Snapped. Snapped. Snapped.
The entire Arthur Ashe Stadium fell into a strange silence. Everyone remained silent, and even their breathing involuntarily slowed down. This also made the sound of gurgling blood become more distinct, as if a stadium was brewing to explode. The volcano is boiling with magma.
Then, only the sound of Gawain batting the ball echoed.
In the coin guessing session, Gawain guessed heads, and he chose to serve first——
The strategy is slightly different from the semi-finals.
First of all, Cilic is a master of serving. Even if he is not as good as Isner, Cilic's baseline skills are more solid and he is more resistant to hits, which also means that he can make full use of his serving advantage.
Secondly, looking back at this game in the previous life, Nishikori Kei's performance under pressure was substandard, with too many offensive mistakes and a significant decline in defensive effectiveness. The whole game felt tight; Cilic was also a little nervous, but Nishikori Gui failed to put enough pressure on Cilic. Instead, he allowed Cilic to establish an advantage through serving and win many simple points, further relieving Cilic's pressure.
As a result, the final game was one-sided, three "6:3", Cilic easily swept Kei Nishikori and won the championship——
You know, before this final, Kei Nishikori had won three consecutive games against Cilic, two of which occurred in 2014.
Of course, leaving aside the finals of the previous life, it can also be seen from Cilic's two games in which he defeated Berdych and Federer in three sets. Cilic is currently in an excellent state:
He has established his own offensive advantage with serving as the core, and his defense relies on solid baseline skills. He is indeed very competitive.
Before the game, Sampras and Gao Wen analyzed Cilic's technical characteristics and game status in detail, and finally discussed and formulated the tactical layout of the game.
At the beginning, Gawain needs to seize the initiative, and unlike any previous game, Gawain needs to be more proactive:
The final is the first time for both players, and they both need to adapt and adjust; and the situation of Gao Wen and Kei Nishikori is slightly different in that Cilic also plays the role of challenger when facing Kei Nishikori, but Cilic Qi is the one being challenged when facing Gawain, and his mentality must have undergone subtle changes. Coupled with the bonus in the finals, it will definitely be further amplified.
Gawain needs to take full advantage of this and take the lead in attacking during the adaptation period in the opening stages.
Therefore, Gao Wen asked for the right to serve at the beginning.
Of course, a plan is a plan, and a strategy is a strategy. Under the huge pressure of the finals, whether Gawain can perform, how much he can perform, how far he can execute the plan, and whether the plan will encounter any surprises are all unknown. Is it a mule or a mule? Horses don’t know until they come out for a ride.
Snapped. Snapped. Snapped.
Gao Wen slowly adjusted his breathing, clearing his mind and focusing on the game. For him, the most important thing in the game is concentration. He needs to think and invest.
Most importantly, he needs to fight.
Toss the ball! Kick the ground! Turn around! Swing the racket! Hit the ball!
The entire technical movement is completed in one go, and then you can see the tennis ball turning into a stream of light and rushing out, hitting the inner corner of the opposite service area accurately.
After landing, he quickly jumped out, and with a strong external spin, he flew further towards the left side of Cilic Stadium. It was as if he could see small whirlpools spinning around the tennis ball, and the gorgeous rays of light suddenly became hazy. , and then the tennis ball disappeared into the halo.
boom!
state!
ACE.
Cilic's body was completely relaxed, but his reaction speed was still a little slow. The first point was over without touching the tennis ball at all.
Cilic tilted his head, a little surprised, because Gao Wen was obviously not a good server, but he didn't think deeply about it, turned around and walked to the other side of the court:
Maybe it's just luck.
However, ESPN commentator Sofar was keenly aware of the anomaly.
Sofal understands Gao Wen. Gao Wen is not a cannon in serving, but that does not mean that Gao Wen's service is not strong. In fact, Gao Wen is accustomed to establishing his service advantage through changes in placement, rotation and strength. Simply put, serving is not a scoring weapon. , but it is an integral part of the tactical system.
Therefore, if you look at the technical statistics alone, the number of Gao Wen's ACEs is not large, but the moment when they appear is always very critical.
This year's US Open, in the six games so far, Raonic has the most ACEs with 103; Cilic has the second highest number of ACEs with 80.
And what about Gawain? 30 notes.
It is a pity that this number does not make it into the top twenty of the men's ACE ball list; and in horizontal comparison, Serena Williams has issued a total of 35 ACEs, Wozniacki has 24, and Peng Shuai has 22. By comparison, you can see Gawain's playing style and strategy.
However, upon closer inspection, Gawain’s first ACE was very aggressive and strategic——
In the inner corner of the first area, Cilic suppressed Cilic's backhand, and it was not a simple flat shot, but also with side spin, giving Cilic no chance to hit the ball at all.
In other words, Gao Wen was aiming for the ACE ball, and he showed his unique skills in the opening stage and quickly got into the state.
Is this... too hasty? After all, no one will sprint with all their strength from the beginning of a marathon. Those who sprint hard at the starting line are often cannon fodder.
But Sofal knows Gawain and he is not the reckless type, so that means this is a tactic?
Other commentators still lack understanding of Gao Wen, but Sofal has watched all the way from the NCAA competition. He has a clearer and deeper understanding of Gao Wen's game. He feels that Gao Wen should be more prepared for this final. .
I'm looking forward to it a little bit.
An ACE is indeed not enough to attract everyone's attention. It is estimated that only Sofar's thoughts are racing, and the game on the court is still going on.
Then gradually you can find that in the first serving game, Gao Wen was indeed very proactive.
In the second point, he pressed the backhand serve from close range, forcing Cilic to return the ball shallowly. Gao Wen immediately entered the midfield and hammered the forehand to form the winning point.
In the third point, the ball was served from the wide outside corner, and then the backhand small diagonal line pressed against the dead corner of the big triangle on the bottom line. Cilic tried his best to touch the tennis ball but failed to form a return ball. The racket directly hit the tennis ball into the spectator stands.
In the fourth point, he hit a close serve and squeezed Cilic's position. He barely used his forehand to hit the shot, but his center of gravity was not straight in time, causing the return ball to hit the net.
"Love-game" held serve, and the whole game progressed very quickly. The battle ended in the first three shots. With a ping-pong-pong-pong-pong, Gao Wen only needed two minutes to hold his first serve——
Regardless of whether you know enough about Gao Wen or not, I am afraid that everyone can feel that Gao Wen entered the state very quickly at the beginning, so that Cilic's slow start was amplified. It seemed that he had not had time to complete the ball properly. In the first game, It has ended.
So, what does this really mean?
Of course, it may not count. After all, both players are newcomers to the Grand Slam finals. It is also possible that the game lacked confrontation because they did not enter the state in the opening stage. Just look at Cilic's serve game next, but I don’t know what state Gao Wen is in receiving the serve.
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