Temperature, 33 degrees.
Humidity, 45%.
Ground temperature, 45 degrees.
It was hot, stuffy, humid and heavy. Even if you gasped for breath, you still couldn't get much oxygen. Every cell in your body was burning, as if soaked in methane. A little spark could completely detonate it. It was a severe test for everyone.
Not to mention the players, even those sitting in the audience watching the game would still be sweating and steaming, the effect being comparable to that of a sauna.
However, the game is still going on. The strong confrontation has lasted for two hours and thirty minutes. The collision on the court has not slackened at all. Instead, it has burned the small universe to burst out more energy.
At this time, Gao Wen was preparing to serve.
District 2.
Match point, this is already the fifth match point.
On the scoreboard:
"6:4", "6:4", "4:6", "5:4".
Gawain was in front and Agut was behind.
In the last game, in Auger-Aliassime's serve, Gawain had two non-consecutive match points, but Auger-Aliassime gave a god-like performance both times, turning the tide and staying in the game, which also ignited the frenzy at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
There is no doubt that Gao Wen performed very well today. In the first game after the accidental ankle sprain, his performance in the baseline rounds was slowly improving, and he was ready for a tough battle against Auger-Aliassime.
From the first game, Gao Wen showed a different side from the first week of the Grand Slam, including his batting, tactics, layout, timing of shots, line selection, weapon combination, etc. The quality of the entire game was different.
Perhaps, Gao Wen's condition still has not reached the level he is satisfied with, but he seizes every game and keeps moving closer to his goal.
Objectively speaking, this was indeed Gao Wen's best performance in Flushing Meadows this year.
But Agut was not to be outdone.
His solid baseline skills are his biggest reliance. He was not timid or flinched in the face of Gao Wen. His daring and fighting style of play also contributed many wonderful shots, and he even amazed his opponents many times, forcing Gao Wen to applaud.
Whether leading or trailing, Agut's diligent batting and game mentality throughout the game did cause Gawain a lot of trouble.
Even at this point, the match was drawing to a close and could end at any time; even though the two players had been battling for 150 minutes in severe weather conditions, Agut's hitting remained at a high level.
Time and again, Agut presented Gawain with more rigorous challenges, leaving him no room to relax or breathe, and any slight gap could become an opportunity for Agut to turn the tide.
Even when the match point comes, we still can't relax.
Gawain was panting and panting, and there seemed to be a ball of fire in his chest. The more he panted, the drier his chest became. Not only lactic acid, but also stomach acid began to be secreted.
He exhaled heavily, adjusted his breathing, then looked up at Agut and prepared to serve. He needed to reorganize his thoughts.
From the last inning to this one, it was not that Gawain played badly, but that Agut was assisted by God. He just didn't drop the ball, any shot was able to be sent back to the court, and he frequently hit the line, almost entering a super god state.
But as the person involved, Gawain knew that it was mainly because his offensive line did not break Agut's prediction that gave Agut the opportunity to touch the ball.
The brain needs to be put into action.
Bend your knees.
Push off the ground.
Swing the racket.
He served the ball, aiming at the forehand position, but after it landed, it had a strong side spin and went into Auger-Aliassime's chest, squeezing the space for Auger-Aliassime's swing.
The weather had a very obvious impact. Firstly, the ball was heavy, and secondly, it consumed physical energy. The quality of Gawain and Auger-Aliassime's serves declined significantly, which was unavoidable. In addition, the opponents were players with excellent serve receiving feel, so the pressure on the serving side was indeed increasing. This also required Gawain to think more carefully when serving.
really!
Agut was squeezed on his forehand, but Agut responded very well.
The upper body leaned back to make way, and he raised his hand to hit it.
It's not a skateboard or an outward flick, but a deliberate use of topspin to slow down the tempo and pick a beat, and then tear the angle of the backslash apart from the mid-court position of his forehand.
The tennis ball rose up.
If it was a round of ball, Gao Wen might have directly entered the baseline to grab the rising point for such a ball; but now it was the serve receiving stage, and Gao Wen's footsteps had just recovered, and he had no time to step forward.
As a result, Gawain's footsteps were actually restrained by Auger-Aliassime's return.
He moved towards the backhand position and then noticed that Auger's return ball landed close to the sideline and deep, with strong topspin after landing.
Squeeze on top of squeeze on top of squeeze.
Agut's return was very purposeful. It was not a fight but it was aggressive. There was no doubt that Agut was still testing Gawain in his own way.
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Perhaps the downside is the sacrifice of power and speed.
Tap tap tap.
Gao Wen observed the entire court space while moving, and he had the answer in a flash. He adjusted his steps from big strides to small steps. He did not choose to actively rush forward to grab the rising point, but adjusted his position according to the rotation and trajectory of the incoming ball, and took a big step back.
Gao Wen even deliberately waited for a moment, waiting for the tennis ball to rebound to the top and then start to fall.
Delayed action.
Gawain's waiting forced Auger to make a judgment. He needed to move and get into position in advance for his next shot.
As usual, Agut returned to the center of the court first, paused for a moment, and carefully observed Gawain's shooting movements.
Step.
With his pupils shrinking and his feet pushing, Auger-Aliassime quickly moved towards his forehand position, accurately capturing Gawain's tactical intention of backhand straight line.
——He made the right judgment.
Gawain used both hands to backhand his long sword, unsheathed it and punched hard, and after a delay, he hit a straight line.
Heavy and fast.
At the crucial moment, Gao Wen once again demonstrated his famous skills.
Agut immediately realized that although his judgment was correct, the slight misalignment in the timing of the start still affected his chance of reaching the target. Moreover, Gawain's shot this time was solid, sharp and strong enough to suppress the opponent with absolute strength. He seized the opportunity of Agut's return and left him enough time to adjust, and then decided the outcome with his hard power.
Agut, a little hasty.
He tried to hit the ball back with his forehand, but he still refused to fall into the dilemma of passive defense, so he used the force of the ball and tried to hit the tennis ball back with his forehand.
However, if the hitting point, timing of the shot, swing position, etc. are all lacking a little bit, just a tiny difference, the quality of the final return ball will not be satisfactory.
Agut had just finished hitting the ball when he immediately noticed that Gawain's figure was quickly approaching the diagonal position. He was absolutely confident in his hitting line, and only then did Agut realize that the real purpose of this backhand straight line was a trap: Gawain had anticipated Agut's tough counterattack, and had also anticipated that if Agut chose to counterattack in such a position and under such circumstances, it would be a high probability event to choose a diagonal line.
The real killer move is still to come——
That is at this moment.