Chapter 850: Away Effect
Within fifteen minutes, Murray defeated Sousa to advance to the third round, then Seppi defeated Federer unexpectedly, and then Gawain and Tomic came on stage.
In a short period of time, discussion topics on social networks were intertwined, collided unexpectedly, and then exploded with unparalleled energy.
Australian fans are longing for a victory, a victory that will sweep away the gloom, a victory that will come after a long drought, a victory that will make them feel proud.
"Bernard, come on!"
"Tomic, the anti-China hero."
"The responsibility of Australia rests entirely on your shoulders, Bernard."
"Tomic, please prove yourself to be a champion!"
"Bernard, it's time to realize your tennis talent. Now! Now!"
Overwhelming.
Every corner.
The already highly anticipated match has now reached a new peak, with Melbourne Park becoming a sea of blue versus red.
However, after the game started, it was disappointing. To be more precise, the more eager we were before the game, the more disappointed we were at this moment.
In front of Gawain, Tomic seemed a little careless. His lack of scoring methods was greatly magnified, and his advantages in rhythm change and tactical layout could not be fully utilized.
Because Gawain was always one step ahead of him, so that Tomic was helpless and at a loss.
In the first set, the two sides had a very exciting back and forth. Amid the thunderous cheers from the Hisense Arena, Tomic did hit some good shots.
The two sides were deadlocked at "4:4" all the way. Both players saved break points. The scores rose alternately and the balance was not broken.
At the crucial moment, Gao Wen's ability to read the game and seize opportunities was fully demonstrated. Although he is three years younger than Tomic and has far less game experience than his opponent, he is more experienced, calmer and more skilled.
At the end of the set, they won eight points in a row, delivered two consecutive "love games", and swept the first set.
Before Tomic had time to react, he had already lost the first set, and he had no idea how he lost the last two games.
Then, the game slowly got out of control.
One gains while the other loses.
It was obvious in the second and third sets that, on the one hand, Tomic's concentration began to drop, some of his shots seemed very sloppy, not to mention the continuous increase in mistakes, his layout and ball control performance also continued to decline, and the whole game seemed fragmented.
On the other hand, Gao Wen played better and better, slowly showing the temperament of a strong player ranked eighth in the world. His dominance began to show, and the gap in the entire game gradually widened.
As Zhang Sheng said during the commentary, "Gao Wen's condition is improving little by little as the games progress. He is practicing through games and is making significant progress."
"The most obvious point is that his serve is getting better and better. Double faults are basically under control now. There was only one double fault in the first set today, which is a completely normal number. His serve has also stabilized, and his serve success rate and first serve scoring rate have improved significantly."
From Doha to Melbourne, through sufficient game observation, Zhang Sheng was able to see Gao Wen's real intention of modifying his technical movements during the off-season.
"Now, Gao Wen's serve is more concise and consistent, and his use of power is more complete and full."
"First, the power of the serve is improved; second, the movement after the serve and the subsequent attack connection are faster and smoother."
"In Melbourne this time, Gawain's average serve speed has reached 193 kilometers per hour, which is about five kilometers higher than the US Open. It should be noted that Melbourne Park is a slow hard court, and the overall average ball speed is slower than that of Flushing Meadows."
"From what we can see so far, Gao Wen has better control over his serve, and his entire attack is more beautiful and more powerful."
"Tomic is really at a loss right now."
Experts look at the details, while laymen just watch the excitement.
Zhang Sheng analyzed Gao Wen's growth and transformation during this offseason with a professional perspective. The audience at Hisense Stadium could not see such professional things, but they could deeply feel Tomic's frustration and frustration, so they all "stepped forward" -
Every time Tomic scored, no matter how brilliant it was, there was applause and cheers from the whole stadium; but every time Gawain scored, no matter how brilliant it was, there was no response. The noises of the Chinese fans alone could not fill the entire spacious stadium.
The feeling is like a stage performance. After giving a wonderful performance, it becomes dead silent. There is only empty darkness in front of you, and no response is expected. The invisible loneliness devours your courage and fighting spirit bit by bit.
At the same time, there was frequent noise interference between Gao Wen's first and second serves. Not all people, but only one or two people whistled, and the entire serving rhythm was disrupted.
What's worse, fans even acted as referees and interfered with the progress of the game.
When Tomic's return ball seemed to be out of bounds, although the linesman ruled it was in bounds, Gawain still appealed to the referee and requested a Hawkeye challenge.
Originally, this was Gawain's legal right, but the home fans booed and burst out with incredible energy, as if Gawain was breaking the rules. They looked down on Gawain's challenge to the referee's decision and mocked, ridiculed and despised him to the best of their ability. The boos from the whole stadium were like a downpour.
However, facts proved that Gao Wen's judgment was correct: out of bounds.
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Tomic's return ball was indeed out of bounds.
The audience was still not giving in. They started to make a fuss and used every possible means to put pressure on Gao Wen.
Back and forth.
The away game effect accumulates slowly. Even if one's heart is as strong as a rock, facing the boos of nearly 10,000 spectators in the stadium, it is as if one is standing on the opposite side of the whole world. That loneliness, fear, and vulnerability are enough to make any player start to question himself.
but!
Gawain held on.
He knew exactly what it was like to play away games, and he also knew that once he got entangled with the audience, he would be drawn into it.
The most important thing is that if you keep worrying about the audience, it means you will be distracted, your attention will easily be scattered, and the game will soon be out of your control, and then the home audience's plan will succeed.
Therefore, he never made any response. Not only did he not "attack" the audience, but even the roars after the wonderful scores disappeared.
Compared to booing, these distractions are truly destructive to concentration.
Every time he scored, Gao Wen kept it in his mind, and gradually turned it into strength for him to continue to fight and struggle.
Precisely because the whole world is standing against him, he should win this game even more. He will not admit defeat, he will not surrender, and he will not let his opponents get their way.
The more this happened, the more determined he became.
It was not until the moment when he won the match point that the emotions that had been suppressed again and again could no longer be controlled, and turned into high morale and burst out in full force.
Second update.
(End of this chapter)