Chapter 117: Different from the past
The huge difference in the doubles score broke the balance of the Los Angeles derby. In all the matches between the two sides this season, there has never been such a one-sided situation. The morale and mentality of the two sides have also changed significantly.
However, in the crisis, Trojan Yannick Hanfman, who took the lead, showed Smith's superior skills in deploying troops.
This German player has a tough style, a stable mentality and strong performance.
The last time he played against Gawain, even in the face of Gawain's continuous interference with various means, at the critical moment, Hanfman was still able to stand firm and showed no signs of collapse. He used stable and strong serves to fight back until the last moment of the game.
Although the match was ultimately lost in two clean sets, Hanfman’s performance still left a deep impression on people.
Today, after the defeat in the doubles match, Hanfman played as the first singles against Jilong who was ranked higher than him, and he once again showed his threat.
“6:4”, “6:2”.
After two games, Hanfman got the victory that Smith had carefully calculated to win, and tied the score for the Trojans.
This time, before Sampras could speak, Sofar smiled.
"We all know that this is a Los Angeles derby. Never underestimate the energy that any team can generate in desperate situations. This is true for both teams."
While the Bruins were still basking in their powerful doubles victory, the Trojans had already caught up and pulled one back - and the score was also further away.
Because of the conflicting playing styles, Jilong was indeed completely at a disadvantage against Hanfman and was suppressed throughout the entire game. It was very uncomfortable and difficult.
Although it was a familiar Los Angeles derby, the game seemed unusual after entering the league championship battle. From the doubles match to the first singles, the entire process and results broke people's cognition. In addition to being surprised, one could also feel the difference in mentality and motivation between the two sides.
This is the championship match!
However, a game is just a game. Whether it is a sweeping victory or a narrow victory, the numbers reflected in the total score are the same.
"1:1".
The scores of both sides resulted in a tie and the game continued.
However, today's confrontation is destined to be different from the past.
The second game was a showdown between the fifth singles players of both sides.
Bremer, who has been in poor form recently, has unknowingly slipped to the fifth singles position in the team, and was overtaken by McDonald and Gawain successively; moreover, Di Giulio was directly replaced by Sale and missed the main lineup. For Bremer, he can already feel the crisis.
Bremer, who was determined to fight to the end, knew that he was standing on the edge of a cliff with no way out, so he sounded the clarion call for return in this championship battle.
Facing the Trojans' fifth singles player De Bloom, Bremer regained the touch and form that had long been in the top 30 in the United States. He was active and proactive throughout the game and firmly grasped the advantage. Although he suffered a strong attack from De Bloom at the end of the game, Bremer still crossed the finish line steadily.
“6:2”, “6:4”.
Another clean win, with Bremer once again outscoring the Bruins!
After winning the last point, Bremer showed his emotions, kneeling on his knees and screaming to the sky. Although it was just a victory over the opponent's fifth singles, it was a particularly precious game for Bremer, who had been troubled by ups and downs in the second half of the season! Not only Bremer, but the players of the Bruins could also feel this catharsis and release. They all stood up and gave Bremer warm applause.
Deeply feeling Bremer's passion and carrying the earnest expectations of his teammates, Gawain stepped into the battle and once again faced the Trojans' true number one singles player, Saramento.
“…We are all looking forward to a great match.”
Sofar expressed everyone's thoughts in the live broadcast room. After all, the last match between the two players was indeed a classic. The long-shot duel was so applauded that it was impossible to count them with two hands. When they meet again this time, people are naturally looking forward to a tit-for-tat contest to ignite the atmosphere of the final.
However, the actual progress of the game deviated slightly from expectations.
Sure enough, this was an extraordinary day.
In fact, it is not so much the excitement brought by the league championship game, but the upcoming May madness of the US Championship game. The subtle changes in state and mentality are an influence that cannot be ignored. Tactical drills and state adjustments are also important tasks. This led to the unexpected breaking of the balance of confrontation.
The Sacramento game...what should I say?
A big change in style.
Saramento has always been a defensive counterattack player. Defense all over the court is his specialty and the foundation of the entire game. But today, Saramento tried to attack more.
The experience of the last match against Gawain taught Sacramento that at critical moments, it is impossible to win the game by simply relying on defense and waiting for the opponent to make mistakes. Therefore, the more critical the moment, the more daring you should be to take action and make changes. It was with this courage and determination that Gawain defeated Sacramento.
Sacramento tried to do the same.
However, Sacramento's weakness in terms of power is not enough to support violent hitting, and his offense is still mainly focused on grabbing points.
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What does it mean? Sacramento usually stands one meter away from the baseline, but now he is within one meter of the baseline. This also means that the reaction time for returning the ball is shortened. He needs to grab the rising point of the tennis ball after it bounces off the ground at the first time, and the whole connection of the shot becomes compact; and he needs to be prepared to enter the baseline to hit the ball at any time.
The point-grabbing tactic is actually quite suitable for Saramento, because of his short height and low center of gravity, which means that Saramento can squat down and make full use of the strength of his calves to push the tennis ball back; but it is not completely suitable for Saramento, because he is accustomed to long-shot tug-of-war games, and the point-grabbing tactic requires compressing rounds and increasing the tempo as much as possible.
More importantly, it is really not that easy to hit the ball quickly. If it is a little faster, it may go into the net; if it is a little slower, it may go out of bounds.
It is precisely because of this that Sacramento's game suddenly became fierce and impatient, but lacked stability and mistakes were flying everywhere.
If an outsider saw this game, he would think that Saramento was in poor condition and couldn't find a hitting point. The whole game was like a derailed train, out of control.
In sharp contrast is Gao Wen, who is fast when necessary and slow when necessary. His transitions between offense and defense are very smooth, and he has even improved a lot compared to the last time the two sides met. He is obviously more calm in controlling the ball and laying out the lines, and he has found the right balance between power and control.
Facing the fierce bombardment of Sacramento, Gao Wen's response seemed leisurely and easy.
The entire game went awry. Just over an hour into the game, Gawain had already secured victory again.
“6:2”, “6:2”.
The scores of the two sets remained the same, and Gawain defeated Sacramento easily. The expected strong confrontation did not happen, but ended rather hastily. Then the Bruins had already widened the gap in the total score and took the match point first.
“3:1”.
Seventeenth update.
(End of this chapter)