Chapter 321: Powerful Counterattack
"Good job."
Sampras secretly clenched his fists and did not celebrate loudly. On the one hand, he respected Isner, after all, they were compatriots; on the other hand, he stayed calm. A set victory was just a set victory and did not mean victory in the entire match. The winner of 14 Grand Slam trophies still kept a calm mind.
Judging from the first set, Gao Wen still lacked experience in major competitions and also lacked experience facing top players. It obviously took him some time to find his rhythm. Of course, the same was true for Isner. Because he was unfamiliar with the game, he was not fully prepared for the sudden impact in the tie-break.
Looking at the entire first set, the key was Gawain's calm and smart play in the tie-break, which broke the balance, but the next game should be more difficult. Isner will not be easily shaken. Don't forget that this is the player who can force the clay king Nadal into a five-set battle at the French Open.
But when Sampras saw Gawain's move, he nodded slightly.
Although he lacks experience, Gawain's advantage is his clear mind. He remembers all the experience Sampras taught him.
Replenishing energy is a process that requires experience and judgment, because bananas or energy bars cannot take effect immediately after eating, and they need time to be digested and absorbed.
Of course, athletes are in a state of intense exercise and cannot eat too much at one time, otherwise they may vomit directly, so this needs to be supplemented in advance and at a certain rhythm.
Especially New York.
Because the summer in New York is stuffy and humid, although the temperature is not as high as that of the Australian Open, the US Open is indeed famous for its hot and humid weather. The body will sweat a lot, so you must pay attention to hydration at all times, which requires players to pay more attention to their physical condition.
Top players like the Big Four will look at the timing and complete their replenishment in advance based on the intensity of the game and their own physical condition.
But most players are often overly immersed in the game and forget about it if they don't pay attention. The coaches next to them don't know the players' physical condition and cannot remind them, so sometimes they are in an embarrassing situation where they consume a lot of energy and then replenish their energy too late.
Such details are also part of the game.
Gawain had no experience with the best-of-five Grand Slam matches, as all previous ones had been best-of-three sets. So Sampras' experience came in handy. He told Gawain in advance when he should replenish his energy and when he should calm down and feel his physical condition.
Now, Gao Wen is doing just that.
This also means that Gao Wen did not get carried away by the victory in the first set. His mind is still clear and he is ready for the subsequent strong confrontation.
This is a good thing.
Sampras looked at Gawain on the court and became more and more satisfied.
During the break, both Gawain and Isner changed into new jerseys. The intense match in the first set had left both of them soaked through, as if they had been fished out of the water. The wet jerseys had affected their muscles' movements.
Moreover, Isner has a habit of "hanging" his hats. Then you can see a small row of hats hanging on the seats in the player's lounge, like a white-crowned crane squatting on a telephone pole. Because he must wear a hat, and it cannot be a wet hat, so he will carry a bunch of hats to replace, and then dry the hats at any time during the game and continue to replace them.
One hundred and twenty seconds later, the second set began.
Because Gao Wen served first in the tie-break of the first set, Isner served first in the second set.
After a short break, both players regained their focus and temporarily put the outcome of the first set behind them. When the second set began, everything was new.
Isner was not affected at all by the loss in the first set tie-break. He regained his serve touch at the start and served four consecutive aces cleanly. Forty-eight seconds later, he won the first service game of the second set with a "love-game".
Throughout the entire process, Gao Wen was unable to touch the ball at all.
Isner declared his determination in such a way that the loss in the first set would not be a blow. Not only that, but it would also inspire his fighting spirit and he was ready to fight.
Next, Isner's performance also proved this point.
In Gawain's serve, Isner ran more actively and returned the ball more carefully. Even in some hopeless defenses, he would still run to the end, showing his determination as much as possible. In this way, he continuously put pressure on Gawain, forcing Gawain to further improve the quality of his offense.
Suppression and counterattack, confrontation and resistance, the transformation of advantages and disadvantages in tennis matches is always flowing.
Then, the turning point of this set occurred in the sixth game.
The quality of Gawain's serve fluctuated slightly. The high temperature in New York was strong, and Gawain's sweating increased significantly. Although his physical strength did not decline, the feel of his return ball was more or less affected. Then Isner held on to the score and created opportunities.
After four deuces and two missed break points, Isner finally withstood two consecutive forehand attacks from Gawain on the third break point. Then, in an extremely passive situation, he crossed the entire court and rushed to his backhand. However, when his body center of gravity was about to lose balance, he made an unexpected choice -
Use both hands to backhand, and before the tennis ball falls rapidly and is about to hit the ground, cleverly use the movements of your forearm and wrist to quickly pick and push the ball, and most importantly, unexpectedly choose to hit it in a straight line.
As Isner swung his racket, he almost sat down on the ground with his legs split, but his unbalanced body put all his weight on the hitting action as he rushed forward, and then the tennis ball penetrated the court like a crescent-shaped scimitar, leaving a hole.
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Accident!
Very unexpected!
It was unexpected that Isner's backhand was able to launch a counterattack in such an extremely passive situation. It was even more unexpected that Isner gave up the diagonal attack and attacked the straight line.
Gao Wen failed to predict the route accurately, and just as he started running he realized that he could not catch up.
A magical shot! Even Zhan Jun and Hu Litao applauded Isner for his flash of inspiration. The most beautiful return came at the most important moment.
Then, the first break of the match finally occurred when Isner broke Gao Wen's serve.
Although the fluctuations in Gawain's performance were partly to blame, Isner's magical shot really caught Gawain off guard, and in the end he could only watch the ball and sigh. At the critical moment, Isner's experience and ability still burst out with tremendous energy, demonstrating his ability to be among the top 20 in the world.
Boom! The audience applauded loudly, Isner clenched his fists and roared loudly, finally venting the emotions he had suppressed for a whole set and a half.
Sure enough, facing the top seeded players, who are also local favorites, at Arthur Ashe Stadium is never that easy.
(End of this chapter)