawa does not manage to reach it, causing for Eiichiro to earn the point and win the match.
Manga & Anime Differences[]
- The anime gives a clearer view that if the score reaches 5-all, one should win two consecutive games to win the match (basically, the score should become 7-5), otherwise, a tie-breaker match will commence if the score reaches 6-all.
- When Eiichiro did not move up to net to off-balance Miyagawa, both Takuma and Coach Miura are surprised and has realized that Eiichiro is copying it from Takuma during one of their matches.
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