Chapter 788: Two Victories in One Day
Doubles match, second round.
Although Nadal and Gao Wen unfortunately missed the opportunity to face the top seed, the difficulty of the match was undoubted. Both players were still adjusting their best condition and game feel, and experienced a fierce battle: "2:6", "6:3".
In the first two sets, both sides won one set each, and the overall score was tied at "1:1". According to the rules, the next set will enter the final set, but there will be no full game, but a direct tiebreak.
The rules are the same as for the tie-break, except that the side that wins ten points first wins.
"10:6".
The Nadal-Gowan combination performed well in the tie-break, leading all the way, winning another game and advancing to the third round.
The game was over, but Gao Wen had no time to celebrate or relax.
Non-Grand Slam level events, from the Masters to the 250-point tournament, are all the same, with a schedule of only one week. If you sign up for singles and doubles at the same time, it means you have to face the test of playing two games in one day.
As the organizers, they will try their best to stagger the two games of players who play two games in one day, hoping that the players can get more time to breathe and recover; but the schedule is the schedule, sometimes it can be staggered and sometimes it can't. Ultimately, playing two games in one day is itself a severe test.
Whether it's physical strength or energy, this is a challenge on another level.
Moreover, one thing is very important.
All women's competitions are played in a best-of-three format, which is the same for Grand Slams and tour tournaments; but men's competitions are different, with Grand Slams still played in a best-of-five format, and the difference in challenge standards is obvious.
It is also because of this that there are quite a few female players who participate in both singles and doubles competitions, and there are even many who have won both singles and doubles Grand Slam titles.
But for male players, most of them are still at the 500-point and 250-point levels. Once they reach the Masters level, the numbers drop significantly and are almost invisible in Grand Slam tournaments.
Last time in the capital, Gao Wen and Thiem's partnership lost in the second round, which had very limited impact on singles.
Of course, the two people's singles promotion journey did not last long.
This time in Doha, Gao Wen and Nadal's doubles match has advanced to the third round, and the second round of singles has also started, so two matches in one day are inevitable.
Therefore, after winning the doubles match, Gao Wen returned to the locker room, took a quick shower, and then immediately returned to the training ground for recovery training to prepare for the singles match that was to follow.
"Gawain..."
In the locker room, Nadal called out to Gawain, who was about to leave in a hurry, with a sincere look in his eyes, but he spoke directly without beating around the bush.
"We can withdraw from the doubles match if necessary. I understand that, 100 percent. You don't have to worry about hurting my feelings."
Sincere and honest.
They all know clearly how challenging it is to balance singles and doubles; after all, they are singles players, and challenging doubles is also a preparation for singles. Naturally, giving up doubles in order to ensure singles matches is not uncommon in the tour.
But the question is, how should I inform my doubles partner?
Especially when one player is making great progress in singles and the other player's singles match has ended and can only hope for doubles.
There are countless golden doubles partners in the tour who have parted ways due to such situations.
Yesterday, in the first round of singles, Nadal unexpectedly lost to a qualifying player.
Although Nadal won the first set easily with a score of 6:1, it was still obvious that the effects of long absence from competition and recovery from a serious illness were everywhere. The quality of subsequent games declined significantly, and as a result, he was defeated by his opponent in two consecutive sets and was eliminated in the first round of singles.
The dream of "Djokovic VS Nadal" was shattered.
Neither Nadal nor Gawain expected that they would win again in the second round of doubles and move forward, so the question of advancing on both fronts became a question.
So Nadal said this.
Gawain did not exchange pleasantries or offer false compliments, but smiled at Nadal and spoke sincerely.
"Okay, I'll speak out if I have to."
Honest, frank, cautious and sincere.
Gawain responded in such a way that Nadal smiled widely and patted Gawain on the shoulder.
"If everything goes well in the game, I won't cheer for you, otherwise Fernando will be sad."
In private, Nadal occasionally makes some harmless jokes.
Fernando Verdasco is Gao Wen's opponent in the second round of singles.
In the past two years, Verdasco's competitive state has been unstable. The impact of wrist injury is one aspect, and his increasing age is another. In any case, he is already 32 years old at the beginning of the year and he does need to face more challenges.
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Despite this, Verdasco still maintains good competitiveness and is currently ranked 33rd in the world, and should not be underestimated.
In this match, double faults were still the main problem that troubled Gao Wen. He made three double faults in his first two service games and was indeed struggling.
But it can be seen that Gao Wen maintained his concentration very well and was always focused on the game. Regardless of whether he scored or lost points, his brain was working at high speed.
On the other hand, Verdasco tried hard to put pressure on Gawain through tough forehand attacks in the face of Gawain's flexible and changeable style of play. However, his touch was mediocre at the beginning of the season and his mistakes were high. This also made it impossible for both sides to reach a stalemate in the baseline rounds, and the game content was very fragmented.
“6:2”, “6:3”.
Gao Wen defeated his opponent in straight sets and advanced to the third round of singles with his head held high, once again winning both competitions on two fronts.
Looking at the entire game, two sets of data are very interesting.
Gawain made eight double faults again, still at a high level, and because of the chaos in the serving stage, he gave away ten break points; but the key point is that all the break points were saved and he did not encounter a break throughout the game. Verdasco's break success rate was zero, and the two sides widened the gap.
The comparison of the two sets of data directly demonstrates Gao Wen's ability to handle key points, especially the double faults did not appear on break points.
No matter what, the most important thing is to win again, which also means that he can spend more time on the court.
Then, on the third day of competition, the highlight of Doha finally took place -
It was crowded and noisy, with long queues forming early in the morning at the center court. It was extremely rare that the first match of the day could cause such a craze.
According to common sense, the bigger and more important the match, the later it will be, and all events are arranged in this way; and the first match of the day is often the quietest.
However, today was different. The audience arrived at the stadium one by one in high spirits and lined up to enter the stadium with great anticipation. Could it be a match for local players? Not really.
Looking at the schedule, the answer will be clear -
The third round of doubles, a match for the semi-final spot, and the two teams are: "Gawain/Nadal VS Djokovic/Krajinovic".
(End of this chapter)