ACE!
After a perfect net-breaking layout, Gawain controlled the situation with a clean ACE and gained a firm foothold——
This was only Gao Wen's third ACE in the first set. He was far behind Fey Lopez in terms of quantity, but the timing of his appearance was very critical. He once again showed people his big heart. The more critical the moment, the more capable he is. Stay calm and perform well without any nervousness or stage fright.
Looking at the essence through the phenomenon, in fact, the placement of ACE's serve this time was carefully considered.
Usually in the second zone, it is a routine operation to suppress the backhand from the outside corner, but the problem is that Fei Lopez is left-handed, so the outside corner of the second zone evolves into suppressing the forehand, and this classic tactic does not work.
In the first set, Gao Wen was in the second zone and focused more on close serves and forehand attacks. It was not until the tiebreaker that he changed his tactical routine.
"5:3", Gao Wen continued to maintain the lead.
Then, the footsteps came to the first area.
Inside angle? Outside corner? Or close?
One shot, off the net.
Judging from the route, it should be the inside corner. Gao Wen tried to sneak attack on an inside corner, breaking Fei Lopez's prediction and suppressing the forehand, but no matter what, the opponent was a forehand, so Gao Wen tried to press down further. I tried to be more ruthless, but the result was that I pressed too hard and went straight into the net.
Therefore, in the key score, Gao Wen, like Fei Lopez, needs to withstand the test of the second serve.
Second serve, outside corner.
Fei Lopez was a little surprised.
Because he thought Gao Wen would choose to get close and then look for opportunities on the bottom line.
But the choice of suppressing the backhand from the outside corner is not so abrupt and is still within the expected range, so Fei Lopez adjusts his steps very quickly.
step. Two steps. Three steps.
Felipe Lopez was already in place, but when he was about to touch the ball, he discovered:
Gawain, online!
To be precise, he was probably on the way to the Internet. His footsteps were obviously not as fast as a tennis ball, but Gawain's rash move to the Internet broke the balance between the two parties.
Internet?
Gawain actually went online?
The impact of shock and accident slightly affected Fei Lopez's shooting touch——
Should he stick to his original hitting line, or should he finish the return shot through the net?
There is no time to think slowly in the flash of lightning, but hesitation can still be seen at the moment of hitting the ball, which means that Gawain's sudden attack on the net has played a disruptive role.
boom!
Before his thoughts could extend, Fe Lopez had already completed the shot.
After all, he was not affected and insisted on his choice of hitting the ball diagonally, but when he shot, he still obviously increased the spin to create impact.
Unfortunately, this is not Fe Lopez’s strong suit.
Gao Wen stepped forward head-on, but he was actually a little panicked in his heart, because this was not a routine he was good at, nor was it a method he was familiar with. Coupled with his shortcomings in front of the net, he inevitably lacked a little confidence.
Passive access to the Internet because of the opponent's mobilization, active access to the Internet because you have an absolute advantage, and forced access to the Internet because you are ready to break the balance and exert pressure, are all different.
But it is precisely because of taking risks that risks and benefits are directly proportional.
Gawain stabilized his mind and firmly remembered Sampras's classic saying——
When surfing the Internet, you must scare the timid to death and overwhelm the bold. You must be determined and tough, otherwise your hesitation and fear will be visible to your opponents. So, move forward boldly.
The most taboo thing about pressing in front of the net is awkward positioning. A half-court position that is out of the way is fatal. If you don't know where you should stand, just stay as far forward as possible.
As for being active in the midfield and frontcourt with ease, that is only for masters.
In addition, two doubles matches gave Gao Wen some confidence, and he became more determined.
Tap tap tap.
Tap tap tap.
He continued to step forward, and then Fei-Lopez hit him head-on without a return ball that could change the line and method of hitting the ball. However, because Gao Wen stepped forward very resolutely, he relied on his continuous vertical steps to block Fei-Lopez. Lopez returns the ball to open up the line.
boom!
With the superposition of his body and strength, Gawain completed the block on the diagonal path, relying on the inertia of the forward thrust to press down and press out a straight line from top to bottom.
Online suppression, success!
Felipe suddenly became embarrassed, but fortunately, Gao Wen's control at the net was obviously not sophisticated enough. At this time, he should have controlled the short ball, but instead he pressed a long ball, and the landing point was already close to the baseline.
This also means that Fey Lopez still has a chance.
While running at full speed, Fei Lopez successfully completed the save and caught a moon ball with his forehand, and the full parabola jumped back.
However, the 193cm Gao Wen stood like a wall in front of the net.
Bang-bang!
A high-pressure block shot against the wall, Gao Wen intercepted Fei Lopez's return ball halfway.
A powerful smash!
boom!
In an instant, the entire audience raised their arms and shouted, and then you could see Gawain clenching his fists, and you could still see his bright eyes even though he was sweating profusely and his face was red.
audacious in the extreme!
Give it a try!
On his second service point, Gao Wen showed incredible courage, broke the deadlock, and then won three consecutive set points.
Fei Lopez was also a little helpless. He was indeed caught off guard by Gao Wen. In the past three points, all the battles ended in the blink of an eye, and Fei Lopez was not able to break free and step in. One trap after another, this dull and suffocating feeling is really terrible.
Fei Lopez looked up at Gawain and grinned.
Take stock, but the next two points are Fei Lopez's service points. As long as they can be saved, the game situation will quietly change again.
The premise is to keep it.
However--
"Set, high, 7:6(3)."
In Gao Wen's first check, Fei Lopez successfully found a serve with a speed of 201 kilometers per hour, which suppressed Gao Wen's backhand so much that Gao Wen almost used a one-handed backhand. But in the end, he still held the racket with both hands and managed to return a serve.
Fei Lopez seized the opportunity and quickly stepped forward to the net, but because he was too eager, he directly attacked and pressed down, so that the angle was not completely separated, and the landing point was caught by Gao Wen.
During his rapid lateral movement, Gao Wen pulled out a strong topspin forehand and returned to Fei Lopez's position.
This was a high-pressure ball in an awkward position above the shoulder. Felipe Lopez was still a little impatient and tried to hit the ball harder and faster. However, he was hit by Gawain's strong top spin and went straight out of bounds. A way to deliver the first set victory——
Not exciting at all.
Not only was it not exciting, but it was also a bit nihilistic. The first set with a red bayonet ended with such a low-level mistake.
Moreover, after switching venues evenly at "3:3" in the tie-break, Gao Wen won four points in a row, broke two service points of Fei Lopez, and won the first set in one go.
After losing the first set in such a way, Fei Lopez was very angry with his performance. He stood there and yelled at himself, almost dropping his racket. What was worse than losing was the way he lost. , this is definitely not the way Fe Lopez wanted to see the first set end.
