At the start of the third set, it was Fish who broke the serve first.
He took advantage of a time when Gao Wen was at his lowest point in physical condition and chose to fight decisively and firmly. He dared to give it a try. His slightly brutal style of play allowed him to seize the opportunity and break the balance by scoring consecutive points.
In this game, Fish scored all within four beats, which is his favorite rhythm and brings out the nature of the fast hard court to the fullest.
Hold. Break. Hold.
Started at “3:0”.
I have to say, Fish once again brought surprises.
In the first two sets, each of them was won by a break advantage, and the game was very, very close. Does this mean that Fish will win the third set? However! Gao Wen was not to be outdone.
He first calmed his mind in his own serving game and started with the serve to prevent Fish from taking advantage of his physical weakness that led to weak serve early; then he set a trap through layout and regained the initiative in the serving game.
After successfully withstanding a deuce test and holding his serve, Gao Wen began to fight back.
In Fish's serve, Gawain earned a break point with a signature two-handed backhand straight line attack, and then remained calm under the pressure of Fish's sudden attack on the net. With his feet out of position, he scored the winning point with a backhand lob, and broke back in a close fight.
Hold. Break. Hold.
"3:3".
Gao Wen also quickly made up for the disadvantage, and the outcome of the third set returned to the starting point.
But at this time, Fish's physical condition was obviously fluctuating, and the quality of his ball dropped drastically. The whole situation was reversed, and Gawain took full control of the game.
After Fish narrowly saved his next serve, Gawain took over the match.
Win six games in a row!
Gao Wen delivered an invisible egg, not only winning the third set with a score of "6:4", but also taking a "3:0" lead in the fourth set, seizing the initiative in the suspense of the game.
Fish's physical slump was somewhat long.
This is also the direct impact of age and injuries. The recovery is slower and the cycle is longer. It was not until the fourth game of the fourth set that he finally held his serve again. After losing six games in a row, he finally regained his footing.
The whole audience burst into applause.
This also means that Fish did not give up, he was not ready to surrender, and in such a difficult and dangerous situation, he did not calmly accept his fate. Instead, he ignited his fighting spirit and released his energy again, showing his all on the Arthur Ashe Stadium for the last time in his career.
"4:1".
“5:2”.
Although Gawain was already far ahead, Fish still gritted his teeth, held his serve in consecutive games, and then saw that magical score.
The gap seems obvious, but in fact, the two players are only one break point disadvantage away from each other. The game is not over, far from over.
In the eighth game of the fourth set, this was the only serving game that Fish had no way out of in the entire match. He had to hold his serve to continue the match.
"0:15".
When he lost the first point, Fish's mood fluctuated a little. Before he was ready to serve in the second zone, Fish turned his back to the court and took a deep breath.
The ending seems to be approaching little by little.
Originally, Fish thought he could face it calmly. He knew and was sure that he was prepared, and he remained focused and calm throughout the game.
However, when the end really approaches, the reluctance and attachment are so strong and fierce that they swallow oneself up like a raging storm.
In a very, very short time, Fish controlled himself, turned around and returned to the baseline, and raised his hand to apologize to Gao Wen.
The game continued, but it was obvious that Fish had problems with concentration and his overall hitting accuracy was affected.
"0:30".
Fortunately, Fish then recovered his serve and took control of the situation with an ace.
"15:30".
At this moment, the audience at Arthur Ashe Stadium could also feel Fish's surging emotions. Even though Fish tried his best to control himself and remain calm, without any special expression or movements, a special atmosphere permeated the scene and gradually stirred up. It was a particularly profound moment.
"Big-Fish".
At the scene, someone called out Fish's nickname.
"Big fish!"
"Big fish!"
One sound, and then another.
Over and over again.
In the blink of an eye, it had gathered into one, pouring out in a mighty and vigorous manner, and the entire Arthur Ashe Stadium was filled with waves of echoes.
Fish, a little bit unable to hold on.
He just stood at the baseline, ready to serve, but unable to raise his racket. He lowered his head, listening quietly and attentively.
Those echoes stir deep in the soul.
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Although she couldn't see Fish's expression, Jiang Yanyun's eyes couldn't help but turn slightly red. She stood up and joined the audience, shouting the same name loudly.
Because Jiang Yanyun understands the hardships and struggles of professional players. Behind each game is endless training. They need to be accompanied by loneliness. Only when they can truly calm down and enjoy loneliness can they hone their edge.
But the even more cruel thing is the impact of injuries and the body. You won't necessarily get as much as you put in. Even a genius can only bow his head in the face of injuries and swallow all the resentment and bitterness by himself.
In Fish, Jiang Yanyun also saw Gao Wen——
Those talents, those brilliances, that fighting spirit, that persistence.
Of course, there is also the tiredness and helplessness.
At this moment, Jiang Yanyun was willing to applaud Fish. It had nothing to do with the outcome of the game, but was just to cheer for the spirit of a professional player.
Not only Jiang Yanyun, but everyone in the Gao Wen players' box also stood up, stared at Fish on the court, and silently applauded.
"Big fish!"
"Big fish!"
Those shouts and cheers, full of passion and hope, hovered over the stadium.
Fish tried to hold back his tears again and again, but in the end he couldn't hold back his tears.
He raised his head, tried to serve, apologized to Gawain, and prepared to serve; but the overflowing tears blurred his vision.
Finally, he lowered his head in embarrassment and wiped his tears with his jersey, his eyes turning red in an instant.
Across the net, Gawain neither rushed nor urged, he just stared at Fish quietly, waiting patiently.
This moment belongs to Fish.
Just as Gao Wen said after the last game, he is willing to be a supporting role because Fish deserves it, and every professional player who pours his blood and sweat into the court and training ground deserves it.
Fish was not feeling well. To be more precise, he was feeling very, very well. The emotions that he had suppressed so much suddenly burst out. He stood there like a helpless child, unable to stop crying.
He hurried back to the sidelines of the court, buried his face in the towel, trying to hide his embarrassment, but it was not an easy task.
Since I turned to the professional arena in 2000, it has been fifteen years of hard work and persistence; but this is still not all, it should be traced back to the day when I first picked up a tennis racket in my teenage years.
He never knew that that beginning would lead to such an ending and come to an end today.
"Big fish!"
"Big fish!"
"Big fish!"