Chapter 52: Strolling in the Garden
“30:40”.
Gao Wen served an unconventional ace and easily saved the first break point. The importance of serving on hard courts can be seen.
Shuhei Shibahara didn't think much about it, because Gawain's serve power and speed were not intimidating, it was more like a lucky shot. He was more annoyed by his misjudgment and blamed himself for the ACE. Then he concentrated and prepared to face the next break point.
But soon, Gao Wen used his actual performance to tell Shibahara Shuhei——
Luck is often a part of strength; in many cases, it is also a deviation created after strength reaches a certain level.
The next point will reveal some clues.
After serving, he hit a forehand straight line and then a backhand diagonal line. The quick connection and solid hitting completely pinned his opponent in the forehand position. He watched in amazement as the tennis ball fell into the gap behind him. He was here and the tennis ball was there, seemingly close at hand, but he was unable to react at all, as if there was a Pacific Ocean between them.
Gao Wen returned the ball cleanly and saved another break point.
There is no chance at all -
The landing point of the entire hitting route was all within Gao Wen's calculations.
Starting from the close approach in the middle of the serve, the space for Shibahara Shuhei's return was squeezed, and the adjustment of his footwork was also slightly affected; then in the next shot, he stretched his feet in a straight line with his forehand, forcing Shibahara Shuhei to move sideways in a panic. Although his feet were very fast, he still got to the position quickly and completed the return after losing his balance.
But unexpectedly, Gawain had no intention of scoring with a forehand straight shot, but was just laying the groundwork, with his eyes never leaving the tennis ball. When Shibahara Shuhei barely finished defending the ball, Gawain had already moved ahead -
He waited in the position of the backhand diagonal shot early, prepared for the shot, and observed the position of Shuhei Shibahara. He hit a two-handed backhand diagonal shot steadily. The return ball was fast and heavy. The whole two-handed backhand shot was very solid. It was obvious that his feet, which had arrived early, were completely stable.
Shibahara Shuhei subconsciously wanted to fill the gap in his forehand, but was caught off guard by Gawain's backhand and stood there pitifully.
What is overall layout?
This is called a comprehensive layout. You create enough pressure through your own shots to force your opponent to return the ball as you expect. It is just like setting a trap in chess, watching your opponent walk into the trap step by step, and then making a fatal blow.
Looking back at the ACE of the previous point, Shibahara Shuhei felt that his thinking speed was a little slow. The fact was that Gao Wen did not leave any more chances.
After calming down, the quality of Gawain's shots improved by more than one level, from power to speed, from landing point to rotation, from tactics to execution, all aspects of his condition improved. On the surface, it seemed that he was facing two break points and standing on the edge of a cliff, but Gawain scored with complete ease.
There was no time to breathe, and after a sudden burst of force, Shuhei Shibahara could no longer keep up with the pace, both physically and mentally.
The next point was a power-reduced serve from a wide outside corner.
Obviously the speed was not fast, the speed at the moment of racket was only 170 kilometers per hour, but the landing point was accurate, and there was outward rotation after landing. Shibahara Shuhei looked at the speed of the ball and believed that he could receive it, but after moving sideways, he missed the hitting point and the tennis ball flew over his head.
ACE!
This is clearly bullying Shibahara Shuhei's height! Although both are direct points from ACE, the two serves use completely different hitting methods. The unpredictable nature of the entire serve routine immediately raises the threat level by several levels.
Another point, a flat serve down the middle.
There was no rotation or gimmicks, just a completely flat serve. The serve at 185 kilometers per hour did not seem to be a heavy serve, but the sudden increase in speed once again broke Shibahara Shuhei's prediction. He changed the tactical combination in three consecutive serve stages, especially the increase in speed to disrupt the rhythm.
Faced with the tennis ball coming towards him, Shuhei Shibahara failed to dodge in time and was unable to fully stretch out his movement to receive the ball. He could only barely block it with his racket.
The tennis ball flew high into the sunlight and then slowly landed in the serving area on Gawain's side. Gawain had already rushed over and was waiting, hitting a heavy high ball.
Faced with such an easy shot, Gao Wen completed it with ease, just like strolling in the garden. There should have been crises of consecutive break points, but the way Gao Wen handled the situation eliminated all tension and suspense.
Shuhei Shibahara just stretched out his racket symbolically, but he had no chance at all, and then the tennis ball had already made two bounces - just like a ping-pong ball, after bouncing twice on the ground, it is a dead ball.
Ping-pong-bang, the game was swept away by the wind. Before Shibahara Shuhei could even catch his breath, Gao Wen had already scored four points in a row. From facing two break points to successfully holding serve, it took less than two minutes. In a daze, the situation had been reversed.
When Gao Wen and Yoshitaka were facing off, his advantage in tactical layout was not obvious. Now facing Shibahara Shuhei, the gap suddenly widened.
“Ahhhh!”
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There were cheers from the stands. Although the Brown Bears had already secured victory in this game before Gawain came on the field, the home crowd still gave loud applause as the season opened, expecting a resounding victory to set the tone for the season, and everyone was cheering for the team's young players.
However, amidst the applause, a girl could be seen jumping high, waving her hands vigorously, and cheering passionately:
"Come on! Gawain!"
"Come on! Gawain!"
Such excited and enthusiastic cheering made all eyes cast over there, but the girl was not stage-frightened. She just waved her Bruins baseball cap vigorously, enthusiastically boosting the morale of the scene, and even the other audience members laughed kindly.
The home of the Bruins, the Los Angeles Tennis Center, is not very big. It was put into use as early as 1984. The largest court can only accommodate 3,800 spectators. It is far from being a top tennis venue, but on the West Coast, it is well-known as the home of the University of California, Los Angeles.
Today, in order to welcome the opening of a new season, although the opponent is relatively weak and it is difficult to pose a threat to the Bruins, about 500 people still came to the scene to cheer for the tennis team. At this time, the passionate and youthful cheers attracted the attention of all the audience.
The clear and enthusiastic cheers made Gawain look up and towards the source of the sound. He saw the beautiful and youthful figure of Elena Badin at a glance. Her long, smooth hair was tied into a high ponytail, swaying gently with her jumping steps. It seemed as if he could see the golden sunlight dancing on the tips of her hair.
(End of this chapter)