Chapter 254: Many Focuses
When the quarterfinals of the Binghamton Challenge came to an end and the final four were decided, the list was worth savoring.
In the upper half, “Alexander Zverev VS Wayne Odensnik”.
In the lower half, “Sergey Stakhovsky vs. Gao Wen”.
Among them, the top seed and the second seed successfully defended their glory and both reached the semi-finals, just one step away from meeting in the final.
The two favorites to win the championship have been the focus of attention since the first day of the tournament, and they continue to attract media attention. So will the long-awaited matchup happen? Or in other words, can the other two semi-finalists break the deadlock?
The situations of these two players are slightly different.
Odensnik is the eighth seed, which means he is also one of the top-ranked players. He is 29 years old and has been a professional for exactly ten years. He reached the third round of the French Open in 2008, creating his best Grand Slam record, and reached his career-high ranking of 77th in 2009.
Although his form has declined due to injuries in recent years and his world ranking has fallen out of the top 300, he is still very competitive in challenge tournaments. Even Zverev or Stakhovsky cannot take it lightly, as victory or defeat is often decided by a hair's breadth.
And Gao Wen? He has no world ranking, no professional playing experience, and his NCAA record is of no reference value in the tour. He is basically a player who popped out of thin air. However, he has now become the biggest dark horse in Binghamton and the core figure of the news media hype.
People who don't know the situation may find it puzzling. Why do the news media always discuss Gawain and Zverev together? Who is Gawain? Is he the illegitimate son of the Binghamton Challenge Tournament Director? But those who really know the situation know that it is just a beautiful misunderstanding. The reporters did not expect this to happen.
However, the reality is:
Indeed, people are looking forward to the two favorites to win the championship, Zverev and Stakhovsky, meeting each other and presenting a wonderful final match, which will bring the enthusiasm of the tournament to a climax and a perfect ending. This is undoubtedly the best ending, but on the other hand, people cannot refuse an absurd idea.
If Gao Wen advances to the final, what if he plays against Zverev?
An unknown player, a young player who was ignored, neglected and despised, an unknown player who was considered insignificant and unworthy of mention, but stood in front of the top seed to compete for the championship? Such a story is inevitably a bit of a fairy tale, and it is indeed exciting.
Moreover, before Zverev, the match between Gawain and Stakhovsky is also equally exciting.
Don't forget that at the beginning, in order to create a hot topic, the reporters forced a connection regardless of the consequences and asked Stakhovsky for his opinion. As a result, Stakhovsky gave a vague answer that was not effective enough and did not give a positive response.
However, a connection was formed between the two players: who could have known that a name casually mentioned at that time would actually come to Stakhovsky? "Sergey, do you still remember Gao's name? Did you expect this day to come?"
After the quarterfinals, Stakhovsky was asked related questions. It can be seen that the media reporters were extremely excited, as if they had picked up gold on the roadside. They were surprised and happy about Gawain's bloody path.
Stakhovsky's answer still seemed very experienced.
He said that he watched some of Gao Wen's games. Gao Wen's performance was excellent and he fully deserved a place in the semi-finals. He will also go all out next time and hope to present a wonderful match.
Compared to Zverev, Stakhovsky was flawless. He eliminated all media attacks without a trace and left reporters no chance to take advantage.
But will journalists give up so easily?
The answer is obvious.
In the hustle and bustle, all eyes are focused on the semi-finals in the lower half.
Of course, the upper half is also worth looking forward to. After all, Odensnik's strength should not be underestimated, and Zverev has stumbled in the three games so far. The victory or defeat still depends on the on-the-spot performance. The strength and state of both sides are closer, and the game content will be more exciting.
But who can refuse the lower half?
The story of "dark horse vs. seed" is always the key to writing myths in competitive sports. Whether it is a dark horse reversal or a seed winning, the ending is exciting; what's more, the result of this duel is a good show no matter how you look at it -
If Stakhovsky wins, the final will be a peak showdown between the seeds. The most exciting one will naturally be "No. 1 vs. No. 2", but "No. 2 vs. No. 8" is also good.
If Gawain wins, the final will be another "dark horse vs. seed" match. If it's Odensnik, this matchup might be a little less exciting, but if it's Zverev, it's like a collision between Mars and the Earth. All reporters never expected that a casual mention by themselves would become the biggest highlight of this challenge? This is too exciting! The focus, one after another, makes people want to scream.
Gurgling.
Gurgling.
The July sunshine enveloped every corner of Binghamton, and the smell of burning could be smelled in the air. Residents of the entire town came out in droves and gathered together, looking forward to a worthwhile conclusion to this year's challenge.
Semi-finals, blow the horn.
The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!
The first to appear were Stakhovsky and Gawain.
In any case, the other seeded match is more worth looking forward to, and Zverev is still the top seed, so he has to be given some face. Therefore, it is reasonable for the semi-finals in the lower half to start first.
What is certain is that Stakhovsky is the more favored party.
Although the media talked a lot of nonsense and the topic of discussion was constantly centered around Gao Wen, the expectations of the residents of the small town were also rising.
But, to be honest, Gao Wen has no world ranking and is basically a monkey that popped out of a crack in a stone. So far, he has faced all unseeded players in the three rounds. Even Kokkinakis has no weight. Now he is suddenly facing the second seed and I am afraid his true colors will be exposed.
Besides, isn't the ultimate showdown in any tournament always "No. 1 seed vs. No. 2 seed"? Unless it's a special case of the Big Four, if you want to see the most exciting game, the meeting of the top two seeds is always the most anticipated, and naturally, the expectations are tilted towards Stakhovsky.
Does this scene sound familiar?
Everything seems so familiar, but that's life. In a trance, I always feel as if I have experienced exactly the same moment before, and then it repeats over and over again.
(End of this chapter)