Chapter 342: Stuck in a Bitter Battle
The sun was setting, the sky was full of rosy clouds, and the boiling heat slowly settled down. It seemed that the midday dullness was gone, and the gentle breeze was also tinged with a hint of coolness. The number of pedestrians coming and going increased significantly, flowing like a gurgling river between the large and small tennis courts.
Snap. Snap. Snap.
However, at this moment, Court No. 17 was exceptionally quiet. The tension had reached its peak. Even the thunderous cheers from Court No. 7 directly opposite could not break the solemnity and tension of Court No. 17. The eyes of all 2,500 spectators were on the court.
The suffocating atmosphere made passers-by stop and stand outside the court barrier for a short while, wanting to watch the game. A vague glance at the scoreboard showed that the game had lasted for a full three hours and twenty-seven minutes, which was obviously not common on a hard court.
It can be seen from the game time that this was a fierce battle, and the score further proves this.
"5:7", "6:7", "6:4", "6:3", "2:2".
The two sides fought for five sets. The overall score of the first four sets was "2:2", and the small score of the fifth and deciding set was also "2:2". The two sides were still in a stalemate.
Could it be possible that we could witness the final set tiebreak today?
As of 2014, only the US Open has made changes among the four Grand Slam tournaments. After the score of the final set reaches "6:6", it will directly enter the tie-break. However, the other three Grand Slams still retain the long set deciding system, which means that one side must win two consecutive games to win.
Obviously, the US Open, which keeps pace with the times, is still at the forefront.
On the left side of the court, Borelli was dribbling the ball. The crisp sound was not so clear amid the noise all around, but it still caught the attention of the audience. Then he raised his head and glanced at the opposite side.
Gawain bent his knees, took light steps, and swayed his body from side to side, watching Borelli's every move with burning eyes.
As if he could feel the warmth in his eyes, Borelli lowered his head again and tapped the ball a few more times to steady his breathing and heartbeat.
How should I play this break point? Bang. Bang. Bang.
The ball was played a little longer, and the hearts of the audience were so tense that they almost forgot to breathe. Fortunately, Borelli still managed to find the rhythm.
Throw the ball! Bend your knees! Push off the ground! Turn! Hit the ball!
Bang! The mustard yellow tennis ball drew a full arc and flew towards Gawain's center.
One serve in the first zone, press forehand in the middle.
Borelli's serve speed was not fast, but the landing point and rotation were very particular. He did not squeeze Gawain's swing, but rather pulled some space in an awkward manner, putting Gawain in an awkward position:
If you take a big step back and turn sideways to hit the forehand, your footsteps may not be able to catch up in time; if you take a big step forward and hit the forehand completely, you may run too far and your body may collide directly with the tennis ball.
However, if you start to hit the racket directly while standing still, your arms may be squeezed because they are too long and you may not be able to swing the racket completely.
It is an ambiguous location that seems to pose no threat but is full of traps.
So, how did Gawain deal with it? He could hit the ball, but the problem was how to deal with it.
However, Gao Wen did not have time to adjust his steps. Being tall and big still had some disadvantages in handling delicate movements in a small area. However, his upper body made a backward and bent waist movement. His flexible waist strength made the audience exclaim involuntarily: "Good waist!"
Forcefully leaning back to make room, the forehand lead action has already been pulled out early. Obviously, in this game, this is not the first time that Borelli has used such a tactic, because Borelli has seen through Gawain's loopholes -
In fact, although Gao Wen is tall, his footwork is very delicate and quick, almost perfect. However, there is only one flaw, which is the quick adjustment within a small range, especially when receiving the serve. If it is a big step across, then there is no problem, but the small step adjustment is still a bit clumsy.
Borelli has taken advantage of Gawain's weakness to create advantages many times today, but Gawain is helpless because this is the only opportunity to adjust his footwork. Even if he wants to improve it, he must go through years of training, which is probably impossible in a short period of time.
This time, Gao Wen made a new attempt.
He might as well give up adjusting his footwork and use upper limb strength to complete the shot. Anyway, Borelli's serve power and speed are not fast, and are even softer than Gawain's.
Lean back and bend your waist.
Swing your arms and turn your body.
Gao Wen is just like Neo dodging bullets in "The Matrix". He bends down to make room, and although the space for swinging the racket is limited, he still exerts full force through the quick swing of his forearms, and then makes full use of the turning movement to push and pull.
Snap! The next second, the racket made a "slapping mosquito" motion, and then the body stood up again, using the rebound force to add up all the forces, and the forearm quickly increased the speed of the racket head like a whip, forcing a swing without actively exerting force.
Bang! Pop! The sounds of the balls being hit by Borelli and Gawain were obviously different, and then you could see the tennis ball flying straight over. The force was not great, but the angle created by the racket head speed at the last moment successfully tore it apart.
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Whoosh! A small diagonal line! The tennis ball successfully landed in the small triangle area between the bottom line and the sideline of the service line and flew out lightly.
Tap, tap, tap! Tap, tap, tap! Borelli rushed out in two steps and rushed over. However, he immediately found that although Gawain was not strong enough, he had an outward spin and the tennis ball continued to jump out after landing.
Damn it!
Borelli took another big step forward, his whole body stretched out completely, his body weight lowered to a stable state by bending his knees, and he drew the racket! Swinging the racket! His body completely withstood the tail force of the rotation, and then he gently hooked and pushed with the strength of his wrist.
Because Gawain's return was not powerful enough, Borelli made full use of his understanding of rotation and increased the speed of the racket head, pushing the tennis ball back with one shot.
straight line!
Whoosh! Burley was the first to change the line in the round! Because of the forced force, you can see that he squatted down to eliminate the explosive force. After the arm swung the racket, it rotated a large circle above his head to increase friction. Then he watched the tennis ball fly out like a hummingbird, drawing a straight flight trajectory along the sideline of this side.
In an instant, Gawain fell into a passive position again, and it was a continuous passive position. Obviously, this shot back was planned by Borelli long ago! At the critical moment, Borelli not only dared to take risks, but also dared to execute, and even executed it very beautifully.
"Calculation vs. calculation", in this tennis game, Borelli was well prepared early, not only resolute, but also bold, coupled with excellent execution ability, today facing Gao Wen, he showed a rare competitive level, which is also the reason why this game entered the deciding set——
Burley, indeed, did a great job! Undoubtedly, he did a great job!
(End of this chapter)