In fact, judging from the overall score, Istomin was leading 2:1. Even if he lost the fourth set, there was still the fifth set. There was no need to panic. It was far from being on the edge of the cliff.
But things are not that simple.
Istomin was able to realize Gawain's sense of timing. In this game, his determination to win was rising steadily, and his backhand straight line was also accurately hit. His condition was recovering comprehensively. If he had given up the victory in the fourth set, there might have been no chance of turning the tide in the fifth set.
He needs to keep this serve.
Take a deep breath, and take another deep breath.
Even though his blood was boiling, his knees were shaking, he could barely lift his feet, and he had not yet reached the limit of his physical strength; however, he still needed to fight.
——“15:40”, ACE, serve, finally came back, the first serve at a speed of 177 kilometers per hour was not fast, but the landing point in the big outside corner of the second zone was very accurate.
Save the first break point in the cleanest and most efficient way.
——“30:40”, two consecutive forehand attacks pressed the baseline, just on the baseline, the irregular bounce affected Gao Wen’s return ball handling, followed by a forehand attack diagonally in the third shot. Although Gao Wen’s footsteps were in place, his racket swing was still a little slow, and the return ball flew directly away.
Save the second break point with an absolutely strong and proactive approach.
"ah!"
Istomin also roared out, clenched his fists, howled towards the sky, and the murderous intent in the depths of his eyes penetrated through his sports glasses and hit Gawain back.
Gawain, smiled—
Not because of happiness, but because of anger.
He was very dissatisfied with his performance. The last ball was indeed difficult, but he was sure he could handle it well. However, he wasted another break point by making a mistake. In such a game, any careless waste of opportunity could lead to irreparable consequences.
He laughed when he was extremely angry.
Gawain stood there, looking down at his racket. The more he thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed. However, he did not vent his anger. Instead, it turned into a smile. The corners of his mouth turned up, and he shook his head slightly. He couldn't believe that he had just wasted an opportunity. Then he reminded himself that he must remember the lesson firmly.
Otherwise, if you lose the game in the end, you can't blame others.
In a blink of an eye, there were three break points in a row, and only the last one was left.
call.
Gao Wen exhaled heavily and walked slowly towards the bottom line of the second zone. His eyes were still fixed on the string, but his brain was busy thinking about the layout.
Focus!
Stay focused!
Zone 2, there is no doubt that this is Istomin’s more confident side.
He can choose to use the outside corner of the second zone to suppress the backhand. Although he has been scored by Gao Wen's backhand straight line before, such situations are still rare after all. He can also choose to use the inside corner of the second zone to hit the forehand to win space for subsequent attacks, continuously attack and connect the layout, and finally control the situation.
So, outside corner? Inside corner? Chase? Or some other strategy? Hold your breath, everyone.
Istomin served the ball.
Close.
To be precise, Istomin sneaked in with a close-range backhand serve.
From a strategic perspective, the focus was still on the backhand, but Istomin guessed that Gawain might choose to move in advance to grab the serve, so he simply narrowed the serve angle, trying to create a situation where Gawain would hit the tennis ball himself.
Istomin was indeed well prepared for this point.
If Gawain had predicted and moved ahead, he would have been outsmarting himself.
Gao Wen did move in advance, and his footwork did compress the space for swinging the racket, which was equivalent to running into the opponent head-on. The close serve turned into a chase serve, and a car accident was imminent.
However, when crises and accidents occur, each player handles them in his or her own way, which is the charm of the different trends in tennis matches.
Lean back.
Squat.
Push and block.
——Episiotomy.
At the moment when his body was about to hit the tennis ball, Gao Wen leaned his upper body back to create space, and used a one-handed backhand to cut the tennis ball diagonally back.
Act on your own!
This is Federer's classic tactic on grass courts, slowing down the pace of the serve-receive round by cutting sideways and then following the ball to the net.
It can be seen at this time that Gao Wen still has not fully adapted to the grass. After the inspiration of cutting sideways to receive the serve came to him, he did not go to the net immediately, but continued to stay at the baseline, adjusting his steps and waiting for the return ball.
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On the opposite side, Istomin saw Gawain's move and immediately realized that his strategy had worked; but then he saw the side cut and became unsure again.
However, Istomin was highly focused and firmly took the initiative.
Lead the racket with both hands in advance, squat with knees, lower the center of gravity, the right knee can almost touch the grass, and hit it head-on with both hands backhand.
Diagonal, collision, and force!
Istomin attacked without hesitation, and his two-handed backhand diagonal shot hit the tennis ball back hard, combining power and speed perfectly.
Like an arrow, hitting the bull's eye—
On the other hand, Gao Wen's passivity as a receiver can be clearly felt. He must make on-the-spot adjustments according to the strategy of the server. Once his serve is good, his steps will be further bogged down, especially on grass, where this phenomenon will be further magnified.
Although Gawain's quick thinking when receiving the serve just now effectively resolved the crisis, Istomin's relentless follow-up attack followed closely.
It was fast, heavy, flat and low. Even though Gawain had successfully moved his feet into position, there was still not much space left for him to hit the ball, and he was in a very passive situation. But Gawain was not ready to surrender. He instantly exerted force and speed up with both hands on his backhand, and hit the tennis ball back again with the posture of hitting the wall.
Slash!
Here, just when everyone thought that Gawain and Istomin would engage in a strong showdown in the backhand position, Istomin broke the balance.
Change of line——
Standing on the edge of the cliff, Istomin's brain started working again, and he broke the routine for once. Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! It was precisely because of this accident that Istomin finally finished the layout before Gawain, and a backhand straight shot really caught Gawain off guard.
At this moment, people realized that, oh, by the way, Istomin was the one who had the upper hand in this game.
On the other side of the court, Gawain was in a passive position, very passive. His second start after the sudden stop and turn was very agile, but the lateral distance from one end of the court to the other still made him lose his advantage bit by bit. Even if Istomin's straight line did not pursue the extreme and left some space, Gawain had already missed the hitting point when he arrived at the position. There was almost no space for hitting the ball. The only thing he could do was -
Pull up and spin.
Because his footwork is too passive, Gao Wen must buy time and space for his return defense, and the baseline moon ball is his best opportunity.
This is not just defense, but also counterattack, because Gao Wen knows that he cannot turn the situation around by just relying on passive defense and waiting for the opponent to make mistakes. He needs to take risks, be proactive, and be resolute. Only in this way can he find opportunities to counterattack. Even if it requires taking risks, he is willing to do so.
Then, the tennis ball flew high, drawing a high, floating, full arc, and disappeared into the golden sunlight. All the spectators looked up at the sky.