Ryouma finally meets someone who doesn't just match him, he meets someone who might actually be better, and the show treats it like the world-ending thing it is. Every match in this tournament arc costs something from the players, and you feel it in their bodies before you see it in their faces. The Shitenhouji kids stop being obstacles and become real competitors with their own weight, their own stories, and their own reasons to win that hit just as hard as Seishun's desperation to survive.

The National Tournament continues for Ryouma Echizen and the Seishun Academy tennis team, and the semifinal pits them against Shitenhouji Middle School. Shitenhouji won the Kansai Regionals, reached the semifinal last year, and ranks among the favorites for the title. Each of its players is reputed to be more skilled than the Seishun member they face. The team also has Kintarou Tooyama, a second super rookie whose strength and technique rival Ryouma's. Up against stronger opponents than they have met before, the Seishun regulars struggle and must stretch their abilities to have any chance in this East versus West clash. The six-episode OVA mixes sports action with comedy.