The Prince of Tennis 14 by Takeshi Konomi: B+

From the back cover:
As more intra-squad games are played to determine the starting lineup, fellow Seishun Academy players Kunimitsu Tezuka and Sadaharu Inui duke it out for a slot. But the disparity in their skills becomes evident when everyone realizes that Tezuka has not budged since he delivered his serve. Meanwhile, Coach Banda of Yamabuki Junior High offers team captain Tezuka a chance to play overseas as an exchange student. Could this be the end of Tezuka’s tour of duty at Seishun?

Review:
I have special compliments for the art this time around. There are a couple of places where little details go unnoticed until somehow pointed out, and when one goes back and looks, they’ve been there all along.

This volume concludes the ranking matches, and includes a few chapters of preparation for the tournament before it finally begins in the last chapter. There are a few changes in the various roles within the team, and Seishun’s weakness—the lack of another strong doubles pair—may not be one for much longer. All this is decent, and I’d probably be talking about the character or skill development if I hadn’t already seen this in the anime, so it’s not new to me.

I thought the pacing was good, with just enough of a “preparing for the tournament” feeling without dragging it out. It’s a cruel cliffhanger that the tournament only juuuust starts before the volume is over, and I wish I had volume 15 already.

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