Step. Uh.
Ding. Ah.
In the second point of the game, the two players were entangled in a long and multi-round tug of war at the baseline on Auger-Aliassime's serve.
The two players moved widely along the baseline, and in a blink of an eye, the number of shots in the confrontation easily exceeded thirty.
Before the spectators at Louis Armstrong Stadium had even taken their seats, they were already frozen in place with their eyes wide open, not daring to blink, lest they might miss the turning point of the game in the blink of an eye.
As expected, there will be a lot of baseline tug-of-war in this game.
This scene reminds people of the match between Gao Wen and Simon in Shanghai last year. It was just as difficult, just as tense, and just as severe a test.
Indeed, there seem to be many similarities between the games of Agut and Simon, but the strange thing is that professionals do not classify the two players as players of the same type and style. After all, they are different.
If we summarize the difference between Agut and Simon, it mainly lies in the purpose of hitting the ball.
Simon is a typical defensive player. His shots are purely entanglement. He uses defense to tightly entangle his opponent and drag out the round, making it difficult for the opponent to get rid of it.
Agut is not like that. He is a covering type who plays all-round offense and defense. His return balls carry obvious resistance. Even transition balls often lead to confrontation and create a certain amount of pressure, making it difficult for opponents to hit the ball comfortably.
In other words, when playing against Simon, the players need to lead the attack and create gaps; when playing against Agut, it is a confrontation and collision from beginning to end.
The difference in batting intentions and tactical layouts makes the two players feel completely different, and naturally, the game is handled differently.
Of course, the confrontations presented to the audience look similar, but the players themselves must handle them differently.
For example, now.
A kick and a swing.
Gao Wen's two-handed backhand hit the ball head-on, but without creating an angle, he controlled the landing point of the return ball in the central area; at the same time, he did not pursue extreme depth, but just maintained a certain level. The real focus was on maintaining the quality of the ball, and keeping the power and speed at the same level.
Solid and steady.
Some people may ask why Gao Wen did not change the angle to attack. Was it because of his ankle injury or because his batting feel had not fully recovered?
No. None of them.
It has nothing to do with injuries, it has to do with tactics.
When facing Agut, you can't be impatient and expect to establish an advantage in a few shots, because Agut's strength on both offense and defense is very balanced, and he has no obvious weaknesses in prediction, movement, strength, etc.
Although Agut does not have any particularly outstanding strengths, he will not easily expose his weaknesses and even has the ability to launch a counterattack at any time.
Therefore, Gawain needs to maintain the intensity of the confrontation and maneuver more patiently until the opportunity arises before taking action. The timing of breaking the balance is very important.
In fact, Gao Wen is looking forward to this game very much.
If it is Goffin, the transition between offense and defense will be very fast, the pace of the whole game will be particularly fast, and the stalemate style of the baseline rounds will be different.
But what Gao Wen needs more urgently now is the state honed through rounds of maneuvers, including different aspects such as touch, tactics, defense and so on.
From a tactical point of view, Agut is indeed a more suitable opponent; of course, Agut should not be underestimated either, and any bit of luck may become an opportunity for Agut to turn the situation around.
People saw that Goffin retired due to heatstroke and cramps, allowing Auger-Aliassime to advance; but Gawain saw that Auger-Aliassime kept up the pressure throughout the game, which brought a huge impact to Goffin. After intense consumption, he encountered a crisis in the third set and finally fell into the dilemma of heatstroke.
Agut didn't really win easily.
Gao Wen is looking forward to this match because Agut is indeed a dangerous opponent.
Thirty-four beats.
In a blink of an eye, after a few rounds, I was already approaching forty.
From the audience's point of view, there were many invalid shots, that is, transition balls; but Gao Wen understood that the confrontation and stalemate were going on, and both people were playing a game.
In the next shot, Agut seized the opportunity and suddenly chose to turn sideways. In fact, it was not a very good attacking opportunity, but Agut's ability to combine offense and defense was there, and he would turn defense into offense even if there was a gap.
Backslash.
Agut aimed at Gawain's backhand sideline and hammered it. The active "inside-out" crossed the court, landed near the sideline and continued to rotate outwards. Although the power was average, the angle was completely torn apart in an instant.
Gao Wen was about to return to defense, but he turned back, stopped suddenly, turned back to the doubles area, and suddenly changed his batting method -
Previously, his two-handed backhands were all flat shots, swiping shots, etc., mainly based on power, but this time, Gao Wen chose a backhand slice without any warning.
In fact, similar shots can be seen in the past three games. This is Gawain's new weapon after being polished on clay and grass. It is not only used to change the rhythm of the round, but the control of power, speed and landing point can also reorganize the use of space in the round.
That's what happened with this shot.
If he chooses to drive, due to the limitation of swing space and hitting point, Agut's ball will not only spin outward but also bounce very high after landing. Gawain must complete the shot near the top of his head, and the choice of return line is relatively limited. This is also Agut's purpose -
He didn't expect to score a winning point with just one shot, but rather to prepare for the next shot.
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Now, Gawain chooses to cut, which not only gives him more space and options to return the ball, but also disrupts Auger-Aliassime's layout of the court space and lines.
Cutting.
Slash.
The detail is that Gao Wen cut a shallow ball.
It’s not a small shot, but it lands shallow, taking full advantage of Agut’s angle-tearing shot, then ripping the angle further.
Agut's steps stopped and turned suddenly, then returned to his backhand position.
After hitting the ball with his sideways forehand in the previous shot, Auger-Aliassime's first reaction was to protect his forehand space, especially when Gawain chose to cut. In the previous game, when his feet were pulled out of the singles line, Gawain cut a straight line with his backhand to completely reverse the situation, but unexpectedly, Gawain chose to hit the ball back.
Agut's center of gravity was already in turmoil.
Meanwhile, Gauvin ripped the angle further apart, forcing Agut to hit the ball outside the doubles line.
However.
Agut was not ready to compromise. With his steps in a panic and his center of gravity unstable, he already attacked with a two-handed backhand.
It's not a hard hit, but it's a powerful shot.
Agut appeared to be more careful, adding some rotation and control, and the racket head speed increased to a higher level at the moment of hitting the backhand with both hands.
In the straight line gap, aim at the blind spot of Gao Wen's forehand bottom line triangle and launch an attack.
This is Agut.
From offense to defense, from defense to offense, there is a seamless connection, maintaining confrontation and opposition at all times, and even being able to launch an attack in a passive situation.
So, don't be surprised why Agut was able to beat Djokovic in his prime on hard courts, more than once.
Bang! The tennis ball, not fast or heavy, hits in a straight line like an angry bird.
Counterattack is coming.