Nora's match was about to begin. After witnessing Lili's outstanding performance, she was determined to show off her potential too.
Coach Zaid: Good luck, Nora.
Coach Zaid: You can do it, believe in yourself.
Nora: Thanks, coach. I'll do my best.
The match finally began. Nora was calm and focused, being herself. Her opponent was a professional player who had participated three times before and won two silver medals.
This was a match between a newbie and a professional athlete, yet Nora played as if they were both professionals. The first half ended 11-9 in her opponent's favor.
Coach Zaid: Good job, Nora. You're doing well.
Nora: Thanks, coach, but it's not enough. I need to get those points back.
Coach Zaid: Stay calm. You have a bad habit of going all out at the beginning of the match and then running out of energy by the end of the match.
Coach Zaid: She's a professional; she has more experience than you, so she's better at controlling her stamina.
Nora: What should I do then?
Coach Zaid: Use your secret weapon.
Nora: My secret weapon?
Nora: What is that supposed to be?
Coach Zaid: Don't you know yet?
Long-lost Joy Chapter 19 Nora's Match was about to begin.
After witnessing Lili's outstanding performance, she was determined to show off her potential too.
Coach Zaid: Good luck, Nora.
Coach Zaid: You can do it, believe in yourself.
Nora: Thanks, coach. I'll do my best.
The match finally began.
Nora was calm and focused; she was being herself.
Her opponent was a professional player who had participated three times before and won two silver medals.
This was a match between a newbie and a professional athlete, yet Nora played as if they were both professionals.
The first half ended 11-9 in her opponent's favor.
Coach Zaid: Good job, Nora, you're doing well.
Nora: Thanks, coach, but it's not enough. I need to get those points back.
Coach Zaid: Stay calm. You have a bad habit of going all out at the beginning of the match and then running out of energy by the end of the match.
Coach Zaid: She's a professional; she has more experience than you, so she's better at controlling her stamina.
Nora: What should I do then?
Coach Zaid: Use your secret weapon.
Nora: My secret weapon?
Nora: What is that supposed to be?
Coach Zaid: Don't you know yet?
Coach Zaid: You can read your opponent's moves.
Coach Zaid: You used that against me when I examined you. Take a deep breath and remember every single thing about your opponent's performance in the first half.
Coach Zaid: Analyze it, and in the second half, read her moves, predict her future moves, and destroy her.
Nora: Got it.
Nora: I believe I've been unconsciously doing that, but I've never noticed.
Nora: When you put it in words, it seems more complicated.
Coach Zaid: You can do it; after all, you're the genius type.
Nora: OK, I'll do it.
At the beginning of the second half, Nora was going slow, then suddenly she started winning all the rounds.
She succeeded in predicting her opponent's moves.
Coach Zaid: Well done, girl. Keep going like that.
Coach Zaid: Don't lose focus; stay calm.
Nora won the first 4 rounds of the second half.
Everyone was impressed by her performance; the crowd's attention and all eyes were on her.
Loisa: Impressive.
Loisa: I can see that you're not just a newbie.
Loisa: I apologize for underestimating you.
Long-lost Joy, Chapter 19: Nora's match was about to begin.
After witnessing Lili's outstanding performance, she was determined to show off her potential too.
Coach Zaid: Good luck, Nora.
Coach Zaid: You can do it, believe in yourself.
Nora: Thanks, coach. I'll do my best.
The match finally began.
Nora was calm and focused, being herself.
Her opponent was a professional player who had participated three times before and won two silver medals.
This was a match between a newbie and a professional athlete, yet Nora played as if they were both professionals.
The first half ended 11-9 in her opponent's favor.
Coach Zaid: Good job, Nora. You're doing well.
Nora: Thanks, coach, but it's not enough. I need to get those points back.
Coach Zaid: Stay calm. You have a bad habit of going all out at the beginning of the match and then running out of energy by the end of the match. She's a professional, she has more experience than you, so she's better at controlling her stamina.
Nora: What should I do then?
Coach Zaid: Use your secret weapon.
Nora: My secret weapon?
Nora: What is that supposed to be?
Coach Zaid: Don't you know yet? You can read your opponent's moves. You used that against me when I examined you. Take a deep breath and remember every single thing about your opponent's performance in the first half. Analyze it, and in the second half, read her moves, predict her future moves, and destroy her.
Nora: Got it.
Nora: I believe I've been unconsciously doing that, but I've never noticed.
Nora: When you put it into words, it seems more complicated.
Coach Zaid: You can do it, after all, you're the genius type.
Nora: Okay, I'll do it.
