For one second, two seconds, my eyes followed the tennis ball, flying all the way, landing smoothly, and finishing perfectly in bounds, bringing the final perfect ending to this point.
Then--
"ah!"
Suddenly, Gawain soared into the air, jumping three feet into the air. The pure joy and happiness rushed to his brain like a tide, and he instantly returned to the simplest childhood moments.
Jump, jump again, jump high again.
"Ah! Ahhh!"
Cheering, celebrating, roaring, heartily venting the happiness in his chest, the smile on his lips bloomed at Arthur Ashe Stadium in the early morning.
Won.
Everything is so simple.
“Incredible!”
"This is incredible!"
", the fourth one came true. Gao Wen won this point with a net volley winner. He saved three consecutive break points in the ninth game of the fourth set and then held serve and turned around to complete the break in the tenth game."
"Victory by force."
"'4:6', '6:4', '7:6(5)', '6:4', this is the final score of the game."
"In the second semi-final of the 2015 US Open men's singles, Gauvin defeated Federer in four sets and advanced to the final on Sunday. He will compete for the championship with Djokovic, who had already fought hard to advance to Dimitrov."
"Gawain, make it to the finals!"
As he spoke, Zhan Jun's eyes became slightly red uncontrollably.
"Two weeks ago, no one was sure, including Gowan himself, whether he was coming to New York to try to defend his title."
"A week ago, an unexpected ankle sprain in the third round disrupted the plan."
"Seeing that Gao Wen's US Open journey this year is coming to an end, even Gao Wen's father and team have indicated that he should withdraw from the competition."
"However……"
"but!"
"Now, Gao Wen is about to step on the Arthur Ashe final stage for the second consecutive year, striving to become the first men's singles player to defend the US Open championship in nine years."
"Once again, Gawain used his unyielding will and tenacious spirit to show the grace of the God of War and reinterpret the charm of tennis."
"For the second consecutive Grand Slam, he faced Swiss world champion Federer in the semi-finals. This time, Gawain wrote a different ending in New York."
"incredible!"
"Before tonight's semi-final match, Federer swept all the way through the North American summer hard court season without losing a set. In the quarter-final match against Wawrinka, he still showed no blood, showing a fiery touch and aiming for the championship."
"The other side is Gawain's predicament. He unfortunately failed to reach the semi-finals in two consecutive Grand Slams. Although his performance was very good, it still caused a lot of controversy and doubts. Sudden injuries completely disrupted the preparation plan for the US Open."
"Between one plus and one minus, Federer's probability of winning is rising straight up."
"No one expected that Gao Wen once again showed his top level, not only restraining Federer to win the game, but also ending the battle within four sets."
"nobody!"
"But Gawain did it again. Not the first time, not the second time...of course, it won't be the last time."
Emotionally.
passionate.
Even the most ardent and loyal fans gave the boldest guesses and expected Gao Wen to win the game, but no one dared to make such a crazy prediction——
It was crisp, straightforward, and won in four sets. The whole match took three hours and forty-seven minutes.
Everything is so beautiful, just like a fairy tale.
On the court.
Gawain was like a child, jumping up and down happily, using all his strength to release his happiness, and his smile bloomed without reservation.
But the celebration did not last long. Gao Wen ran all the way to the net, opened his arms and gave Federer a strong and warm hug.
"exciting competition."
"exciting competition!"
Federer patted Gawain's shoulder heavily, with mixed feelings and thousands of words swirling on his tongue, but in the end he didn't know how to express it.
For Federer, there is no doubt that he is disappointed, even more disappointed than Murray——
Whether it's Wimbledon or Flushing, Federer is here to win the championship. It's not just talk. His confidence and state have reached their peak. From physical fitness to technique to feel, Federer is sure that he has reached a harmonious state.
, is indeed the most competitive moment in recent years.
He believes that he can win the Grand Slam championship again; at the same time, he has proved himself in this way.
If the unbeatable record of the grass court season is not convincing enough, after all, he did not encounter the real top players in Halle, then the North American summer hard court season is different.
Djokovic, Murray, Wawrinka, a series of players all won in straight scores.
Federer is truly at his peak.
However.
but.
pity.
Unexpectedly, it stopped again.
The bitterness of losing to Djokovic in the Wimbledon final was overwhelming, and it took Federer a long time to digest the result of that game and regain his composure.
As a result, he was stopped in the semifinals in Flushing and was blocked by Gawain at the entrance to the finals. Those mixed emotions swarmed up and even he could not help but lose his composure.
But……
Gawain was indeed outstanding, starting from the first point of the first set and continuing to the last point of the fourth set, throughout the whole game.
It's not just impact.
Federer truly felt Gawain's comprehensive growth and transformation, and his indomitable momentum became the turning point at the critical moment of today's match.
All kinds of flavors surge on the tip of the tongue.
At the end, Federer hugged Gawain again and patted the young man on the back.
"Keep-Fighting, Keep-Pounding."
Not a slogan, but an inspiration.
In this way, Federer hopes that Gao Wen can continue to fight on the final stage.
Then, Federer smiled, let go of his arms, shook hands with the referee, and walked towards his dugout.
"Roger!"
There was a call from behind, and Federer stopped reflexively.
Then, Federer saw Gawain hitting his chest with his fist, banging twice.
The heart is still beating and fighting constantly.
One action is enough.
The smile on Federer's lips rose, he raised his head and chest, and strode towards the players' dugout.
Behind him, the cheers and applause at Arthur Ashe Stadium gradually surged and began to rise steadily——
Because of Federer and also because of Gawain.
Until this moment, this is still Federer's undisputed home court. When the moment came, the heartbroken voices of the fans in the audience could be clearly heard.
Not just sadness, not just bitterness, but also disappointment and pain that words cannot describe, and my heart is almost about to burst.
But that’s competitive sports, isn’t it?
The sweetness of victory comes precisely from the pain of defeat; the excitement of confrontation comes precisely from the excitement of the collision of powerful forces; the taste of suspense comes precisely from the inextricable and unpredictable stalemate.
When the game ends, victory and defeat take two different paths, but defeat does not mean defeat.
Just like tonight.
Federer may have lost the match, but he was definitely not a loser.
same.
No one should discredit Gawain's victory, because it is a respect for Federer and an affirmation of Gawain.
So, the applause started again.
One wave after another; one wave after another.
"Bah! Roger!"
"Bah! Gawain!"
Gradually, the momentum filled the entire stadium, and as Gawain re-entered the stadium, he waved and thanked the audience, climbing to a new peak.