As Xu Yang said, Kei Nishikori failed to catch up with Gawain in terms of ball counting speed. This is also a key point of the opening——
For Gawain, the substitution of Raonic was an unexpected event; on the other hand, for Kei Nishikori, the temporary change of opponent was also an unexpected event.
Both players' previous pre-match preparations must be overturned and restarted. Therefore, in this group match, what still needs to be competed is the players' ability to respond to unexpected situations.
In the opening stage, Gao Wen showed his ability to interpret the game.
Huh.
Wild wind hunting.
Gawain was running at full speed, from the forehand position to the backhand position, and then made a big loop back with both hands on the backhand, and the speed of the racket head also increased——
Not in a straight line, but in a diagonal direction.
Super topspin, strong pull up.
The entire full parabola traversed the entire court. Kei Nishikori immediately moved laterally to the left, waiting early to prepare for the backhand position to hit the ball.
Kei Nishikori soon discovered that his steps were on the baseline, so Gawain's super top spin pushed deeper, further squeezing Kei Nishikori's swing. He used continuous small steps to adjust his stance. position, but still couldn't completely give up the position.
then.
Using force, Kei Nishikori pinned the racket on his upper body, leaned back slightly, forcibly turned his body to send the racket, and used the weight of his body to push the tennis ball back on his chest.
Although he failed to grab the rising point, he also avoided hitting the ball above the shoulder and quickly swept the tennis ball back. The most important thing was that the connection of the ball was very fast.
"Slash VS Slash".
Nishikori Kei further increased his batting rhythm, and in a blink of an eye, he could see the tennis ball returning to Gawain's court, darting out like a cannonball.
state.
state!
It can be heard from the sound of hitting the ball that neither Gawain nor Nishikori Kei used their full strength, but the difference is that Gawain did it on purpose, while Nishikori Kei failed to combine his efforts.
Naturally, the effect of Kei Nishikori's return fell slightly short of his expectations.
However, Kei Nishikori was not worried. He kept tapping the ground with his toes, keeping his body light, staring at Gawain, ready to wait for the next shot.
Gawain did not move, his steps were still waiting for his backhand.
Nishikori Kei's return ball was flat and fast, flying over in the blink of an eye, as light as an arrow. This ball failed to break Gawain's defense, but the point is, how will Gawain return the ball?
Topspin? straight line?
Early on, you can see Gawain raising his hands for a backhand and making a lead-in motion. It seems that he expected that Kei Nishikori's return rhythm may be further compressed, so he was prepared in advance.
Then, a step up.
tread.
Just at this step, the pace has already entered the bottom line.
In an instant, alarm bells rang in Nishikori Kei's mind.
Because this is Gao Wen's signature offensive move, starting from New York and continuing all the way to Paris last week, this offensive attack can be seen.
Gao Wen entered the court with a step forward to grab the rising point of the ball, and completed the backhand straight shot. The entire rhythm of speed and power exploded in an instant.
Full of lethality.
Kei Nishikori's body has already formed a conditioned reflex. He took continuous steps to ensure that his center of gravity was light. His calf muscles exploded with strength. He stepped on the Hot Wheels and moved laterally to the right, covering the straight line gap. He stared intently. Gawain's strokes, and the lightness of the tennis ball.
Kick the ground! Turn around! Swing the racket!
Take action.
The entire batting movement is smooth and done in one go.
Just as Nishikori Kei expected, Gawain grabbed a rising point. Very suddenly, after two consecutive shots of strong topspin and deep baseline hitting, facing an ordinary round, Nishikori Kei's return did not appear. It was an obvious loophole and not an opportunity, but Gawain was the first to break the balance.
One kick!
It can be clearly seen that the moment Gao Wen took the shot, the speed of the racket head increased completely, and with the force of kicking the ground, the sound of hitting the ball exploded.
boom!
Crisp and neat.
The tennis ball turned into a streamline, like lightning, running through the entire court.
slash.
Repeat the drop.
Return the ball.
Whoosh.
Landing, score.
"Game, high."
In a flash of lightning, Gawain, who suddenly broke the balance, won the point neatly and successfully broke Nishikori Kei's serve.
Kei Nishikori, who was defending his forehand gap, lost the point before he even had time to start the second time because he predicted the wrong direction.
Look up at the sky.
"2:0" opens.
Kei Nishikori was a little frustrated. He raised his hand and threw the tennis racket to the ground. The material of the ultra-rigid carbon fiber racket was not as rigid as expected. It was somewhat elastic due to the material properties of organic fibers. The racket bounced back after falling on the court. , Kei Nishikori acrobatically held the racket again.
Then, he lowered his head, stood there with his hands on his hips, and thought about a question very, very seriously:
What happened at the beginning of the game? Why didn't he anticipate Gawain's strike? Why has he been trying to take the initiative but has been unable to find a rhythm?
Could it be that Gawain has upgraded?
Nishikori Kei has a lot of confusion.
In the studio, Xu Yang nodded slightly, showing a hint of appreciation, but even if he was emotional, his voice always remained calm and gentle.
"With this goal, we can see Gawain's control of the situation."
"Kei Nishikori has been trying to speed up, but Gawain uses placement and rotation to form a squeeze and confrontation. As a result, Kei Nishikori's tactical intention is always lacking a little bit, and the consideration of the hitting line is not thorough enough."
"The result fell into Gawain's prediction."
"Actually, Kei Nishikori's backhand slash was of good quality, but he was caught by Gawain. After slowing down the court for two consecutive shots, Gawain made a prompt decision to suddenly speed up to break the balance, and accelerated the shot with a two-handed backhand."
"This shot, even if Kei Nishikori is on the backhand, it will be difficult to defend effectively because the entire rhythm has been involved in Gawain's control."
"From a tactical perspective, Gawain was already confident and well-informed before taking action, but Nishikori Kei still lacked more ideas about the entire layout, which also prevented the confrontation between the two sides from forming a balance of power. The two games so far, from The gap between the score and the situation was instantly widened.”
"nice!"
Xu Yang praised again.
Tong Kexin turned to look at his partner, "What, are you saying that Gao Wen is good-looking?"
"..." Xu Yang was silent for a moment, "I mean, Gawain's game is good to watch."
Then he continued to explain.
"Federer's game is beautiful because of elegance; Nadal's game is beautiful because of tenacity; Djokovic's game is beautiful because of control."
"And Gao Wen's game is beautiful because he is smart."
Many times, Gawain's interpretation of the game is really ahead of his opponent, just like playing Go. Black may still be spinning in place, but White has already completed the layout, so that Black has no idea how he got into trouble.
"hehe."
Tong Kexin couldn't hold back his laughter and laughed happily, and the silver bell-like laughter echoed for a long time.
"Are you saying Kei Nishikori is stupid?"
Xu Yang:......