At the beginning of the second half, Nora was going slow, then suddenly she started winning all the rounds.
She succeeded in predicting her opponent's moves.
Coach Zaid: Well done, girl. Keep going like that.
Coach Zaid: Don't lose focus, stay calm.
Nora won the first four rounds of the second half.
Everyone was impressed by her performance; the crowd's attention and all eyes were on her.
Loisa: Impressive.
Loisa: I can see that you're not just a newbie.
Loisa: I apologize for underestimating you.
Loisa: I thought I could save some energy for later, but I can see now that it's too dangerous to do that against you.
Loisa: Well, prepare yourself, I'm about to get serious.
Nora: You think you could scare me?
Nora: Show me what you got.
Loisa won three rounds in a row after that.
Nora needs to end this round with a score of 11-8 in her favor to win.
But she could no longer read her opponent's moves; she had completely changed from how she played in the first half.
Her opponent has become unpredictable and much faster than before.
She lost another two rounds; the score is 5-4 in Loisa's favor now.
Coach Zaid: Calm down, it's not over yet.
Coach Zaid: Tell me what happened.
Nora: Her moves have suddenly become unpredictable, and she's much faster.
Coach Zaid: I see, don't worry. Try to read her moves all over again and adapt to her speed.
Coach Zaid: You must do it fast; you need to get those points back.
Nora: I know.
Nora was doing her best, yet nothing was working. Loisa was too fast for her to read. Even when she predicted a few of her moves, she had no time to react. She was getting slower because she was exhausted while on the other hand, her opponent was getting faster. The gap between her and Loisa was getting bigger and bigger. She lost another round; the score is 6-4 in Loisa's favor now.
Maya: Come on, Nora, don't give up!
Lili: You can do it, destroy her, blame her for everything, and eliminate her!
Katrina: Go, Nora, you can do it!
Nora couldn't hear her friends; she couldn't hear anyone. All she could focus on was the ball that she missed each time. It was getting on her nerves; she was starting to lose her calm state. Another round ended in Loisa's favor. The score is 7-4 now.
Coach Zaid: It's alright. It's not over yet. I've analyzed her new techniques for you. I know she's much faster than you, but you can still surpass her.
She was too exhausted to pay attention to anything; she was running out of stamina. Even if she found the tactic to win, she no longer had the energy to perform.
Coach Zaid: Nora, are you listening?
Nora: Sorry, coach, what were you saying?
Coach Zaid: I know you're tired, but you can't give up now. You've come so far, and I don't care what anyone says. I still believe that you can win.
Nora wanted to believe her coach's words. She was feeling helpless and couldn't even imagine a scenario where she could turn this situation around. Things had gotten out of her control, this was the harsh truth.
Battol: Don't give up, Nora. You got this.
Nora: Great, now I'm hallucinating.
Coach Zaid: What are you talking about?
Nora: I'm hearing my roommate's voice cheering for me.
Coach Zaid: Nora, I don't think you're hallucinating. Look over there.
Nora turned around, and to her surprise, Battol was there. She was standing and yelling at the top of her lungs, telling her not to give up. Then she held up a sign that said, "You have to win, Nora, or I'll kill you."
Nora: What is she doing here?
Coach Zaid: She must have come all the way to cheer you on. She must care about you.
Nora: Yeah, she's my mom's friend. Dragging me home after practice, cooking for me, waking me up in the morning, forcing me to hang out with her and the girls. I'm such an idiot; I can't believe I almost gave up. Please, coach, tell me everything you learned about Loisa again. I'll try again; this time I won't fail.
Coach Zaid: That's the spirit.
Nora continued the match with an entirely new spirit. Her exhaustion didn't matter; the gap between her and Loisa didn't matter. All that she could care about now is that she must win. She was playing as if her life depended on it.
Battol: Go, Nora, you can do it! You're doing great, don't give up!
Loisa: Wow, where is this coming from? Weren't you tired? What is this sudden rise in your speed and power?
Nora: Who knows?
Loisa: Careful, little girl. If you waste your last breath now, you will faint by the end of the match.
Nora: I don't care. All that matters to me now is to take you down. I won't stop until I win.
To everyone's surprise, Nora won two rounds in a row. The score was 7-6; Nora was catching up.
Coach Zaid: Nice, but be careful. We don't know how far this will go; I don't want you to faint before the game is over.
Nora: Yes, sir.
Coach Zaid: Listen, I don't know whether she's hiding something or not, but I have a feeling that you've managed to close the gap between you and her. Do you know what that means?
Nora: It means that now instead of fighting to catch up with her, I'll fight to win.
