Gao Wen is very much looking forward to the game against Youzhny, because like Fey Lopez, he is a player with distinctive characteristics and is definitely not an ordinary power-based style.
Youzhny is right-handed and uses a one-handed backhand, but he is different from Federer, Federer, Wawrinka, Dimitrov, Shapovalov and other SLR players:
His SLR is a traditional type.
In other words, SLRs are basically focused on cutting, either transitional or defensive, and do not have the ability to attack hard. Only later did the rise of Federer and Wawrinka subvert people's stereotype of SLRs.
But Youzhny's SLR is not that simple, otherwise he would not be able to still be among the top twenty in the world in 2013 and should have been eliminated long ago.
More than one player and expert said that Youzhny has one of the best backhand slices in the world, because there are many hidden changes, and the wrapping power is very strong, and his defensive attack can always put his opponent in trouble.
Except for Nadal who doesn't chip at all, other players need to be careful when facing such returns.
If you watch the match between Federer and Youzhny, you can see the backhand chipping duel between the two players, and everything is eight to ten shots. This is also a very rare sight.
For Gao Wen, in the current professional tour, almost all players use simple strokes, with few changes in rhythm, rotation and hitting methods. The content of the game is very simple:
Of course, you can definitely win by winning, but this is not Gawain's style.
Changes, layouts, tactics, and games have always been an important part of Gao Wen's game, so he hopes to play against players of different styles as much as possible, and then draw different nutrients from them to enrich his game content.
Only in this way can we continue to challenge the Big Four head-on, instead of waiting for time and injuries to weaken their abilities, and then be complacent about a lucky victory and think that we can match them——
If you want to challenge the Big Four, of course you have to challenge them at their peak.
That's what makes it interesting.
So, playing against Fey Lopez and playing against Youzhny is a learning opportunity.
Moreover, Youzhny's trump card is not just backhand cutting.
If excellent backhand cutting allows Youzhny to survive on the tour, then backhand straight line is a fatal weapon.
Long before Nadal emerged with super topspin, Youzhny was able to use strong topspin on his backhand to complete an incredible straight line change, thereby turning the situation around.
People often think of Youzhny as a simple power player because of his size, muscles and "soldier" image, but in fact Youzhny's delicate touch has always been the secret weapon hidden under the muscles.
He handles many returns very carefully and very softly. It can be said that he is strong and soft at the same time, as if he is wearing a pair of velvet gloves on his big steel hands. This is why he can perform well on different venues.
Don't be fooled by appearance.
If you have to say Youzhny's shortcoming, it is not his backhand as ordinary fans think, but his serve.
A professional tennis magazine once described Youzhny's serve as being like an unlucky poker player who often fails to use his serve when it is urgently needed, and then fails miserably.
Youzhny's serve is not bad, but he always lacks a little bit of control. First, there are very few ACEs; second, there are very high fluctuations at critical moments, which is always of no help; third, the quality of the first and second serves is easily compromised.
It can be seen from the clear gap between the first-serve scoring rate and the second-serve scoring rate.
Watching Youzhny's games is often like a roller coaster with ups and downs. It's rarely because of problems with his backhand or movement, it's usually because of his serve.
The same is true for this game against Gawain.
In the first set of the game, Youzhny, who had suffered three consecutive hard-fought sets, was obviously slow to enter the state. In the first service game, he went wild and lost four points in a row and suffered a break; and most of the time, there was no need to wait for Gawain to launch an attack.
Youzhny's own mistakes already cost him points.
In the entire match, Youzhny's first-server scoring rate was only 51%, which also meant that he always had to face the dilemma of Gao Wen attacking his second serve. Later, a vicious cycle affected the quality of his first serve, even if he scored a goal on his first serve.
The ball also lacked some threat, and the scoring rate of both the first and second serves began to drop.
Looking at the 38% second serve scoring rate, we can see how much pressure Youzhny is facing.
Moreover, Gao Wen was very well prepared for Youzhny's backhand cutting. Patience is the first factor. If the rotation of Youzhny's cutting is not clearly recognized, the quality of the return will be reduced, and Youzhny's forehand will be violent immediately.
Attack, so how to contain the backhand and create pressure is the key to the round ball.
Obviously, Gawain did a good job.
"6:2".
In the first set, Gao Wenbing easily won the game without any bloodshed and did not encounter many challenges.
In the last game, Youzhny smashed the racket to pieces, and even the racket frame completely collapsed. Gao Wen, who had "never seen the world", was stunned and couldn't look away from Youzhny's racket.
Move away.
When Youzhny returned to his seat to change his racket, he shouted to Gao Wen, "Don't worry, I won't hit anyone."
As a result, the entire audience burst into laughter, and the atmosphere was very relaxed.
Entering the second set, Youzhny regained his concentration, and his entire serving state improved significantly. His first-serve scoring rate increased to 72%, and his first-serve scoring rate also increased to 65%. His serving game clearly calmed down.
It also allowed him to launch more attacks in Gawain's serve game.
Youzhny's very characteristic one-handed backhand unexpectedly suppressed Gawain's forehand.
On the one hand, physical strength fluctuates, the rate of footwork decreases, and the accuracy of the hitting point is also affected; on the other hand, Youzhny's cutting changes indeed are very many, and this set of skills is extremely skilled, and game experience plays an important role.
It restrained Gao Wen's forehand, which lacked stability.
"4:6".
At the end of the set, Youzhny successfully broke Gawain's last unstoppable serve on the second break point, and the game entered the deciding set.
In the deciding set, the game failed to widen the gap, but Gao Wen still caught the gap in the fluctuation of Youzhny's serve in the middle stage of the set, quickly improved his condition, and caught Youzhny's two second serves and one first serve in a smooth manner.
The attack suppressed Youzhny until he was breathless, and the situation was reversed.
Gao Wen got two consecutive break points and successfully cashed in on the first break point. He used a very solid forehand straight backspin to force Youzhny's backhand to cut into the net. In the deciding set
Take the lead and maintain it steadily.
In his own service-winning game, Gao Wen withstood the test of deuce, contained Youzhny's final counterattack, did not give up a break point, and successfully realized the victory on the second match point.