Match point

Saw, stuck, sparked—

That's the best word to describe Court No. 33 at this moment, not only because of the [-]-shot round just now, but because the game situation is completely entangled.

First, Istomin got the match point in Gao Wen's serve, only one point away from the biggest upset since the start of Wimbledon in 2015; then Gao Wen got a break in Istomin's serve At the point, the round of running all over the field, passive defense, and giving it a go showed the audience the demeanor of a Grand Slam champion.

The audience is boiling.

"What an amazing way to get this one break point!"

In the commentary seat, there was shock and admiration, a simple sentence could deeply feel the storm in the mind, the scalp was numb and the whole body was trembling.

In the wave after wave of adrenaline frenzy, the commentators had to keep the last bit of calm and continue to explain in the squall of the audience.

"The next point is the real test for Istomin!"

"This break point is only the fourth that Gao Wen won in the whole game. The previous three came from one in the first set and two in the third set; and Istomin successfully recovered all three of them. A break point, so far this game still maintains a record of unbeaten serve."

"However, this break point is different from any previous one, even from the match point of the previous game."

"Obviously 3 minutes ago, he was still holding the match point and preparing to end the game, but in the blink of an eye he had to save the break point in order to continue the third set. Such ups and downs, such twists and turns, and such turbulent waves, all crowded together, have a great impact on psychology and state. posed serious challenges to the stability of the

"For Istomin, the key to victory is whether he can continue his consistent outstanding performance in the face of fluctuating mentality and stalemate situations."

Obviously, Gao Wen understands this, and Istomin also understands this, but precisely because he understands the importance of this point, subtle changes in mentality will also be the most severe test for players.

The audience on the No. [-] stadium also understood this point. After the overwhelming applause and cheers, they became quiet again, concentrating and staring with bated breath.

"30:40".

Before serving, Istomin could clearly see the movement of taking a deep breath and looking up at Gao Wen, as if he was keeping his mind calm.

Then, toss the ball—

Tennis, drilled into the sun, you can clearly see the golden powder being involved in the mustard yellow light and shadow, it seems to melt into the splendor, but it seems to be dyed green bit by bit, and it is in harmony with the court that is slowly spreading out in front of you. They merged into one, and finally turned into an arrow that traversed the entire field.

coming!

After the first shot, he entered the zone smoothly, but the clues can be seen from the state of the first shot:

Istomin's brain should have been racing with thoughts, not being able to sort out his thoughts.

He was not able to determine whether he should choose to fight or be conservative, whether he should increase the threat of the first round or reduce the risk to ensure that the first round will enter the zone to create pressure, and he could not determine whether he should attack after the first round or should seesaw. is blurry.

At critical moments, not having any ideas is dangerous, but too many ideas are dangerous.

As a result, Istomin's first serve went into the zone smoothly. However, the serving effect presented was ambiguous, and the tactical intention was unclear.

The speed is 180 kilometers per hour, which is quite satisfactory, neither fast nor slow.

The landing point is between the inner corner and the close body. It is neither awkward nor awkward. There is no room to tear apart the angle, and there is also no swing space to squeeze Gao Wen.

It's not a dish, it's just... mediocre.

As a result, it caught Gao Wen a little off guard——

This time, Gao Wen didn't predict, but followed Istomin's serve movement conditioned reflex to attack. His sight caught the inner corner of the tennis ball, and his footsteps rushed out. The attention made Gao Wen react immediately.

However, after stepping forward, I realized that Istomin's serve angle was not widened, and it was a bit embarrassing to serve not from close quarters or from the inside corner, so that my own movement seemed redundant. In the end, I collided with the car head-on, unexpectedly Form a squeeze effect and compress the space.

... Is this considered unintentional?

However, Gao Wen remained focused all the time, and his follow-up reaction speed was very fast. Although the forward inertia of his steps was too fast to brake, his upper body immediately leaned back to open the distance, and continued to swing his forehand along the track, his body was like The bow and arrow are generally full, and the forehand is attacked.

One touch, one top—

The forehand racket hit the tennis head-on, following the direction of the body's movement, before swinging the racket in time, it directly hit a backslash and rushed out.

Take advantage of it!

Because Gawain's entire body had been lifted into the air, he had no way to actively exert force. In the end, he could only push back the force of Istomin's serve.

Return quality, half-bad, lacks a bit of control, but returns land a little more than expected, and land deep enough even though the angles aren't ripped off.

……Chance?
In the blink of an eye, Gao Wen had already noticed the change in the situation. From Istomin's serve to his own return, the situation changed rapidly.

tread.

Gawain was adjusting his footsteps, and he was concentrating on Istomin's movements, and he had a vague guess.

tread, tread.

Gao Wen's center of gravity has moved slightly, and then he saw Istomin's hitting action, his guess was confirmed, and the movement followed immediately——

Istomin, indeed, was so overwhelmed with thoughts that he failed to sort out the tactics:

Facing Gao Wen's return serve, the landing point was slightly deeper, but it was not that deep. There was still about one and a half steps away from the bottom line, with a little pressure and impact, but it was far from enough. If Istomin was willing to , he still has room to counterattack and continue to cash in on his serving advantage.

However, Istomin didn't think about it. Hitting the ball was just a subconscious action. He hit a backhand with both hands, which was the simplest and most relaxing slash that didn't require thinking, and then hit the tennis back again. Rhythm, speed, and strength All are quite satisfactory, a very typical transition ball.

Perhaps, the only thing worthy of praise is the line control.

Even though it was a transitional ball, Istomin still opened up the angle slightly and sent the return ball to Gao Wen's backhand position. There was still a large space from the big triangle on the bottom line. Two balloon men could be inserted, but it was enough to catch Gao Wen. Get mobilized.

Across the field, Gawain was indeed moving—

Move left, move left.Move left!
The whole footstep movement is very light and very firm, and it is in place in a blink of an eye.

However, it did not stop and continued to move left.

wait, is it...

Sideways forehand?

Istomin:! ! !
Everything happened too fast. Before Istomin could react, Gao Wen, who had predicted and prepared early, had already completed the transfer in a series of dazzling cross-changes, moving from the backhand position to the forehand forcibly. bit, and then—

Sideways forehand.

Stomping on the ground, soaring into the air, leaping, fluttering in white clothes, like a chic swordsman, with a long sword out of its sheath, and a heavy punch.

Ah, ah!ah ah ah...

The energy is rising steadily, and one blow is fatal.

Straight line, deep area, sudden force without warning, breaking the balance forcefully, the tennis ball fell into a dead corner like a meteor, setting off a stormy sea.

Forehand, score, break point cashed!