Coach Zaid: Exactly. Now go crush her.
With this strong determination and mentality, Nora was closer to victory than ever. She won another round and managed to catch up; the score is 7-7 now.
Loisa: Damn, you're such a stubborn girl. I like your passion; very impressive for a newbie.
Loisa: This match has gone on far longer than I expected.
Loisa: I admit, you're not a weak rookie. You're stronger than some professionals I've played against. But you're not stronger than me. I'll end this; you have no chance against me.
Nora: Looks like I've managed to trigger you. What's wrong, champ? Are you freaking out?
Loisa: Shut up! You're so full of yourself. Who do you think you are? I'll crush you; this is the end for you!
Loisa and Nora kept pushing each other. Loisa won a round, and then Nora won a round. For normal people, it seemed like a normal tennis match, but for experts, it was an intense battle. The score was 10-10 now; this final round would decide the winner.
Coach Zaid: Stay calm; you can do it. Look how far you've come. Only one more round, and you will go down in history. Heck, you've already made history—a rookie going toe to toe against a silver-medal champion. You can do it, Nora.
Nora: Thanks, coach. I'll win, inshallah I'll win.
Battol: Go, Nora, you can do it! Maya: Our new mysterious prodigy, go for it!
Loisa: Damn it, I can't believe I let you go this far. You won't defeat me; you can't defeat me.
Nora: Are you saying this to me or yourself?
Loisa: Shut up! You're so annoying; just go down already. Damn it, this is no longer about winning or losing; you've gotten on my nerves. I want to destroy you; I want to crush your ego.
Nora: You're so cute. This is my victory; can't you see it yet?
Loisa: Shut up!
The intense battle finally came to an end. No one could believe it; no one had expected the match to come to this. It was the biggest surprise of the competition; it was a new history page. The winner who brought her opponent to her knees was none other than the new mysterious prodigy who just made history.
Battol: YOU DID IT NORA! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT; YOU DID IT! Maya: Congratulations, champ; you did it! Katrina: Amazing, who knew she could do that! Lili: Amazing, you did it; you completely crushed her.
Coach Zaid: Amazing, Nora, I can't believe it. You were awesome. How do you feel?
Nora: Honestly, I'm tired. I can barely stand straight.
Coach Zaid: Come sit down. Here, drink some water. Breathe, take a deep breath.
Nora: Thank you.
Coach Zaid: Do you hear this, Nora? Do you hear this crowd? They were all cheering for you. You've earned their respect.
Nora: Yeah, I'm having a hard time getting used to this.
The final match is between Katrina and an opponent who has participated three times before, only reaching the semi-finals once.
Lili: Good luck, Katrina!
Lili: You can do it! Remember every hardship you've been through in your life and use it as motivation.
Lili: Build up your rage, contempt, and frustration, then take it out on her!
Katrina: Oh dear, Lili.
Katrina: I appreciate your support, but please, enough of this negativity. I can't afford to have negative feelings towards my opponent; it will only backfire on me.
Katrina: Any negativity will affect my performance, and I'll end up playing poorly and losing.
Lili: Oh, sorry about that.
Katrina: It's okay. Just cheer for me, I'll appreciate it.
Lili: Okay, go Katrina!
Nora: You can do it, Katrina! Believe in yourself.
Katrina: Thanks, I'll do my best.
Katrina: I can't be the only one in our club who failed to put on a show.
Katrina performed well in the first few rounds. She remained calm, and composed, and executed her shots effectively. Her opponent made some errors while she maintained a classy and balanced gameplay. She won three rounds in a row, leading with a score of 3-0.
Coach Zaid: Nice job, Katrina.
Katrina: Thanks, coach.
Katrina: Any tips?
Coach Zaid: Just keep playing like this and stay calm.
Katrina: Got it.
Katrina continued her strong performance and reached a score of 11-6, winning half of the match.
Coach Zaid: Great job. This should be an easy win for you.
Coach Zaid: Win three more rounds in a row to crush her spirit completely.
Coach Zaid: Make her give up so you can finish this quickly.
Katrina: Understood.
Following Coach Zaid's advice, Katrina executed her game plan effectively. Her opponent's spirit was shattered, and she seemed disinterested in the match. In the second half, Katrina won with a score of 11-7.
The match unfolded as Coach Zaid had anticipated. Three of his students emerged victorious today, marking his best record yet.
Coach Zaid: I'm so proud of you.
Nora: Thanks, coach, for everything you did for us.
Both Nora and Lili won their matches. After Nora's world-class performance, everyone has become wary of rookies.