Second serve on match point -
Tsonga still chooses the outside corner.
And he still served with great force. Tsonga chose to take a risk and fight for the serve.
This time, he made it.
With a speed of 180 kilometers per hour, it has both speed and power. Although it cannot be compared with the first serve, it is very good for the second serve.
The tennis ball turned into a stream of light and shot out directly like a flash of lightning.
Bang! Gawain's steps were a little lacking.
In fact, Gao Wen was not surprised that Tsonga chose the outside corner again. He was mentally prepared, but Tsonga's serve speed still subverted expectations.
Inevitably, the accuracy of footwork is affected, and the two-handed backhand is restricted due to the strained abdominal muscles, unable to be fully extended, and the means are limited.
What to do? However, Gao Wen did not seem to be panicked or nervous at all. He was mentally prepared for the ever-changing game. After the training and test in the third set, he was ready to face any difficulties. He was very determined and did not hesitate at all.
One top and one stroke.
Hit lightly.
Gao Wen used a combination of pushing and cutting, half-pushing and half-doing, with no intention of exerting any force at all. He used his cleverness and leveraged the opponent's force to push out a straight line.
Wonderful, indescribable! Wonderful to the extreme! This was also the biggest highlight of Gao Wen in the third set. He did not rely on strength, but won by changing his technique, adjusting his tactics and grasping his touch. The whole rhythm and frequency completely broke his usual style and developed a new tactic.
Light. Dexterous. Smart.
Most of the time, we avoid strong collisions and instead control the ball through our own feel to "control the landing point."
On clay courts, "point control" is a very classic tactic. Due to the absorption and consumption of force by clay, blindly exerting force will often result in hitting a wall. Therefore, one should abandon the style of play that relies purely on strength, and tear open the opponent's defense and establish an advantage by controlling the landing point and the layout of the lines.
Of course, Gao Wen does not play entirely on clay, but he does absorb a lot of experience and skills, and reintegrate them into output through his own understanding.
The soft but daring style of play really made Tsonga very uncomfortable, and he often had to face balls that went against his expectations.
This time, it is no exception.
Facing a powerful flat serve from the outer corner of the second zone, 95% of the time the ball should be returned diagonally, but Gao Wen just happened to be imaginative and relied on light hitting to hit a straight line.
Although the ball lacked power, rotation, depth and so on and was not enough to score a winning point, Tsonga did not expect it.
He was killed unexpectedly.
Step, push off, sprint——
Tsonga ran across the court, his steps a little heavy and a little flustered.
Moreover, after barely getting into position, he discovered that Gawain's return ball had almost no power, which meant that Tsonga could not use the force to hit the ball while running, and he needed to force the force himself; at the same time, the ball bounced at a height near his knees, so the center of gravity of the ball had to be lowered.
Run. Bend your knees. Push. All in one go.
Difficult. Extremely difficult.
If you have witnessed the imagination of this shot with your own eyes, it should not be difficult to imagine that Gao Wen was able to save break points in four consecutive service games and hold his serve.
"ah!"
Tsonga ignored all this and forced himself to face the challenge head-on.
During the sprint, his knees hardly bent much, but he relied on the strength of his upper limbs to reach down, making an unreasonable hook and exerting force at the same time.
Talent, fully displayed.
If it were any other player, such a shot would basically fail to control the parabola and send the return ball directly out of the opponent's baseline, with the power overflowing; but Tsonga's instantaneous explosive power is restrained and fierce, and he controls it just right, with the racket head swinging up a level the moment the racket is released.
Bang.
Solid, heavy, explosive——
The tennis ball flew along the diagonal line, close to the net, in the posture of a torpedo.
Flat and low, fast and aggressive.
On the other side, Gao Wen used a light return shot to overturn the confrontation situation.
Here, Tsonga regained the upper hand with an unreasonable punch.
One comes and one goes.
Cleverness and brute force.
Attack, counterattack.
The powerful collision between the two sharp points instantly gave off a murderous atmosphere, and strong sparks spread throughout the field. Without even the blink of an eye, Tsonga's counterattack pushed Gawain into a desperate situation again.
Step, run.
Tap, tap, tap, he sprinted with all his might.
At this moment, for a very brief moment, Gawain temporarily forgot the pain. The raging adrenaline completely overwhelmed the pain nerves. His high morale and boiling blood continuously burst out with energy, and his state and concentration were completely elevated to a higher level, reaching a whole new height.
Gao Wen knew that opportunities are rare and will never come back.
From the end of the second set all the way through the third set, Gao Wen was adjusting, waiting, and struggling. It was more like holding on to the game and dragging it out than confronting it. He used all his skills to barely maintain a glimmer of hope and prevent his game from completely falling apart.
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He tried hard, trying his best, but it was like maintaining a dilapidated building that was on the verge of crumbling.
Then, finally the opportunity came.
Right now.
From the last match point to this one, or to be precise, this round, Gawain smelled an opportunity, perhaps the only chance to take a step towards victory.
He needs to rise.
The surging force continued to roll at lightning speed, but this time, the stretching feeling of the abdominal muscles was completely forgotten.
From the left end of the baseline to the right end, but the hitting point is still a little late——
Tsonga really gave his all, overwhelming the opponent.
Even though Gao Wen's speed has been improved to the extreme, it is still not comparable to his peak state. After his footsteps are in place, there is still insufficient space for hitting the ball.
But Gao Wen was not nervous at all, and glanced at Tsonga's position from the corner of his eye.
Forehand, a cut.
Cutting, again.
The legs are split and extended, and the forearm and wrist are used to cut with the forehand. All the strength is dissipated in the continuous friction and tumbling rotation.
straight line.
Gao Wen cut a straight line and made full use of Tsonga's hitting power, cutting the ball lightly and thinly, and the tennis ball flew back along the net.
Straight, straight, straight, heavy and deep, pushing into the big triangle blind spot of Tsonga's backhand baseline.
Compared with Tsonga's power, Gao Wen still continued his tactics, avoiding power and controlling the landing point. His delicate touch was truly amazing.
Pressing the line!
Gao Wen's return ball hit the dead corner where the baseline and the sideline meet accurately, and it seemed to be out of bounds.
However, the linesman was resolute, with a sharp look and clean movements, putting his hands together to make an in-bounds gesture.
The ball landed on the referee's side, and the referee could see it from his high position. He also made an in-bounds gesture with his palm facing down.
Huh! Amid the exclamations of the crowd, Tsonga rushed over with slightly heavy steps.
At this point we can see that Tsonga was once again pushed into a passive position.
Obviously both players were trying to seize the initiative, but the change in position could be clearly felt in the confrontation between the attacks, and Tsonga was in trouble.
It was too late to hit a two-handed backhand, what to do? Tsonga held his breath and stared at the ball.