Chapter 1831: Escape from Death

“AD:40”.

"40:40".

"40:AD".

"40:40".

The score is still tense.

Indeed, Gawain had regained his composure and his fighting spirit was fully aroused, but he still needed some time to fully adjust to his best condition.

At the same time, Belucic also understood the change in the atmosphere of the game. He needed to hold on to the score tightly. He once again demonstrated his stability and tenacity.

Gao Wen missed two game points, and Berusic also missed a break point again. This game went back and forth for the fifth time and returned to a tie score, which took more than eight minutes, but Gao Wen still failed to hold his serve.

Then.

——Serve straight.

Gao Wen relied on a very sudden strong topspin chase serve to break the inertia of continuous flat shots and successfully squeezed Belučić, forcing him to be unable to move out of position and return the ball directly out of bounds, easily winning a point.

"AD:40".

The third game point.

The air was still scorching, and the rolling heat waves from the Arthur Ashe Stadium released endless energy, almost suffocating the audience on the scene.

District 2.

Inner angle.

Reduce force.

For the second consecutive serve, Gao Wen broke the routine. Although this time it was not a strong topspin, the sudden reduction in power and deceleration of the serve broke the rhythm balance.

Belucic on the other side of the court was obviously alert and reacted very quickly, but his judgment was still inaccurate. His two-handed backhand shot was a bit hesitant, but he still managed to pull the ball back safely at the last moment.

Topspin.

Belučić was also experienced enough. Although he was conservative, he knew that Gawain was not a player who was good at actively exerting force all the way, at least not the type like Wawrinka and Del Potro. And today's competition environment in New York was wet and stuffy, and his body seemed heavy, making it even more difficult to exert force. The same force-exerting action might not be able to exert 70% of the strength.

In such an environment, the impact on powerful offensive players is very direct; but it is a good thing for players who have solid basic skills at the baseline and are good at maneuvering and entanglement, including clay court players.

In the fourth round of the 2018 US Open, Australian player Millman unexpectedly defeated Federer in such a typical match.

Belushi wasn't sure if he could beat Gawain, but he knew how to bite the bullet.

This return serve seems simple, but it is actually dangerous. It goes back along the middle to the deep baseline and uses topspin to create squeezing.

When Gao Wen saw the incoming ball, he immediately grasped Belučić's tactical intention. After all, he often used such a strategy in actual games, pushing the difficulty of active attack to the opponent.

But Gawain's treatment is slightly different.

He did not stubbornly stand near the baseline to avoid losing the initiative in attack. Instead, he stepped sideways half a step, fully opened his forehand stroke, and even slightly delayed the hitting point, waiting for the tennis ball to start falling before striking.

A light hit, a skateboard, a backslash, aiming for the sideline behind Belushi.

If you hit lightly, that's because if you use too much force, you may hit the ball directly out of bounds. If you stand in the midpoint position, it's not easy to completely tear apart the angles on the left and right sides, because it's relatively easier for the opponent to defend on the left and right. If you take the risk of completely tearing apart the angle, the result may be out of bounds.

The backslash is because the serve is at an inner angle, which turns Belushi to the right; so the next shot is aimed at the left sideline to break the balance of the center of gravity.

The entire tactical combination was very clear in Gao Wen's mind.

Then, Gao Wen went online.

Sudden enough and unexpected enough.

Normally, if you choose to go to the net, you need to press your body's center of gravity forward, and rush forward after hitting the ball; but Gao Wen just took a half step back, and the start and adjustment of the center of gravity requires facing the reaction force.

but.

Gawain's steps to the net were very resolute, without any pause or hesitation, and his steps flowed smoothly. Before the exclamations from the Arthur Ashe Stadium could even come out, Gawain had already reached the net in two or three strides.

Belushi was frightened.

He hadn't expected it, not at all.

He stopped and turned suddenly, stepped hastily into position, and was about to hit the ball with his forehand, when he was caught up in a chaotic accident.

First, he discovered that Gao Wen's skateboard shot had an outward-spin trap. After the tennis ball landed, it continued to move outward. His body had to continue to extend outward, otherwise the hitting point would be inaccurate.

Then he found Gao Wen's figure in front of the net, blocking the straight line gap, which also meant that he didn't have many hitting options and had to go diagonally.

There was no time to think in such a hurry, and Belucic hit a diagonal forehand shot.

As soon as he made a move, Belucic cried out that something was wrong.

Gawain paused, then flashed and without any pause he cut into the left side to block the diagonal line.

Obviously, it's all a trap.

Belucic immediately started to move again, preparing to continue defending, but just as he adjusted his center of gravity, he realized that it was too late.

Gao Wen was in front of the net, with his center of gravity lowered, his knees bent, and he used both hands to backhand and block everything. The tennis ball flew lightly over the net and fell quickly.

Small ball. Score.

The serve was successfully held.

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"2:1".

Gao Wen survived and finally avoided the desperate situation of losing three games in a row at the beginning of the third set.

"pretty!"

Zhan Jun couldn't help but applaud.

"In the last two points, Gawain showed his wisdom and calmness. He was at his best. He was able to hold his opponent in the net without any mistakes. He didn't need to take any risks when he made the seemingly difficult shots. He was in full control of the situation before his opponent realized it."

“In this innings, despite the difficulties and the fact that there were still some fluctuations, there is no doubt that Gao Wen is getting back on track.”

“He didn’t give up.”

It was just a simple sentence, but after he said it, Zhan Jun realized the weight of it. He paused for a moment before continuing.

"The game isn't over yet."

Life is often like this -

Accidents are hidden in unexpected places, and then they subvert everything.

Everyone thought that Gao Wen would not face any challenges against Belučić, but his ankle sprain became an unknown variable in the game.

Now, Gawain is facing a difficult situation and is looking for a way to get back on track.

Of course, this is not easy.

Because Belucic is also trying to make the biggest breakthrough in his career. There is no doubt that this is his chance and he does not want to miss it.

Bellusic's greatest strength is stability.

Although he has fluctuations, compared with young players like Zverev, his overall condition remains relatively stable, even when he reaches the limit of his physical strength or faces severe tests.

then--

“3:2”.

"4:3".

After Gawain showed his head held high, Belucić still stood firm and continued to hold his serve steadily. Although he did not break Gawain's second serve, Belucić still had a break advantage in the third set and always maintained a slight lead in the score.

Of course, Gao Wen also slowly got into the game, holding his serve in consecutive games and preventing the score gap from widening.

However.

Step by step, Belučić continued to move towards victory in the third set.

In the eighth game, Belucic's serve, his performance was still stable.

"40:15".

(End of this chapter)