Araya and Eiichirō begin their match in the Kanagawa Prefectural Final. At first both are holding serve and the score is at 3-3. However Coach Aoi realizes Eiichirō doesn't have the knowledge on how to deal with left handers since he's only played Araya once. Araya starts to target Eiichirō's backhand. To counter Eiichirō is forced to continually adjust his speed, making his center shots an easy target for Araya. Araya gets the first break and goes on to win set 1 6-3. However Eiichirō begins to return Araya's shots as the first set ends, making Araya realize Eiichirō is growing as fast as Ike previously did. Both realize they have to find a way to get massive breaks if they are to have any chance of winning.