How should you play when you are in the lead? Or, to be more precise, how should you play when you are facing a strong counterattack by your opponent? To be more precise, how should you play when you are facing a player with Zverev’s style trying to launch a counterattack?
Gawain's answer is to change the rhythm.
The seventeen-year-old Zverev is still too immature after all. He is far from reaching the top ten in the world in the future. He seems to have few options when it comes to hitting behind.
On the first serve, Gao Wen suddenly lost power and served at a speed of only 163 kilometers per hour.
Zverev's judgment was accurate. He took a long stride and swung the forehand, ready to exert all his strength. However, the power of the ball was significantly lower than expected. In the blind exertion of force, the hitting action was deformed, and the return of the ball was completely unreliable.
There is no parabola to speak of, it flies straight out of the bottom line.
Ridiculously out of bounds.
"15:0".
As soon as he served, Gao Wen suddenly increased his speed and hit the middle of the serve with a speed of 188 kilometers per hour.
Zverev was obviously unprepared, his steps were slightly slower when he released the ball from the side, and the tennis ball had already hit the racket frame and flew ridiculously towards the spectator stands.
"30:0".
On the first serve, Gao Wen once again reduced his force and pursued the landing point, aiming for a light and thin outer corner.
Zverev was pulled out of the court and made a difficult flying hook shot. He finally completed a qualified return; but there were not many choices for the return route, it could only be a diagonal line.
As a result, Gawain had already been waiting there.
A light forehand hit in a straight line without pursuing power or speed. Once again, by controlling the landing point, the ball hits the gap and the winning point is effortlessly achieved.
"40:0".
On the first serve, Gao Wen sent out a high-quality flat serve with a speed of 185 kilometers per hour. He made an ultimate inside-angle serve and landed at the T-point.
ACE.
Zverev Jr. failed to touch a tennis ball.
"Love-game", Gao Wen simply won his serve, realized his break advantage, and took a "2:0" lead in the second set.
what happened?
Is Zverev really so weak? Is Gao Wen really so powerful?
of course not.
The most important part is tennis wisdom. If a game is compared to a war, then Gawain cleverly uses Sun Tzu's Art of War to change the situation of the battle. Use force when it is time to exert force, change when it is time to change, be tough when it is time to be tough, and be tough when it is time to be strong.
When accelerating, Zverev could not keep up.
In terms of batting strength, Zverev is definitely better than Gao Wen, but just look at Gao Wen's serve and you will know——
Zverev still did not get rid of his own ideological ruts, he just wanted to exert force, but Gawain used cleverness to win, and changes were always ahead.
More importantly, little Zverev's attention was a little distracted, and he just kept trying to exert force, force, and force again, trying to suppress Gawain through strength.
But after falling into such a pattern, the hitting action becomes stiff, and not only is it easy to miss the hitting point, but even if the hitting point is accurately found, the tennis ball is not wrapped well, and it is very, very easy to lose control of the parabolic flight trajectory.
So, with two serve points, a forehand winner and an ace, Gao Wen easily won his serve in the blink of an eye.
Zverev turned around and looked at his players' box, furiously cursing.
The whole audience burst into boos——
No one who watches tennis likes players who lose their temper on the court. It is not only disrespectful but also disrespectful.
These boos once again irritated little Zverev, and he became furious, forming a vicious circle.
Look at the little Zverev in front of him. He not only has to compete with Gawain, but also with the entire audience. It is difficult to concentrate. The slightest disturbance may make him distracted, and then he will irritate the audience.
, as if the whole world was against him.
"40:40", after three equal points, Gao Wen broke serve again.
"40:0", then Gao Wen guaranteed service again.
"30:40", then Gawain broke serve for the third time.
In the blink of an eye, the trend of the second set showed signs of collapse. Gao Wen was already far ahead with a big score of "5:0" and ushered in his own serve to win the game.
Unexpected!
Totally unexpected!
Even if the audience had imagined that Gawain might overturn Zverev and win in an upset, no one could have expected that the score would be so disparate. From the process to the result, it can be seen that the situation is one-sided.
Lev's seeming inability to mount a confrontation is truly disappointing.
Are you sure you didn't get the wrong script?
Although Zverev was occasionally able to hit amazing shots and win applause from the audience, he was unable to string together a string and gave up match point.
"40:30".
As Zverev's return ball went out of bounds again, Gao Wen ushered in the first match point of the day in his serve game.
"Ho ho ho!"
"Ahhh!"
In the stands, Macdonald and Giron both stood up. They and Tobias were sitting in Gowen's player box to watch the game. At this time, they all waved their fists to cheer for Gowen, amidst the wave of cheers from the audience.
, stood firmly on Gawain’s side——
The audience was dissatisfied. It was the first full-house event in more than ten years. They were looking forward to seeing a tit-for-tat showdown with Maimang. The result was this?
They all began to cheer for little Zverev, hoping that the top seed could rise strongly and allow this duel to continue, so that they would not let down the ticket price.
But Macdonald and Gillon were different. They shouted at the top of their lungs, expecting Gawain to win the victory in one go.
The whole place was boiling.
Because the noise at the scene was so loud that Gao Wen failed to serve twice, and the referee had to repeatedly ask the audience to quiet down.
"The players are ready. Thank you!"
It wasn't until the third time that the scene finally became quiet, but Gao Wen's serving rhythm was obviously disrupted. His first serve hit the net and he had to face the situation of his second serve.
In fact, when the game came to the end of the second set, Zverev had gradually calmed down and regained his attention, because he realized that he was already standing on the edge of the cliff. If he didn't give it a try, he might not have a chance.
, so the quality of batting has also improved significantly. Coupled with the concentration, the entire confrontation can become a stalemate again.
Just look at the score, "40:30", Gao Wen faced a severe test in his serve to win the game.
The closer to the end of the game, the more dangerous it becomes.
Gawain also realized the crisis.
On the one hand, Zverev is back to his best form, and on the other hand, he is distracted——
In any case, this is Gao Wen's first professional tour final. Once he wins, it is his first championship. Just getting close to victory will inevitably cause slight ripples in his mentality. This little fluctuation is reflected in
On top of the batting feel, the quality naturally declines.
The figure of Kokkinakis appeared in Gawain's mind.
In the first round, Kokkinakis got the match point, but the result fluctuated, giving Gao Wen a chance to reverse; and now, he is also giving Zverev a chance.