When the Binghamton Challenge quarter-finals come to an end and the final four are determined, the list is worth savoring.
Top half, "Alexander Zverev VS Wayne-Odensnik (Wayne-Odensnik)".
Lower half, "Sergei Stakhovsky VS Gawain".
Among them, the top seed and the second seed successfully defended their glory and both reached the semi-finals, only one step away from meeting in the finals.
The two favorites who have been the absolute focus of attention from the first day of the event continue to attract media attention. So can the expected showdown happen?
Or to put it another way, can the other two top four players break the situation?
The situations of these two players are slightly different.
Odensnik is the eighth seed. In other words, he is also one of the high-ranking players. He is 29 years old this year and has been a professional for exactly ten years. He once reached the third round of the French Open in 2008.
, creating the best personal Grand Slam record, and reaching a career-high ranking of 77th in 2009.
Although the state has declined due to injuries in recent years, and the world ranking has fallen out of the top 300, it is still very competitive in challenge level events, even Zverev or Stachovsky.
Don't take it lightly, victory or defeat is often just a matter of millimeters.
And Gawain?
With no world rankings and no professional experience, the NCAA record has no reference value in the tournament. He is basically a player who jumped out of the cracks in the rocks. However, now he has become Binghamton’s biggest dark horse, and he is also the news media.
The core figure at the center of the hype——
People who don’t understand the situation may find it baffling why the news media always discuss Gawain and Zverev together?
Who is Gawain? Is he the illegitimate son of the Binghamton Challenge tournament director?
But those who are truly informed know that it was just a beautiful misunderstanding, unintentional, and reporters did not expect such a direction.
However, the reality is:
Indeed, people are looking forward to the two favorites Zverev and Stachovsky meeting each other and dedicating a wonderful final clash, pushing the enthusiasm of the event to a climax and ending it perfectly. This is undoubtedly the most exciting final.
A happy ending, but on the other hand, people can't resist a ridiculous idea.
If Gao Wen advances to the final, will he play against Zverev Jr.?
An unknown and unknown player, a young player who was ignored, neglected and despised, an unknown player who was considered insignificant and not worth mentioning, but he stood in front of the top seed and competed for the championship? Such a story will inevitably lead to
With a hint of fairy tale color, it is indeed exciting.
Moreover, before Zverev Jr., the duel between Gao Wen and Stakhovsky is also exciting.
Don’t forget that at the beginning, in order to create explosive points, the reporters tried their best to create connections. They also asked Stakhovsky for his opinion, but Stakhovsky gave a vague answer.
I took it over and didn't give a positive response.
However, a connection was still formed between the two players:
Who could have known that a name mentioned casually at that time would actually come to Stachovsky's face?
"Sergey, do you remember Gao's name? Did you expect this day to come?"
After the quarter-finals, Stachovsky was asked relevant questions. It could be seen that the media reporters were extremely excited, as if they had picked up gold on the roadside, and were surprised by Gawain's way of killing.
Happy again.
Stakhovsky's answer still seemed very sophisticated.
He said that he had watched some of Gao Wen's games and that Gao Wen's performance was very good and fully worthy of being in the semi-finals. He would go all out in the future and hope to provide a wonderful match.
Compared to Zverev Jr., Stakhovsky is watertight and quietly eliminates all attacks from the media without leaving a trace, leaving no opportunity for reporters to take advantage of.
But will journalists give up so easily?
The answer is obvious.
In the bustling place, all attention was focused on the semi-finals in the lower half.
Of course, the first half is also worth looking forward to. After all, Odensnik's strength should not be underestimated, and Zverev has stumbled in the three games so far. Who wins or loses still depends on the on-the-spot performance, the strength and strength of both sides.
The status is closer, and the game content is more beautiful.
However, who can refuse the lower half?
The story of "dark horse VS seed" is always the key to writing myths in competitive sports. Whether it is the dark horse's reversal or the seed's victory, the ending is exciting; what's more, the result of this showdown is a good show no matter how you look at it——
If Stachovsky wins, then the final will be the peak showdown between the seeds. The most interesting one is naturally "No. 1 VS No. 2", but "No. 2 VS No. 8" is also good.
If Gao Wen wins, then the final will be another "dark horse VS seed". If it is Odensnik, this matchup may be slightly inferior, but if it is Zverev, it will be Mars hitting the earth. All reporters
They never expected that a mention that they picked up easily would become the biggest highlight of this challenge?
This is so exciting!
The focus is really one after another, so exciting that people want to scream.
Gurgling.
Gurgling.
The July sunshine enveloped every corner of Binghamton, and a burning smell could be smelled in the air. Residents of the entire town came out in droves and gathered together, looking forward to this year's challenge.
Ushering in an ending worth looking forward to.
In the semi-finals, the horn sounds.
The first one to appear was Stachovsky versus Gawain——
In any case, the other seed matchup is more worth looking forward to, and Zverev is still the top seed, so he has to give some face after all, so it is reasonable for the semifinals in the second half to start first.
What is certain is that Stakhovsky is the more favored party.
Although the media is talking about it, the focus of the topic is constantly surrounding Gawain, and the expectations of the town residents are also rising.
However, there is a saying that Gao Wen has no world ranking and is simply a Monkey King who jumped out of the cracks in the rocks. So far, all the players he has played in the three rounds have been unseeded players. Even Kokkinakis has no weight. Now
Suddenly facing the second seed, I'm afraid my true colors will be revealed.
Moreover, isn’t the ultimate showdown of any event always “No. 1 seed VS No. 2 seed”? Unless it is a special situation of the Big Four, then if you want to see the most exciting game, the meeting of the top two seeds will always be
The most anticipated thing, naturally, the expectations are tilted towards Stachovsky.
Does this scene sound familiar?
Everything seems so familiar, but life is like this. In a trance, I always feel as if I have experienced exactly the same moment before, and then repeat it again and again.