Chapter 912: Rhythm Control
Running sideways.
As fast as lightning.
Although Murray's pace was still a little slower, his lateral movements remained balanced and regular. He did not need to stop or turn suddenly, but relied on inertia and footwork to complete the movement. The impact of physical strength was not obvious, so he still arrived in time: a one-handed backhand, cut a strong backspin, and rushed to the diagonal line to hit the ball.
Defensive cutting.
Huh! The whole audience burst into exclamations.
Because Murray's defensive shot quality is very good, his seemingly light cut and precise touch to the line; moreover, the backspin and sidespin make the tennis ball continue to rush outwards after landing, turning the situation around in an instant.
The effect is outstanding.
Facing the break point, Murray, who was in an extremely difficult situation, still improved his condition. He seemed to be stumbling, but his shots were always able to make Gao Wen uncomfortable.
Gawain's sudden attack was thus resolved into nothingness. Instead, during his lateral movement, his feet were again pulled out of the singles line on the backhand side by Murray's return, and he had to stand in the doubles area to complete the return.
Moreover, the hitting position of the two-handed backhand was too high, and it was unable to completely suppress the rotation. Although it was hit diagonally, it still lacked some threat.
The ball arced, rose high, and spun at high speed in the long and bright lights, but the quality of the shot obviously did not meet expectations.
"ah……"
The hearts of the audience at Rod Laver Arena were in their throats as the advantages and disadvantages continued to change with every shot.
But this time——
Chance!
Murray's chance.
In an instant, the scream that was about to burst out was suppressed in the throat. The eyes were fixed on the court, and the heat of the whole audience rushed towards Murray.
Murray's feet are still on his backhand, which means that when Gawain's return ball is delivered to him, he does not need to move a large area.
After a series of small steps and adjustments, Murray had found the hitting point accurately, and immediately raised his two-handed backhand and hit the tennis ball back with a sweeping shot.
Return the ball and repeat the landing point.
Murray noticed that Gawain's feet did not move, but he did not take the risk of changing line. Instead, he launched an attack with repeated deep shots.
Flat shot! This time, Murray hit the ball hard, fast and hard, like a feather arrow, across the court, aiming at the baseline of Gawain's backhand position and hitting a big triangle.
From here we can see once again Murray's confidence——
Every shot is aimed at the corners. Although it lacks powerful impact, the control of landing point and layout of the line can really change the situation.
Gawain's footsteps were squeezed again.
In fact, Gao Wen only needs to step back one or two steps to adjust the swing space, and the whole hitting action will become smooth.
But Gao Wen knew that this was Murray's tactical intention:
He repeatedly pressed down Gawain's position through deep shots and return shots, forcing Gawain to slow down his hitting rhythm, and then re-established Murray's favorite baseline round tug-of-war.
Gawain, refused.
It’s not that it’s not possible, the first two games were played like this; it’s that there needs to be adjustments at the tactical level.
But see.
Gao Wen still stood at the baseline, placed his hands on his side, leaning on the outside of his left thigh, and accurately found Murray's hitting point.
With both hands, block.
At the same time, the wrist is gently turned, and the body's center of gravity is leaned back. The entire pulling action will quickly brush the tennis ball upwards, and you can even clearly feel the friction of each string hitting the tennis ball.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.
Everything happened in a flash.
Then the tennis ball flew out.
straight line!
It was actually a straight line! In such a difficult and tense situation, Gao Wen once again showed his boldness and courage. Not only did he not retreat, but he also dared to change the line.
Delicate touch, light inspiration, graceful control.
At this moment, Gawain showed his unique talent for tennis, stunning everyone in the Rod Laver Arena and causing them to exclaim uncontrollably.
Ah! I never expected that such an imaginative and powerful shot would show the charm of tennis to the fullest.
Tennis, soaring through the air.
The arc is a bit high; the speed is a bit slow; but the line is precise, moving straight along the sideline.
This should have been Murray's chance, but Murray didn't do it directly -
Or maybe Murray had already taken ruthless action, but his weakness on the offensive end caused his offense to fail to achieve the desired effect.
So Gawain immediately turned the situation around and took the initiative again.
Murray, a little flustered.
After a series of great maneuvers, he moved from the backhand position to the forehand position, and then realized that there was no problem with his footsteps, but the bounce of the return ball was too high. By the time Murray was in position, the rebound height was already near the top of his head, which left no space for Murray to swing the racket.
Murray, very, very awkwardly, hit the ball with a strong rotation in a position parallel to his temple, and barely completed a transition shot.
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Slash!
Murray also mobilized Gao Wen.
At this point, we can see that Gawain has launched two consecutive lightning attacks, and the first three points of this game were won in this way. But after reaching the break point, Murray improved his condition, and the overall defensive quality returned to the standard. He successfully defended the two lightning attacks and then formed a stalemate.
Murray's favorite stalemate.
The situation is once again at a stalemate.
This time, the two players faced off for two shots on the forehand, and then Murray chose a straight line for the transition ball, adjusted the layout, and moved Gao Wen to the backhand.
As we went back and forth, the backhands formed a stalemate again. One shot! Two shots!
Murray realized that Gawain was about to launch an attack, and this time he took the lead in hitting a large diagonal ball, which was light and thin and landed near the baseline of the serving area, directly pulling Gawain out of the court.
Unexpectedly, Gao Wen further opened up the angle, and the return ball landed in the shallow area of the serving area, further extending the diagonal return ball to an extreme angle.
Huh! The exclamations surged again.
One second he was amazed by Murray's clever shot; the next second he was shocked by Gawain's bold return.
Murray's footsteps have not only left the doubles area, but also entered the first half -
Because Gao Wen's hitting angle was too large, the angle of incidence had almost reached 150 degrees. If he continued like this, the hitting line would almost be parallel to the net.
It has to be said that Gao Wen's shot selection in this innings was so clever and amazing. His delicate touch and surging inspiration were amazing.
So, what does Murray do? Standing on the edge of the cliff, Murray showed his Grand Slam champion style.
In the desperate situation with his staggering steps and disordered center of gravity, Murray did not choose to hit the ball hard, but instead used two hands to backhand and cut a thin small ball.
Yes, small ball.
The tennis ball went around the outside of the pole and entered the court lightly and flexibly, like a naughty elf, and landed in Gao Wen's forehand serving area.
Gently. Shallowly.
It's perfect.
It's deadly!
A short shot not only resolved Gawain's batting crisis, but also put him in a desperate situation.
With one foot, he was pushed off the edge of the cliff.
The two sides fought back and forth without giving an inch. In the eighth game of the third set, incredible sparks flew because of Gawain's sudden attack and Murray's quick response.
It's breathtakingly wonderful.
(End of this chapter)