Chapter 645: Stick to the tactics

"Gao Wen VS Robredo", the first semi-final in Valencia was unusual. Reading the post-match technical statistics of the first two sets, we may be able to see some clues:

Unforced errors: Gao Wen, 27; Robredo, 20.

Both players scored over 20 points, which is an outrageous statistic for both players.

Because neither Gawain nor Robredo are the adventurous type who make a lot of mistakes, nor are they the strong type who attack aggressively, such turnover data is indeed abnormal.

During the US Open, even in four- or five-set matches, the unforced error statistics of Gao Wen and Robredo were not necessarily so high.

However, if we look at another technical statistic, we can understand the trend of the game.

Winning points: Gao Wen, 34; Robredo, 23.

Obviously, this is a battle of offense and defense.

On indoor hard courts, offense does play a very, very important role. Players who counterattack on defense often find it difficult to find enough gaps to reverse the situation. The best way is to take the initiative by relying on smooth offense.

In this regard, Gawain and Robredo should have reached a consensus, so the two players were fighting for the initiative, and mistakes were inevitable in the confrontation between suppression and counter-suppression; and the fast-paced and low-tolerance environment of indoor hard courts further magnified such characteristics, which led to such a situation.

In fact, Gao Wen did feel the huge pressure brought by Robredo, a player whose characteristics were not very outstanding but also had no obvious loopholes.

Moreover, objectively speaking, Gao Wen's condition and touch have not returned to the peak. At least there is still a little gap compared with the US Open: the high number of mistakes is the most intuitive proof.

However, Gao Wen was still very decisive and firm in his shots. He never wavered even when unforced errors occurred. He continued to stick to the tactics he had formulated before the game. His big heart at the critical moment was slowly regaining his rhythm of the game.

All these details are different from the games in the Imperial Capital and Magic Capital, and are also direct proof that Gao Wen's condition remains on an upward curve.

The result of the game is the best reflection.

Both sets were tie-breaks, and the final score difference was only two points.

Both Gao Wen and Robredo performed very well, meeting the attacks of their opponents with a tough attitude, and the head-to-head competition was full of sparks.

In the end, it all comes down to performance at the crucial moment, a little bit of determination, a little bit of luck, and a fight of one breath. Both players have saved and missed set points. The outcome of one point determines the outcome of the entire set.

In the first set, Gao Wen cashed in his second set point with a winning point.

In the second set, on Robredo's third set point, Gao Wen took the initiative to attack and his shot went into the net, handing over the victory.

Attack and mistakes, suppression and counterattack, this is the main theme of the game, which is indeed very "indoor hard court"; and, although both sets were tiebreaks, the game rhythm was very fast, and the two sets only lasted 85 minutes, so there were not many rounds of tug-of-war.

Despite this, both players still gave their all in the deciding set.

The score was 1:1 and then 6:6. Especially in the final stage of the match, both Gawain and Robredo showed incredible concentration and dedication. Neither player saw a match point. Therefore, the match went into a tiebreak for the third consecutive set.

Is this definitely not a match between Isner and Karlovic?

In the third tie-break, Robredo served first.

In the first point, Robredo remained highly focused, playing steadily from serve to attack, and was prepared for a long tug of war.

However, Gawain didn't think so.

In the fifth shot of the round, Robredo hit a small-angle diagonal forehand shot, aiming at the middle area of ​​Gao Wen from his right side.

This is a transition ball with hidden power.

Robredo deliberately chose the middle zone and landed on the route of Gao Wen's lateral movement. He needed to pay special attention to adjust his footwork, otherwise he would easily go too far. At the same time, the return ball landed very deep, almost on the baseline, squeezing Gao Wen's swing space through deep zone pressure.

In other words, the transition ball is indeed a transition ball, but Gao Wen needs to be very careful in handling it.

It must be said that Robredo's shot was indeed very solid, and this time, he also successfully squeezed Gao Wen——

In the process of moving sideways to make up for the forehand defense, his footsteps were a little faster. Unexpectedly, Robredo deliberately did not widen the angle, and the inertia of the forward rush was a little too strong.

In addition, Robredo hid a backspin ball, and the rebound height of the tennis ball after landing was near the waist and abdomen, further squeezing Gao Wen's swing space.

Even if it is not an offense, a transition ball can also give you the upper hand in the confrontation.

According to common sense, Gawain would have just returned a transition ball to resolve the crisis, and that would have been enough, because Robredo's goal in hitting the ball was not to win points, but to accumulate advantages, so it was impossible for Gawain to fail to return the ball. Next, Robredo would inevitably follow up with the attack to further expand his advantage.

At this moment, this shot of the ball most directly demonstrated the trend of Gao Wen's continued recovery and rise:

He put his forehand behind his body and could hardly swing the racket, but he relied on his forearm and the power of his body rotation to complete the attack.

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Yes, not transition, but offense.

Of course, it is not an active forced attack, but a rising point is seized through the power of swinging the forearm.

When hitting the ball, you can see that when Gao Wen is running at high speed, he bends his knees and lowers his center of gravity completely. He seizes the opportunity when Robredo's return ball falls on the baseline, uses the squatting movement to create a rebound wall effect, and then quickly swings his forearm to complete the force and push the tennis ball back.

The key point is that Gawain drew a small slash back; and, it tore the angle.

Robredo was completely caught off guard and even though his feet stayed near his forehand, he still staggered sideways to the right and very reluctantly cut a long diagonal line with his forehand, pulling a diagonal shot in an attempt to contain Gawain.

However, Gawain went online.

At the first moment, Gawain's footsteps entered the baseline, and he stepped up at full speed, seizing the commanding height of the slightly raised parabola of Robredo's return ball. Before the tennis ball landed on the net, he used his forehand to push it in a straight line with a cutting motion.

Whoosh! Robredo had just started for the second time when the tennis ball bounced off the ground and flew out.

“1:0”.

In a passive moment that was not an opportunity, Gao Wen boldly and carefully launched an attack. The entire transition between offense and defense was smooth and connected. It was not only sudden but also powerful. He caught Robredo off guard and then took the lead in completing a mini break in the tiebreak of the deciding set.

Then, Gao Wen saved his two serve points in a row and took a "3:0" lead, laying the foundation for a lead in the tie-break. He did not give Robredo a chance to turn the tables, leading all the way and won the game with a strong forehand straight attack on the first match point.

"7:6(4)".

(End of this chapter)