Istomin, currently ranked 83rd in the world, has a season record of 14 wins and 17 losses.
Analyzed from any angle, facing such an opponent, Gao Wen should be able to win easily. Including the Chinese media and the Wimbledon Organizing Committee, there is no exception, so everyone said that Gao Wen's fortune was good.
but!
In the world of competitive sports, anything is possible——
Now, Istomin not only has the upper hand, but also has match point. He is one point away from creating the biggest upset since the start of Wimbledon in 2015.
A little knowledge point. Among the four giants, Nadal is the only one who has never lost in the first round of a Grand Slam in his career. The other three giants have all lost more than once in the early days of their careers.
Losing in the first round of a Grand Slam, even on the surface where he is best at it, is no exception.
As for Gao Wen, from his breakthrough at the US Open last year to his 19th consecutive Grand Slam victory, he was full of momentum. Not to mention being eliminated in the first round of a Grand Slam, or even being eliminated in the first week of a Grand Slam; but now, in Roland-
After ending his 19th Grand Slam winning streak, Garros is likely to face the first Grand Slam losing streak in his career.
Air is burning.
It is really unimaginable that a month ago, people were still discussing when Gauvin would lose the Grand Slam, but in the blink of an eye, they might need to discuss Gauvin's losing streak in the Grand Slam.
Sure enough, in the world of competitive sports, never say "absolutely impossible."
It is precisely because of this that broadcast signals from all over the world are immediately focused on Court No. 2, even the official signal of Wimbledon is no exception——
By coincidence, the broadcast of Kvitova's match has ended, and the first-round match between Federer and Dezuch is warming up, so it doesn't matter if the broadcast signal switches.
Match point.
The whole place was completely silent, and the tense and anxious atmosphere spread across the board. You could even hear the sound of your heart pounding against your chest.
I am afraid that the calmest person in the audience at this time is actually Gowen. His mentality is stable and highly concentrated. He has no distracting thoughts at all and is just focused on this point.
In fact, for Gao Wen, what is really important now is not the match point, but the mentality of this round:
From the "40:0" lead, there was a little fluctuation and a little distraction, and then it was already passive and had to face break points. The fast pace of the grass court once again brought a wake-up call.
So, how should we play the next point?
Looking back on the entire game, poor ball feel is indeed the core problem, and it is still serious; in addition, Gao Wen believes that his serving performance is also mediocre.
First of all, grass is about speed, so powerful serves can often get bonuses, including players like Querrey and Isner who performed well, but the point is that Gao Wen has never been a cannon, even if he adjusts his serving movements in the offseason
Finally, his serve still pays more attention to combination.
Secondly, Istomin's serve-receiving ability is indeed excellent. Last week's victory over Querrey in the Nottingham final is the best proof. His receiving-serve technique is somewhat similar to Djokovic's, which is to wrap up any ball.
Push back to make sure the return ball can return to the court——
On grass courts, many games will be reduced to serving and receiving exercises, with almost no round shots and all relying on serving to score points. However, if you can ensure that the serve enters the court like Djokovic, you can break the balance.
It's a very important point.
Strictly speaking, Istomin's catching technique and touch are far inferior to Djokovic's, and his wrapping power is not that strong, resulting in a decline in the quality of the return; moreover, the baseline round ball is exactly Gawain's strength, and also
The game rhythm that Gao Wen hoped for, but the problem is that Gao Wen did not find the feel for the ball, which affected the quality of the ball in the baseline round, could not control the ball, and even made mistakes. The results can be imagined.
Disaster!
Difficulties abound!
"40:AD".
Second District.
Gawain wiped his sweat, slowed down his pace slightly, got out of the dilemma of turning the situation around, and tried to get his brain working again.
Then he returned to the baseline and prepared to serve.
Gawain took a look at Istomin's position. He was even-handed, slightly leaning toward the forehand. Because Istomin has a strong backhand ability, he often focuses on protecting the forehand. If Gawain chooses to serve with the backhand, Istomin will
Tomin is also able to gain space through his footwork and hitting technique.
The breeze is blowing, and the cheers and applause in the outfield can be vaguely captured, but it more and more highlights the tranquility of the No. 2 court; the golden sunlight jumps lightly on the green grass, dotted with white stars, and the crystal clear sunlight is dense in the air.
, like an exquisite oil painting, but it is precisely this elegance that makes the tense nerves almost break.
Kick the ground!
The breeze ruffled the hem of Gao Wen's white jersey.
Toss the ball!
The body is like a full bow and arrow, compressed to the extreme and then released.
Hit the ball!
First shot, outer corner, speed 177 kilometers per hour——
Serve with reduced force!
The tennis ball was wrapped in a ball of golden sunlight and crossed the entire court along a diagonal line. Finally, it landed accurately on the blind spot of the small triangle outside the service area.
boom!
The tennis ball hits the sideline drawn with white powder and splashes out a cloud of powder. This is also one of the characteristics of the grass. The linesman can often judge whether the line is pressed through the splash of white powder, which can also be seen by players and spectators.
, like an elf dancing in the grass.
When serving, the ball speed is not very fast, but the landing point is accurate.
Istomin was fully focused, moved quickly laterally, and started his backhand with both hands early to prepare for the shot.
Step, step, step again...
Istomin has realized that Gao Wen's serve needs a landing point, and uses strong side spin to open up the angle. His footwork is obviously lacking, so that the arrival time is a bit late. His upper body must be stretched out, at the limit of his body.
Click on it and barely complete one shot.
And, that's not all -
With a quick glance from the corner of his eyes, Istomin saw a swordsman in flowing white clothes. His steps were light and graceful, his figure was tall and handsome, and he was quickly approaching the net in the blink of an eye.
Serve to the net!
Facing the match point, Istomin became even more nervous, while Gao Wen had completely relaxed and chose the most classic serve and net on the grass field.
In today's game, this is not the first time that Gao Wen serves and hits the net, but overall, he sticks to the bottom line more. After all, Gao Wen is a baseline player.
Suddenly Istomin chose to serve and go to the net. Istomin, who was only one step away from victory, felt the pressure. His hand became tighter at the moment, and the touch of the backhand hit was subconsciously more conservative. He stood towards Gawain.
Hit back.
Exactly the same——
It is almost the same routine as the point at "40:30". The difference is that in that point, the forehand attack followed the ball to the net, while in this point, the serve was directly chosen to go to the net.
Istomin tried to squeeze Gao Wen's swing space with a close return ball again, and finally caused Gao Wen to make a return error.
One step, one step, Istomin braked in time, controlled his body, and followed the flight of the tennis ball towards Gawain. Then his pupils shrank slightly, and you could see that Gawain was adjusting his steps to get out of the way.
To gain space for swinging, but judging from the distance, it seems impossible to adjust——
Is it possible?
Istomin's heart was soaring high, and joy and happiness were gushing out.