Before the game, how the Czech Republic, which was drawn as the home team, would choose the venue undoubtedly caused a lot of heated discussion.
Clay? Hard court? In the Czech Republic, there are countless clay courts, and many famous players have been born there in history; but for now, most Czech players are good at hard courts.
The problem is that Gao Wen is also a hard court expert, having won both hard court Grand Slams of the year. If the Czech Republic chooses clay court because they are afraid of Gao Wen, this is a completely reasonable tactical choice. Many professionals and media reporters believe that the Czech Republic should choose clay court to play to its strengths and make up for its weaknesses.
But to be honest, even on clay, Gawain is still a tough problem. After all, his victory over the clay king Nadal at Roland Garros was definitely not a fluke.
After much deliberation, the Czech Republic finally chose to stick to itself and chose the hard court based on the technical and tactical styles of Vesely and Rosol.
Everything is based on yourself.
China has its own concerns, and the Czech Republic has its own concerns. In the end, both sides must go all out, and the truth will be revealed on the court.
To know whether it is a mule or a horse, you still need to take it for a walk, and the same applies to choosing hard ground.
Amidst much attention and heated discussion, the Davis Cup has finally officially begun.
On Saturday, there will be two singles and one doubles events.
First game, singles——
Czech second singles player Rosol will face China's first singles player Gao Wen.
This was Gao Wen's first tournament after defending the US Open title. The hustle and bustle of New York was just five days ago, but it seemed like a lifetime ago. He stepped onto the court again and started his journey again. Victory and defeat were now a thing of the past, and everything had to start anew, embarking on new challenges and a new journey.
"6:1", "6:1", "6:1".
Win three sets in a row and sweep the whole game.
Without a doubt, victory... belongs to Gawain.
Although there were no surprises in the outcome of the match, Gao Wen was the more favored side, but no one expected the process and no one expected the score.
Crush!
Throughout the game, Rossol was barely able to organize an effective confrontation. Standing in front of Gawain, he was like a newborn baby, unable to fight back.
In the end, the game only took ninety-three minutes, and Gao Wen won the victory neatly, giving China a good start.
The excitement was boiling! Perhaps this year is indeed the best opportunity for China to make a breakthrough in the Davis Cup? But soon, the cruel reality dragged the excitement of the fanatical tennis fans back to the ground. There is a reason why the Czech Republic is the third seed in the Davis Cup. Even if they lost to Australia in the first round of the World Group, the score was "2:3" without Berdych, and their strength is unquestionable.
The second game, singles.
Czech first singles player Vesely played against China's second singles player Zhang Ze.
"6:4", "7:5", "3:6", "6:4".
Vesely, who has been in poor form recently, did have a mediocre touch and unexpectedly lost a set; but Zhang Ze was also plagued by injuries, and his condition fluctuated significantly during the game. He tried his best but still failed to hold on at the critical moment. In the end, Vesely won in four sets and tied the score for the Czech Republic.
The whole game took three hours and twenty-seven minutes, and both players burned themselves out without reservation.
The third game, doubles.
This is the first collision between the Czech and Chinese teams, a combination of the old and the new. It is full of surprises and variables, and also the one with the most suspense.
Both sides knew that this was a decisive battle, and it might even be the key to victory or defeat. Once they won this battle, the balance of victory would tilt towards them.
Moreover, it is easier to create an upset in a doubles match and accidents are more likely to occur; plus, both teams are new partners, and during the running-in and collision, everything is possible, and whoever can create sparks first will likely win.
The situation is very tense.
“7:6 (3)”, the Czech combination won the first set. The score showed how tense the situation was, but in the end the Czech combination was still superior.
"6:2", the Chinese combination won back a set. At this time, they could feel the aftermath of the fierce battle in the first set. Stepanek's declining physical fitness became his weak point.
"6:3", the Czech combination once again took the lead. In the close combat, Stepanek showed his maturity and experience and firmly controlled the situation.
"7:5", the Huaxia combination equalized the score again. The most amazing thing was that they saved a match point, reversed the disadvantage in an incredible way, and ignited a glimmer of hope.
As expected, the competition in this doubles match was unprecedentedly fierce, with the confrontation between the two sides being fierce and intense. In the end, the winner of the point had to be decided in the deciding set.
……“6:2”.
In the deciding set, victory belonged to the Czech Republic.
Just like Ristepanek had physical problems in the third set, Li Zhe, who almost had cramps in the fourth set, became the breakthrough point in the deciding set. Zhang Zhizhen's experience and ability were unable to make up for the gap. In the last set, he was unable to keep the score close, and the suspense was killed early.
Sorry, very very sorry.
But strictly speaking, it's not surprising.
In the team competition, it all comes down to overall strength. In table tennis team competitions, the third singles is often the one that shows a team's strength. This is the same principle. The Czech Republic's overall strength is still above that of China. After some twists and turns, they still won the doubles victory.
The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!
——“2:1”.
When the first day of competition was over, the Czech Republic was leading by a large margin and was only one step away from successfully staying in the World Group play-offs.
On Sunday, two singles events will be held.
Since this is a knockout tournament, once one side has secured victory, there is no need for the fifth singles match. Reality is so cruel.
Obviously, the Czech Republic had anticipated such a situation. Their ingenuity can be seen from the schedule. They must have read "The Art of War" briefly.
The fourth game, "Rosol VS Zhang Ze".
The fifth game, "Vesely VS Gawain".
In other words, if Rosol defeats Zhang Ze, the Czech Republic will be able to secure the final victory with a score of "3:1", and there will be no need to continue the last singles match.
Moreover, the Czech Republic arranged the match between Rosol and Zhang Ze in the first game to avoid the same situation as yesterday, where Gao Wen took the lead and inspired the team with his unparalleled performance, which in turn stimulated Zhang Ze's full potential, allowing him to perform at 120% in subsequent games, create surprises and subvert the situation.
It’s high, really high!
The Czech Republic's goal is very simple. They need to keep Gawain on the bench and end the game before Gawain steps onto the court. It is that simple.
When Zhang Ze stepped onto the court, he realized that he not only needed to fight for himself, but also for Gawain and the team. Only by defeating his opponent could he win a chance for Gawain to play. Otherwise, everything would end here and there would be no other possibility.
The pressure is huge.
“Focus!”
This was the only sentence Gawain said to him before he appeared on the stage. Zhang Ze still remembers that Gawain's eyes were so bright, revealing a hint of determination.
There was no inspirational quote, no passionate slogans, nothing at all. Gao Wen just told him: Focus.
The belief in those words weighed heavily on his chest. Then Zhang Ze straightened his back little by little, opened his shoulders, and his clenched fists loosened.
Tell yourself secretly: focus.