Pressure, pressure, and more pressure——
The overwhelming force, layer upon layer, was overwhelming Gawain. It felt like standing on a rope high in the air in a hurricane to survive. The only lifeline was the rope under his feet, but holding on to the rope and staying where he was was not an option. Moving forward was the last chance of survival.
Gao Wen was in a completely passive position.
Watching Tsonga launch a deadly attack, with a forehand straight line and a follow-up ball to the net, the mighty impact force completely swallowed up Gao Wen in an instant.
He didn't have enough time to swing the racket for a two-handed backhand, so he was forced to switch to a one-handed backhand in the predicament; coupled with the abdominal muscle injury, he had no way to exert any power.
One-handed cutting.
Also, the slash.
In the precarious crisis, Gawain had almost no space to hit the ball or break the net, and he chose a diagonal shot, which was more of a forced transition in passivity than a tactic. There was no layout, no calculation, and no counterattack. It was purely an instinctive reaction in desperation, and he barely completed the shot.
The quality of the ball return was mediocre.
There was no time to hesitate or think. Gawain paused, started again, and moved to the right again.
The defense is back in place.
But at the same time, the eyes were firmly fixed on Tsonga, and then you could see Tsonga appear nimbly on the diagonal line, not only able to complete the interception, but also have time to observe Gawain's movement.
Take your time.
Tsonga noticed Gawain's defensive move and pushed forward with a two-handed backhand, pressing down slightly.
Bang.
Diagonal line, look back, and repeat the landing point.
Tsonga continued to apply pressure and increase his strength, completing the volley with a two-handed backhand in a half-block manner. Hard court tennis actually sounded like grass.
Oops!
Gawain paused, started three times, stopped and turned suddenly, and then pulled his body back again.
However.
Although there was no injury in the movement of feet and the impact was very small, the core strength of the abdomen played an important role in the control of sudden stops and turns. In the haste and chaos, one could still feel the restraint brought by the stretching, just like a puppet restricted by the control strings.
The body cannot be fully stretched.
As crises piled up one after another, Gawain calmed down completely. The fiercer and crazier the storm, the tougher and more determined his counterattack would be.
One-handed backhand, choose to hold the racket with one hand for the second consecutive shot.
At the same time, this time it is no longer cutting, but using the principle of rebounding ball, a single shot -
Raise your arm up, control it with the strength of your forearm and wrist, and move it outward.
Pop.
The sound of the ball hitting the ground was neither crisp nor solid. It was a controlled, light hit, and then the tennis ball flew out.
Lightweight and agile.
The tennis ball doesn't fly very fast, it sways back and forth like a kite.
Everyone, hold your breath.
Then you can see that Tsonga's body stops and turns sharply, but still can't keep up, and finally he has to push off the ground and fly into the air.
Jump, dash, fly.
Tsonga's body was fully stretched out, with the racket in his forehand extending infinitely towards the tennis ball, but then he found that his reaction speed in front of the net was still a little slow.
Obviously, he did not expect Gao Wen to hit the ball again; at the same time, he did not expect that this shot would be so light and unexpected.
A slight, a millisecond, a deviation in reaction speed, and then you will never catch up.
Almost.
Just a little bit.
The tennis ball passed by Tsonga's racket with a distance of just a hair, breaking through the siege and escaping.
Whoosh, whoosh.
The wind was gusting, and the next second, the whole place erupted in incredible noise, almost exploding.
Boom! Boom boom boom! "40:40".
Three consecutive break points, all saved.
Surprise and astonishment were written all over their faces. They simply couldn't believe their eyes. Even though they were there and witnessed the whole process with their own eyes, they still didn't understand what was happening.
It looked like Tsonga had completely gained the upper hand and Gawain had no ability to fight back. Even the entanglement in the round seemed shaky and precarious. But somehow, in the end, all the points fell into Gawain's pocket, and he saved three consecutive break points. This was simply... magical.
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Obviously, the game in front of them was different from what everyone had imagined. It was completely different from the direct confrontation in the first two sets, and it was also completely different from what was imagined after the unexpected injury.
In fact, it can be seen from Gawain's shot selection and tactical layout that the impact of injuries always exists objectively and changes the course of the game; but Gawain still found a way to change the rhythm and the situation under absolutely difficult circumstances, once again demonstrating his unparalleled basketball IQ.
Amazing! Amazing! Stunning!
Although Gao Wen has given wonderful performances time and time again in the past year, the scene before him was still beyond his expectations.
Involuntarily, some people even had a thought in their minds: Could it be that Gawain was injured in the explosion? Of course, the crisis was still not over, "40:40", still evenly divided.
People should not have forgotten that in the eleventh game of the second set, Gawain was injured. After a tug of war, he was finally broken. Now in the first game of the third set, everything seems familiar, and Tsonga should still have the chance.
Sure enough, it was as expected.
Break point.
Equally divided.
Game point.
Equally divided.
After Tsonga missed the fourth break point, Gao Wen also missed a game point and returned to deuce for the third time. Then Gao Wen relied on a second serve to score directly to get the second game point.
The tug of war continues.
On the second game point, Gao Wen very unexpectedly chose to serve and volley.
An inside corner serve, not fast, only about 168 kilometers per hour, but it went directly to the net after the serve, which shocked not only the spectators but also Tsonga.
But only Tsonga knew that the speed was indeed not fast, yet Gawain's serve contained a lot of spin, and it continued to spin outward to the left after landing, so that Tsonga's backhand had to extend out to reach the ball, and he had no way to exert force at all. No wonder Gawain dared to serve and go to the net.
Tsonga's serve had just flown back, and he was about to move his feet to continue defending, but Gawain had already pushed it lightly with his forehand, pretending to be ready to hit the diagonal ball, but when Tsonga's center of gravity moved along the way, he feinted and blocked the shot again to the diagonal line.
In the back and forth, Tsonga's already inflexible feet were simply nailed to the spot.
The smash at the net, this point belongs to Gao Wen.
——Hold serve! It was unbelievable and unthinkable that after eight minutes of stalemate, Gao Wen saved four break points in the first service game of the third set and actually held serve.
The whole audience was stunned, looking at each other in surprise and astonishment, and could hardly believe their eyes. What on earth were they witnessing? Originally, everyone thought that Tsonga would win the victory with overwhelming force, but now, things seemed to have gone off track.
So, is there still a variable in the third set? Across the net, Tsonga put his hands on his hips, his expression was a little mixed, and it was difficult to accurately describe his feelings for a moment. He just stood there in a daze for a moment, panting heavily.