Chapter 619: Hold your head high
Qiao Wangsheng held his breath and stared at Gao Wen who was running wildly on the court, his heart beating like a drum.
After “4:4”, in Simon’s serve, Gao Wen did not give up easily, and continued to hold on to the situation point by point, even catching up to a tie at one point.
Unfortunately, Simon, who was as steady as a rock at the critical moment, performed better, winning two points in a row without giving away break points, and saved his serve again.
Then, after a break between games, a simple check by medical staff confirmed that there were no other problems, and then the game continued.
In the serve game where he had no way to retreat, Gao Wen was obviously exhausted and fell behind again at 15:40, giving away two consecutive match points.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that Gawain still didn't have much fuel left in his tank, and the back-and-forth tug-of-war was exactly the style of play that Simon liked the most and was best at. Without enough energy left, Gawain's game was indeed very difficult.
Some people may say that this is already a game with little hope, so why should we fight to the end?
Perhaps, strategically giving up is the wiser choice. After all, this is just a Masters semi-final. Gao Wen should have many opportunities in the future. There is no need to get hurt. Being smarter and more rational will make it easier and simpler.
But the problem is that life is like this. There is only a difference between once and countless times. If you choose to "take it easy" this time, then the next time you need to be more nervous, more aggressive, and tougher, you may never be able to do it again, because you no longer have that persistence and passion deep in your bones.
Giving up will become a habit.
Gawain refused to do so.
So, Gawain is still running.
It was another round of seesaw battle. The round had accumulated to eighteen rounds and was about to break twenty. Gawain seemed to be unable to run any longer, while Simon on the opposite side of the court looked like he could continue to run for ten or twenty rounds. The fierce battle had truly become a torture in the literal sense.
But Gawain still fought.
Push off the ground! Brake! Turn!
Make an effort!
The two-handed backhand does not have a transitional hit, but instead relies entirely on the rotational power of the upper body to impact forward without the footsteps being in place.
Push! Explode! Release! With a roar from deep in his dantian, the hot sweat exploded directly, and it was obvious that Gao Wen's entire body was thrown out.
Boom! Very sudden and very decisive.
Backhand straight line!
The long sword was unsheathed, appearing out of nowhere, and a thrilling straight line pierced through the sideline of the court, nailing Simon's second defensive step in place.
"Within the boundaries."
The linesman's gesture was very firm, a good ball across the line.
"30:40".
Fifth, Gao Wen has saved the fifth match point. If the three consecutive break points in the previous service game are also counted, and Simon's two serve-winning games in the second set, then this is far from the fifth match point.
Qiao Wangsheng's heart was pounding.
But at this moment, Qiao Wangsheng could no longer shout "Come on", and just quietly stared at the stubborn figure on the court: Gao Wen, no longer had the energy to celebrate.
He supported himself on the ground with his racket and placed his hands together on the handle. He then placed his forehead on the back of his hands. His tall body bent like a cooked shrimp and he gasped for breath. Beads of sweat the size of beans fell down one by one, landing on the court and blooming into the shape of flowers.
Qiao Wangsheng could even see that Gao Wen's knees were shaking slightly uncontrollably, and he was trying his best to keep his body standing.
Before the sound came out of his throat, Qiao Wangsheng's eyes were already filled with tears. He couldn't bear to watch any longer. The scene before his eyes was too cruel. However, he forced himself to continue watching because Gawain had not given up the fight and neither could he. The battle was not over yet.
The entire center court was silent.
huff huff.
Gawain felt that his chest was like a bellows. Every time it rose and fell, he could feel the burning heat waves, which were getting stronger and stronger.
My knees could hardly be straightened and my calves kept trembling slightly, like a steel cable swaying in a strong wind. Every time I moved, I could clearly feel the slight tingling sensation of the dense embroidery needles drilling into my pores, like an overwhelming pain that caused my body to shake along with it.
Plop, plop, plop.
Gawain listened carefully to the sound of his heart beating against his chest, strong and powerful.
Then, taking a deep breath, Gao Wen stood up again, straightened his back, and walked to the baseline again, ready to continue fighting.
Qiao Wangsheng himself didn't realize that he clenched his fists and his heart was pounding uncontrollably.
Match point.
Gao Wen served the ball, second zone, outside corner.
Simon accurately predicted the line, and Gawain obviously had no power to push off the ground, so the speed of his serve dropped all the way to 158 kilometers per hour. But Simon still did not attack, but continued his usual style, hitting the ball back in an orderly manner, and forming a deep suppression in the baseline, and the round ball was formed again.
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One comes. One goes.
One comes. One goes.
The tennis ball flying back and forth on the court captured the attention of the entire audience. In a blink of an eye, it had exceeded twenty beats and was still going on.
A cutting stroke.
On the 23rd shot, Simon's transitional cut was a little short and landed shallowly. Gawain immediately seized the opportunity and stepped into the court, ready to grab a rising point to launch an attack.
However, the lack of ground power caused Gao Wen's stepping speed to be slightly slower, which affected the control of the hitting point. This also made Gao Wen more cautious in his shots. He used both hands to actively exert force in his backhand very solidly, seized the rising point and attacked in the diagonal direction with all his strength, while lifting his wrist slightly to avoid the parabola from not being pulled up and causing it to fall into the net.
Whoosh! The tennis ball flew out, but at the same time, the force that burst out instantly broke my body balance, and my knees softened. I could clearly feel the muscles in my left calf tightening again, as if I had a cramp again.
Gao Wen, however, was no longer able to care about that. His full attention was on the tennis ball. He lightly tapped his left foot and supported his body with his right leg, still maintaining a defensive posture.
The mustard yellow streamline broke Simon's prediction. It was obvious that Simon was sprinting to his right side to defend his forehand position, worried that Gawain's backhand straight line would score again. As a result, Simon could only watch the tennis ball rushing in the opposite direction of him.
Time slowed down.
The whole audience held their breath and watched the tennis ball fly out.
"Out of bounds!"
The linesman raised his left hand, firmly stating that Gao Wen's backhand diagonal shot deviated from the boundary, half a ball, and was clearly out of bounds.
The game is over.
Gawain saved five match points and fought tenaciously until the very last moment, but he was ultimately unable to outlast Simon. The last twenty-four rounds of seesaw battle were Simon's signature long rounds, which ended with Gawain's diagonal shot going out of bounds. He lost to his opponent in three hard-fought sets, ending his first journey in the Magic City.
It's over. It's all over.
(End of this chapter)