The slightest wavering, the slightest crack appears in the mind, and the whole state of stability and concentration is ushered in by the storm, and everything is different.
The first game, "40:AD".
At the break point, Pospisil and Sock finally regained their composure and relied on serving to establish an advantage, and then established an advantage through Sock's net grab.
Gao Wen's combination fell into a passive position and was firmly pressed to the bottom line to passively defend.
Pospisil seized the opportunity, quickly went to the net, swept the attack with a forehand hammer in a straight line, and launched a fierce attack targeting the dead corner of the bottom line of Gawain's backhand position.
As a result, Gao Wen was extremely passive and relied on clay soil sliding to seize half of the shot opportunity. He forced a straight line with his backhand with both hands to complete the save.
Straight line coming, straight line returning——
Pospisil was preparing to defend his backhand position, but found that Gao Wen was aiming for his forehand breakthrough, started a second time, stretched his body, and intercepted a shot with his right hand. However, he fully predicted the strength and speed of Gao Wen's return.
The line directly affects the touch and technique of hitting the ball.
The tennis ball flew straight away.
The game score was "0:1". Gao Wen's combination relied on a break of serve to take the lead.
The second game, "40:15".
Although trailing by a small point, Sock and Pospisil created opportunities on their opponent's first game point, forming a two-handed combo in front of the net.
On the opposite side, Gao Wen and Dimitrov were both standing in the midfield position. Their positions had been disrupted, and they had lost their position in the airtight blockade in front of the opponent's net. Both of them stood near the midfield line, with their left and right sides.
All sides are open, and the defensive coverage has become a sieve, comparable to a colander.
In other words, Sock or Pospisil only need to complete a basic shot and aim at the gap to score.
However.
Pospisil's backhand with both hands aimed at the sideline, trying to find a pressing point, and formed the winning point beautifully and elegantly. The result:
Extreme joy brings sorrow.
He was too eager and too proud, but ignored the strong topspin of Gao Wen's return. The downward pressure on the racket surface was slightly insufficient, and the hitting line deviated from the expectation.
Out of bounds.
Moreover, it was not just a little bit out of bounds, but a very, very outrageous out of bounds. The point where the tennis ball landed and the sideline were thousands of miles apart, and five big men could pass side by side, causing the entire audience to scream in shock.
The game score was "0:2", Gao Wen's combination expanded its lead.
Starting from the end of the first set, Gao Wen's combination has won four consecutive games.
The balance is completely broken.
This is obviously not the doubles final that people expected.
In fact, objectively speaking, the combination of Sock and Pospisil is indeed in good condition. They have entered the Masters finals in three consecutive tournaments and their competitive state is at a high point.
Even on clay, to a large extent, it is not suitable for the two players to perform and weaken their combat effectiveness. However, in this week's event, they entered the final without losing a set. They are still very convincing and continue their smooth cooperation in the new season.
Smooth upward momentum.
From all aspects, they are indeed one of the best doubles teams in the past two seasons, with both singles strength and doubles chemistry.
Moreover, they are still young and their strength is on the rise. As their cooperation becomes more and more tacit, their dominance in the doubles arena will continue to increase.
But that’s what competitive sports are all about——
The game of back and forth, the collision of hand-to-hand combat, the pull of you advancing and me retreating, either the east wind overwhelms the west wind, or the west wind must overwhelm the east wind. The turning point of the game and the ups and downs of the state not only depend on oneself, but also on the opponent, often
It happened in a short moment.
Before a winning streak turns into a losing streak, you can sometimes see clues, but this is not the case every time.
not to mention!
Outside of Pospisil, Sok is not an experienced Dinghai Shenzhen, he is also young.
When his partner's status fluctuated and the situation took a turn for the worse, Sock was equally confused:
what happened?
At the same time, Sock's batting feel also fluctuated to some extent.
The third game.
Once Sock hit a forehand into the net, and once Pospisil returned the ball shallowly, Dimitrov caught it and directly won the ball with his forehand, and he was in trouble in the blink of an eye.
Immediately afterwards, Gawain caught Sock's second serve opportunity and suddenly made a sneak attack. The fast and deep return ball landed directly in the deep baseline area, causing pressure. As a result, Sock's backhand bounce failed to save the ball, and the tennis ball flew high.
However, he failed to pass the net and landed on his own side of the court again.
"0:40".
The situation is really a bit baffling.
Suddenly, everything seemed to go wrong, from the serve to the baseline to the net, from the forehand to the backhand, everything went awry.
You can vaguely smell the fear of collapse coming quietly.
but!
Sock and Pospisil have indeed been in good form in the past three months, not only in terms of the number of wins, but also in the handling of key points.
An ACE from Sock and a smash from Pospisil in front of the net, they saved two break points very quickly.
"30:40".
The crisis was alarming, Pospisil regained his concentration, and Sock also stood firm in the chaos and returned to winning mode.
The state seemed to be back, especially the desperate attitude of giving it a try, which made all the distracting thoughts in my mind disappear.
crucial moment--
Gawain, step forward.
On the third break point.
Sock was unable to establish enough advantage through serving, and the two sides formed a round of balls, and then formed a short-hand pattern between four players in front of the net.
Ping ping pong pong.
The back and forth of the shots was really dazzling, and then Gao Wen took the lead in making a change. With a flip of the racket surface, he picked up the short ball in front of the net.
Over the top, bottom line.
This also forced Sock to quickly rush back to the baseline, turn his back to the court, hit the return ball of Rhino Mochizuki on his shoulder, and pull the tennis ball back again.
The same goes for over-the-top and bottom-line.
Sock's return had an astonishing effect, forcing Gawain to quickly return to the baseline, turn his back to the court, and complete a crotch shot that shocked everyone.
A detail difference can be seen here. It is also a save near the baseline, and it is also an unconventional shot under extreme conditions, but Gawain's handling is more spiritual.
The indescribable spirituality——
Gao Wen unexpectedly chose a small diagonal line and successfully passed Pospisil who was standing in front of the net to volley. He crossed his position and found a landing point on the outside of the small triangle in the service area on his right forehand.
.
This is a very awkward line.
If the angle is narrowed, Pospisil can directly step up to block it; if the angle is widened, he will either be unable to pass the net or directly go out of bounds.
Everything must be just right in order to find a gap comparable to a sliver of sky and escape.
Gawain, in his panic, in the confusion of his footsteps, in the collision of red bayonets, he just found it——
It's definitely a stroke of genius.
On this side, Pospisil was already waiting in front of the net, keeping an eye on Gawain, adjusting in small steps, and getting ready to hit the ball.
The moment he saw Gawain complete the hook shot, his body had already moved out, taking a step laterally towards his forehand, with his upper body fully extended.
One pounce, one block.
Shoulders, arms, wrists, racket, everything has been completely stretched out, staring closely at the tennis ball.
A little further to the right.
A little further to the right.
And again and again...
My body had stretched to the extreme, but I suddenly found that out of reach, the arc drawn by the tennis ball actually jumped out across the extreme end of the racket.