“Wow, beautiful!”
"Crossing, a straight forehand cross-court shot, Gao Wen once again found the gap blocked by Mahut at the net, and got the match point with a wonderful cross-court shot."
“There is no doubt that this 19-year-old young player showed a style that was completely different from the first round and proved his ability with practical actions.”
"When people have high hopes for young players like Zverev and Cilic and expect them to join hands with a younger generation of youth storm, Gao Wen has put in a more top-notch, calmer and more outstanding performance, once again defending his position as the leader of the youth storm."
"In this match, Gawain showed his solid and excellent baseline skills. His varied and flexible, complex and smart net-breaking techniques made Mahut completely unable to find the feeling in front of the net. Mahut clearly tried to take the initiative to attack and control the game, but in the end he handed the initiative of the duel to Gawain."
"Of course, I'm not comparing Gawain to Nadal, but we can indeed see Gawain's rich and varied through-shot tactics and techniques in this match, which reminds me of the textbook-level confrontation between Nadal and Federer in the 2008 Wimbledon final."
"After a thrilling victory in the first round, with the help of two legends, Sampras and Agassi, Kovan adjusted his tactics in time, found his form, and showed his competitiveness again. Obviously, the audience who expected some sparks in this match were disappointed, as Kovan completely controlled the game."
The commentary from the British tennis legend Henman was drowned out by the applause from the center court before he could finish speaking.
Boom! Boom boom boom! The whole audience stood up. Although it was not enthusiastic or intense, because the competition was far below expectations and failed to meet the audience's wishes, the respect and congratulations in the applause were sincere. With a standing ovation, this slightly boring second round of the competition came to an end.
"6:4", "6:1", "6:1".
After withstanding the test of the first set, Gao Wen slowly found his tactics and touch, and completely dominated the game in the next two sets, leaving Mahut not many opportunities.
Part of the reason was also due to Mahut. Today, his serve was not in good condition. He clearly felt the pressure from Gao Wen starting from receiving the serve, which resulted in a low success rate of first serve. Even if the first serve entered the zone, the quality was limited. In the end, a chain reaction occurred, which broke his pre-match tactical layout.
Mahut was under tremendous pressure throughout the match and struggled more and more as the game progressed. His serve-and-volley tactics exposed his weaknesses and became the target of Gawain's attack. He was never able to reverse the predicament.
The first effort is strong, the second becomes weaker, and the third is exhausted.
In the end, the entire match took only one hour and thirty-eight minutes. It was a quick victory, and Gao Wen defeated Mahut in three straight sets and continued to move forward with his head held high.
Compared with the first round, the second round returned to the track that Gao Wen was familiar with, especially Mahut's best serve and volley was completely cracked by Gao Wen. The rhythm of the whole game entered the accustomed mode of Gao Wen, and he won the victory without bloodshed, so that the audience felt a little unsatisfied.
In the past three days of competition, there have been many upsets and cold winds. People thought that Gao Wen might face tough battles in succession. Mahut did have the impact and even if he could advance, it would be thrilling. However, no one expected that Gao Wen would gain a foothold with a perfect victory, proving once again that his success was not accidental.
Amidst the turbulent times, Gao Wen got back on track and won two consecutive games on grass for the first time in his career, successfully surviving the test of the first two rounds of the Grand Slam.
On the surface, this victory was not difficult, but Gawain knew it well.
From pre-match preparations, adjustments at the tactical, physical and psychological levels; to the game process, maintaining focus, tactical games, and a tight overall layout, this victory was far from as easy and simple as it seemed, and its significance is in no way inferior to the performance in the first round that saved the match point.
So, when Mahut hit the ball into the net on the last point and lost the match with an unforced error, the joy was still overwhelming.
So Gawain did it again:
he took off his shoes, felt the touch of the grass with his bare feet, and could feel the touch of each short grass grain through his socks. He glided and flew on the central court like surfing on a skateboard, until his forward strength was exhausted, and he jumped high and clenched his fists to celebrate his victory.
Frank and passionate.
The entire audience could deeply feel the happiness that Gao Wen radiated from the inside out, and were deeply moved, and one by one they also jumped for joy.
Roar! Roar, roar, roar! Applause and whistles collided and flash lights filled the whole venue. One could clearly see figures standing up one after another. Maybe the game was a little less exciting than expected, but Gawain still won the hearts of the British audience with his invincible youth, and a smile blossomed on his lips.
Not only the audience, but also the commentators could deeply feel Gao Wen's joy and happiness.
Henman's voice came through the audio again, and he couldn't help but sigh.
"...We can feel the desire in Gawain. He is not finished, he is not satisfied. He is still eager to move forward in Wimbledon. He is still eager to give more wonderful performances on the center court. Like a young wolf, he is full of ambition and energy, and sprints with all his strength."
“Dear audience members, don’t underestimate Gawain, and don’t ignore Gawain. His champion heart is still beating.”
As a professional player himself, Henman could feel Gawain's fighting spirit and desire, as well as his energy and aura, and his own blood boiled as well. This kind of competitive temperament and mental outlook is truly rare, and more importantly, it shows the passion of youth.
Through the running-in and adjustments in the first two rounds of games, Henman accurately predicted a trend:
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Perhaps everyone underestimated Gawain's potential at Wimbledon.
In fact, compared with the clay court season, the doubts against Gao Wen have obviously decreased since the grass court season; but it is undeniable that Gao Wen's performance in the grass court warm-up match was not satisfactory. Naturally, experts and the media were inevitably conservative when discussing Gao Wen.
Pure, objective, neutral and without any bias.
However, after the test of two games, Henman believes that Gawain should be worth looking forward to, not just because of victory - of course victory is very important, as long as he can win consecutive games in the Grand Slam, his confidence and state of adjustment will continue to rise, but more because of that desire.
Hot, intense, surging, and most importantly, focused and dedicated.
It can be seen that Gao Wen was not affected by the disturbances outside the field at all and devoted himself to the field. This fighting spirit was crucial in the first few rounds of the game. As long as Gao Wen could continue to accumulate confidence, once entering the second week of the competition, the threat from top players would increase sharply.
However...whether Gao Wen's upward momentum can continue remains to be seen. The upcoming third round of competition will be a severe test.
At least, that's what Henman thought.