Chapter 492: On the edge of the cliff
Snap.
The tennis ball brushed past the net and then landed on the net like a dragonfly, pausing for a moment as if the whole world had frozen. Then the next second it rolled forward and landed on Gawain's side of the court, with almost no bounce. It went straight up and down and rolled towards Gawain.
Lucky wipe net.
"ah!"
Cilic clenched his fists and let out an incredible roar, his eyes fixed on Gawain across the court like a roaring lion.
“Ahhhh!”
The endless roar swept towards Gawain again and again, declaring his determination and belief in a tough manner.
This final is far from over.
The trend of the third set was a little unexpected. Physical factors disrupted the game and broke the balance, which also caused the performance of both players to fluctuate to varying degrees.
The first to break the serve was still Gao Wen.
Although this set started with Cilic's serve, it was Gawain who took advantage of Cilic's consecutive missed first serves to break the deadlock in the third game and took a 2:1 lead, pushing Cilic to the edge of the cliff. As long as Gawain could continue to hold his serve, the championship trophy would be within his grasp.
But in desperation, Cilic let go of his burdens and launched a desperate counterattack. His performance with full concentration and a desperate throw of the dice once again showed his tough state in the semi-finals. For every point, whether it was his own winning point or Gawain's mistake, Cilic continued to cheer himself on, and as he shouted, his momentum and energy seemed to be finally released.
Cilic then broke back successfully, breaking Gao Wen's serve for the first time in the game, and the score of the third set returned to a tie.
Immediately afterwards, Gao Wen broke again, but Cilic broke back again, and all four games in a row were broken, and the score remained tied.
This situation is very common in women's competitions, but not so common in men's competitions. The main reason is that extreme physical strength becomes a disturbing factor. In addition, it is a special stage of the Grand Slam final. The two newcomers were in a desperate situation in the third set and continued to dig for energy, so they exchanged serve twice.
The chaos in the middle of the third set was full of ups and downs. Both players were fighting hard, but after they reached their physical limit, they gradually calmed down. Then both sides entered a state of holding each other's serve. Although each of their serve games faced some challenges, they ultimately did not enter the rhythm of a break battle.
Then--
"5:4".
After holding his serve for the second time in a row, Cilic took advantage of serving first in the third set to take the lead, and then it was Gao Wen's serve.
This game is commonly known as the "must-win serve game", because once Gao Wen is broken, the third set will be lost directly, and the game has entered the most intense and exciting moment.
However, the worst and most extreme situation occurred. Cilic seemed to be assisted by God and won three points in a row. At "0:40", Cilic got three break points and three set points, and they were consecutive.
In fact, Gawain was also a little unlucky—
On the first point, Cilic's forehand straight attack broke Gao Wen's prediction and pressed the ball one-third of the way outside the sideline to score the winning point.
One point, Gao Wen's forehand attack was slightly beyond the baseline. According to the Hawkeye challenge, it was only two millimeters out of bounds.
One point later, Cilic's lucky ball hit the net and landed in Gao Wen's court, going straight up and down, giving Gao Wen no chance to start again.
It was a bit unlucky. If any of the points had been favored by the goddess of luck, the games would have been different, but this is tennis. Just like table tennis, the tolerance for error in each serve game is actually not high.
At the end of the second set, Gao Wen took advantage of a lucky net touch and won the whole set; now in the third set, the goddess of luck was on Cilic's side, and then Cilic got three consecutive set points.
From this perspective, it's fair.
However, Gawain was not ready to surrender.
Looking up at the other side of the court, Cilic was still roaring in celebration, and through his tense muscles he could feel the high morale emanating from his whole body.
In fact, according to basic tennis etiquette, if there is an unexpected situation where the net is touched or the ball accidentally hits the opponent, you need to raise your hand to apologize and show a good style of fair competition - the same is true for table tennis. After all, the situations of touching the net or the edge are too special.
But at this time, Cilic was already a little blood-thirsty. He stood on the edge of the cliff and fought back regardless of the consequences. He even celebrated Gawain's mistakes, not to mention the net touch. The will to win had already occupied his mind.
There was a low round of boos from the Arthur Ashe Stadium, which was obviously dissatisfied with Cilic's celebration of the net touch, but Cilic really didn't have the mind to pay attention to it at this time, because his game was already in jeopardy. He had to seize every opportunity and fight to the end. As long as he could score, everything was worth celebrating.
Literally, blood-thirsty.
Gao Wen let out a long breath and tried to calm himself down.
In such a situation, at such a moment, a net hit occurred, and then three consecutive break points and set points were given away, while the physical strength and energy were still being consumed. This was indeed a blow, and it was inevitable to feel a little frustrated.
Gao Wen did not immediately prepare for the next point, but turned and walked towards the caddie at the baseline.
The caddy thought Gawain wanted a ball or a towel to wipe his sweat, and offered to provide service. But Gawain put his arm around the caddy's shoulder and walked to the baseline. Then the two of them leaned against the baseline baffle. Gawain even lifted one foot to support the baffle, as if they were shooting a fashion poster. The two of them just like that -
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Have a heart-to-heart talk.
"I'm very sad. Why did the net get wiped?"
"Oh, I was so ready, but it just wiped the net."
"Do you think Lady Luck has something against me?"
The caddy was completely stunned. He looked at Gawain, whose face was full of frustration and sadness, and nodded confusedly. But the audience at the Arthur Ashe Stadium saw Gawain's performance, and the little prank with a bit of self-deprecation and mischief, and the pitiful expression was even more funny, which made the entire audience burst into laughter in an instant.
Hahaha! Even the commentators were dumbfounded. They couldn't believe that at this moment, Gao Wen actually had the mind and leisure to joke. They all burst into laughter. This should be another classic moment of this year's US Open! Cilic was also dumbfounded.
One second ago, Cilic's momentum was still rising; the next second, the whole audience's laughter made Cilic feel like a fool.
The entire Arthur Ashe Stadium was filled with cheerful laughter, and the tense atmosphere disappeared in an instant.
Then you can see Gao Wen gently patting the caddy on the shoulder and saying with a smile on his face.
"Thank you for being willing to talk to me. We still have a battle to fight."
After saying that, Gao Wen walked back to the baseline, hitting the tennis ball all the way, raised his head and looked at Cilic, waiting for Cilic to be ready, and then prepared to serve.
Throw the ball! Push off the ground! Turn! Swing the racket! Hit the ball!
Inside corner ACE!
Wow! Instantly! The whole audience burst into applause, and a mighty whistle and cheers vented down, like a summer rainstorm.
(End of this chapter)