It wasn't the speed or rhythm of the ball, but the progress of the game. Before he could blink, Wawrinka's three consecutive game points "popped" and disappeared without a trace, and then... the break point appeared just like that.
What...what's going on?
In the opening stage, Gao Wen was really in full swing in terms of tactical layout, rhythm control, and batting feel. Whether active or passive, he was always able to make the best batting choice and firmly grasp the situation.
"40:AD".
Wawrinka was in danger, and it was the second consecutive service game after the opening.
The audience who had not yet fully entered the game state were a little stunned. They were looking forward to a wonderful collision, but they did not expect that the excitement would take place so quickly!
Break point.
The hearts of the audience were beating wildly, but the court seemed particularly calm.
Second District.
Wawrinka serves——
outer corner.
With a classic routine at a speed of 199 kilometers per hour, Wawrinka found a serve at a critical moment. It required speed, speed, strength, strength, and landing point. The tennis ball rolled up a wave of air and swept across the entire court.
Gao Wen barely reached the position and barely touched the ball. He could only react passively. Without the time and space to react, he barely managed to get a topspin on his backhand.
However, the swing movement of the two-handed backhand was not complete and could not be fully opened, the top spin was obviously insufficient, and the line and landing point were not as expected.
Not satisfactory.
The opportunity comes to Wawrinka.
Wawrinka, who established an advantage through serving, followed up with the second attack without hesitation, and did not need to switch to the forehand and backhand directly.
Stretch, open, exert force——
Wawrinka's one-handed backhand was chic and violent, with the two contradictory qualities of elegance and power perfectly blended together. It instantly opened up the entire field on the diagonal line, bombarding it like a heavy artillery.
Gawain reacted awkwardly.
Although Gao Wen's steps were on the backhand position and did not need to cross the court, Wawrinka tore the diagonal line apart, so that Gao Wen's steps were completely pulled out of the singles line, and his upper body was extended to barely touch the ball.
However!
In the predicament, Gawain also showed the temperament of a master. He was completely calm in the face of danger, and he was embarrassed, but he was not surprised. He was mentally prepared for Wawrinka's backhand ability, and he had already completed the idea when he stepped out.
Backhand, cutting.
Cutting again.
Gawain did not choose to attack forcefully, but used a cutting shot to subvert the rhythm——
Backhand, straight line.
The route is what Gao Wen is most familiar with and good at, but the hitting method is different.
The tennis ball swayed around the court from the outside of the ball post, cut sideways into the court like a banana ball, and landed on the baseline triangle in a straight line.
Light, clever, and astounding in skill.
This is not the first time that Gao Wen has played such a line, but every time he hits it, he always wins a lot of praise, and today is no exception——
The O2 Arena was filled with exclamations of surprise.
Their eyes were all looking to the other side.
Wawrinka is running across the court, running wildly. Although he is fast, defense is really not his strong point. He does not change his position and posture during the defensive run. You can tell at a glance that this is an offensive posture.
This is also true.
Get in position, push on the ground, roll up, lift, sweep——
The forehand stroke is done in one go.
Faced with Gawain's backspin cut, Wawrinka used his forehand to curl up the racket, but the speed of the racket head increased significantly, with an outward force, which increased the tail force of the fall, and the tennis ball followed a diagonal line.
Fly up.
It can be seen at this time that Wawrinka's steps and body are very awkward. The detailed adjustments between defense and offense are still not smooth enough, and it is obvious that he cannot regain his center of gravity.
Of course, as long as Wawrinka's offense is of sufficient quality and creates strong enough pressure, this little detail deviation can be smoothed out and adjusted quickly.
Obviously, Wawrinka was aware of Gawain's tactical intention, and used cutting to slow down the rhythm to complete the adjustment. The next step was to switch from defense to offense; in order to restrict Gawain, Wawrinka still chose to force it even though his body movements were not in place.
Attack, continue to improve the offensive quality of the forehand.
However, for top players, this fleeting detail deviation may become a gap in the layout of counterattack. The key point is whether the opponent can "catch up" with this gap through prediction, movement, and adjustment.
After all, everything in tennis is about timing.
Therefore, the focus is still on the game——
Wawrinka is increasing his rhythm and speed, compressing the space for Gawain to switch from defense to offense; Gawain is making arrangements, trying to cut into the gap between Wawrinka's transition from offense to defense.
Both players are adhering to their own tactics and completing the layout through hitting the ball. The back-and-forth competition hides the edge in every corner.
All eyes followed Wawrinka's diagonal forehand, crossing the net and looking to the other side.
Gawain was moving quickly, crossing the court. The previous cut gave him some room to adjust. He pulled back his center of gravity and sprinted at full speed. In a flash, he had already arrived on the track of the incoming ball.
Step after step, his right leg made an emergency brake to control his body. The impact of the reaction force surged all the way down his calf, and finally the push was completed through a turning movement. In the same predicament and similar situation, Gawain and Wawrinka chose to fight back head-on, inch by inch.
No, but the method is slightly different.
work hard?
That's right, the force is exerted, but it is not a flat strike, but a strong topspin, a "na-style forehand".
Hit the ball, pull up, wrap your head, and release the ball.
An obvious topspin trajectory can be seen in the entire hitting action, and the power is released instantly, relying on the strong friction between the racket string and the tennis ball to complete the push.
boom!
You can feel the power of this shot from the sound of hitting the ball. The mustard yellow light and shadow return to Wawrinka's forehand along the diagonal like a hurricane, but the entire tail force of the pull and collision is completely
Going up a level, the shock wave of rhythm and intensity is suffocating.
But saw——
Wawrinka was originally preparing to return to the midfield defense but pulled back again. The slightly invisible dislocation in the transition between offense and defense was slightly shifted, just like gears shifting their positions one by one.
But this time, Wawrinka was not passive.
With a forehand sweep, he immediately stepped forward without hesitation.
"Strength vs Power".
"Forehand VS Forehand".
Wawrinka was not afraid at all, but he also realized that in the past two months, he had not felt good on his forehand and could not handle the spin, so he subconsciously hit the forehand with more force, trying to suppress the spin through power.
ah!
Wawrinka exerted his strength.
Ahhhh!
Forehand, sweep, impact.
Following the power of the swing, Wawrinka's body was pulled outward by the centrifugal force. He took a step with his right leg to control the inertia, and the swing was completely thrown out. This was the completion of the shot, and the tennis ball was almost exploded.
boom!
Violent enough, strong enough, fierce enough.
This is Wawrinka!
A layman can watch the excitement, an expert can watch the door -
To the uninitiated, Wawrinka continues to output, one shot after another, and launches continuous attacks with his forehand. When facing break points, he dares to take action and attack.
For an expert, you can immediately notice Gawain's counterattack. Starting from the passivity and embarrassment of receiving the serve, the balance of the confrontation has gradually been restored. Wawrinka's continued strength is precisely because he felt Gawain's counterattack, and he had no way out.
We can only continue to be strong and keep applying pressure.
At the break point, the situation was very tight and very delicate, and both players were improving their condition.