In fact, judging from the big score, Istomin leads "2:1". Even if the fourth set is lost, there will still be a fifth set. There is no need to mess up the position. It is far from being said to be on the edge of the cliff.
But things are not that simple.
Istomin was able to realize Gawain's timing. In this game, his ambition to win was rising steadily, and his backhand hit the straight line accurately. His condition was fully recovering. If he gave up the victory in the fourth set, then he would lose the fourth set.
There may be no chance of turning things around in five sets.
He needs to keep this serve.
Breathe deeply, breathe deeply again.
Even though his blood was boiling, his knees were shaking, he could hardly lift his steps, and his physical strength was still at its peak; however, he needed to fight.
——"15:40", ACE, serve, finally came back, the first serve with a speed of 177 kilometers per hour was not fast, but the landing point in the outer corner of the second area was very accurate.
Save the first break point in the simplest and most efficient way.
——"30:40", two consecutive forehand attacks to suppress the baseline, just on the baseline, the irregular bounce affected Gao Wen's return handling, and then the third forehand attack slash, although Gao Wen's footsteps
It was already in place, but the swing was still a little slow, and the return ball flew straight away.
Save the second break point with an absolutely strong and proactive approach.
"ah!"
Istomin also roared out, clenched his fists, raised his head to the sky and roared, the murderous aura deep in his eyes penetrated the sports glasses and hit Gawain back.
Gawain, smiled——
Not because of happiness, but because of anger.
He was very dissatisfied with his performance. The difficulty of the shot just now was indeed there, but he could definitely handle it. However, he wasted another break point by making a mistake. In such a game, any chance is wasted carelessly.
All may lead to irreparable consequences.
He laughed in anger.
Gawain stood there, looking down at his racket. The more he thought about it, the more ridiculous he became. However, the anger was not vented, but turned into a smile. The corners of his mouth raised, and he shook his head slightly. He couldn't believe the wasted opportunity just now.
, and then remind yourself that you must remember the lesson firmly.
Otherwise, if you lose the game in the end, you won't be able to blame others.
In the blink of an eye, there were three break points in a row, and only the last one was left.
call.
Gawain let out a heavy breath and walked slowly towards the bottom line of the second area. His eyes were still fixed on the shooting line, but his brain was thinking about the layout.
Focus!
Stay focused!
In the second zone, there is no doubt that this is the more confident side of Istomin.
He can choose the outside corner of the second area to suppress his backhand. Although he has been scored by Gao Wen's backhand in a straight line before, such situations are still rare; he can also choose the inside corner of the second area to hit his forehand to gain space for subsequent attacks and connect the layout of continuous attacks.
, and finally managed to control the situation.
So, outside corner? Inside corner? Chasing? Or some other strategy?
Everyone, hold your breath.
Istomin served——
Close.
To be precise, Istomin sneaked a serve that was close to the backhand.
From a strategic perspective, it was still a matter of pressing the backhand, but Istomin guessed that Gawain might choose to move forward to grab the serve, so he simply narrowed the angle of the serve, trying to create a situation where Gawain would hit the tennis ball himself.
Istomin was indeed prepared for this point.
If Gawain predicts and moves ahead of time, it means he is too clever to be clever.
Gao Wen did move ahead of time, and the swing space was indeed compressed due to the movement of his footsteps, which meant that he was hit head-on, and the close serve turned into a chasing serve. He saw a car accident imminent.
However, when crises and accidents occur, each player handles them differently. This is also the charm of different trends in tennis matches.
Lean back.
Squat.
Push block.
——Side cut.
At the moment when his body was about to hit the tennis ball, Gawain leaned his upper body back to open up space, and used a one-handed backhand to make a diagonal shot and cut the tennis ball back.
Be adaptable!
This is Federer's classic tactic on grass courts, using side cuts to slow down the pace of the serve-return round, and then matching the ball with the ball to the net.
It can be seen at this time that Gao Wen still has not fully adapted to the grass. After the inspiration of cutting the ball to the side burst out, he did not follow the net, but continued to stay on the baseline, adjust his steps, and wait for the return ball.
On the opposite side, Istomin saw Gawain's movements and immediately realized that his strategy had worked; but then he saw the side cut and was not sure again.
However, Istomin was highly focused and firmly took the initiative——
Lead the shot with both hands in advance, squat down on the knees, lower the center of gravity, the right knee can almost touch the grass, and hit the front with the backhand with both hands.
Slash, collision, power!
Istomin launched the attack without hesitation, slamming the tennis ball back with a diagonal backhand shot with both hands, a perfect combination of power and speed.
Like an arrow, hitting the red heart——
On that side, one can clearly feel the passivity of the receiving side from Gao Wen. He must make on-the-spot adjustments according to the serving side's strategy; once the serving performance is excellent, his footsteps will further sink into the quagmire, especially in
On grass, this phenomenon will be further amplified.
Although Gao Wen's idea of just receiving the serve effectively resolved the crisis, Istomin's unrelenting follow-up attack connection followed.
It's fast, heavy, flat and low. Even if Gao Wen's steps are smoothly in place, there is still not much space left to hit the ball. His situation is very passive; but Gao Wen is not ready to surrender, and his backhand with both hands instantly increases the speed.
As if hitting the wall, hit the tennis ball back again.
slash!
Here, just when everyone thought that Gawain and Istomin would have a strong showdown on the backhand position, Istomin broke the balance.
Change line——
Standing on the edge of the cliff, Istomin's brain started working again, and he broke the routine for the first time. Unexpected! Unexpected! Unexpected!
It was precisely because of such an accident that Istomin finally completed the layout before Gawain, and his backhand shot in a straight line really caught Gawain off guard.
At this moment, people realized, oh, by the way, Istomin is the one with the upper hand in this game.
On the opposite side of the court, Gao Wen was passive, very, very passive. His second start after the sudden stop and turn was already very agile, but the lateral distance from one end of the court to the other still made him lose his advantage bit by bit, even if Iss
Tomin's straight line did not pursue the ultimate, leaving some space. When Gawain arrived at the position, he had already missed the hitting point. There was almost no hitting space. The only thing he could do was——
Pull topspin.
Because his footwork is too passive, Gao Wen must gain time and space for his return defense. The bottom line moon ball is his best opportunity.
This is not only defense, but also counterattack, because Gao Wen understands that relying solely on passive defense and waiting for the opponent to make mistakes cannot reverse the situation. He needs to take risks, be proactive, and be determined. Only in this way can he find opportunities to counterattack. Even if
Don't hesitate to take risks.
As a result, the tennis ball flew high, drawing a high and full arc, and penetrated into the golden sunlight. All the audience looked up at the sky.