Match Point focused on Istomin in 1553 during his college days. He is now ranked 83rd in the world, with a season record of 14 wins and 17 losses.

From any point of view, facing such an opponent, Gao Wen should be able to win easily, including Huaxia Media and the Wimbledon organizing committee, without exception, so everyone said that Gao Wen was lucky to sign.

but!

In the world of competitive sports, anything is possible—

Now, Istomin not only has the overall upper hand, but also got the match point, one point away from creating the biggest upset since the start of Wimbledon in 2015.

A small point of knowledge, among the Big Four, Nadal is the only one who has never lost in the first round of a Grand Slam in his career, and the other three giants have experienced it more than once in the early stages of their careers Losing in the first round of a Grand Slam is no exception, including on his best venue.

As for Gao Wen, from his birth at the US Open last year to his 19-game winning streak in the Grand Slam, his momentum has been like a rainbow. Not to mention being eliminated in the first round of the Grand Slam, he has not even been eliminated in the first week of the Grand Slam; but now, in Roland- After Garros ended his 19-game winning streak in the Grand Slam, it is very likely that he will soon usher in the first Grand Slam losing streak in his career.

Air, burning.

It is really hard to imagine that a month ago, people were still discussing when Gao Wen would lose the Grand Slam, but in the blink of an eye they may need to discuss Gao Wen's losing streak in the Grand Slam.

Sure enough, in the world of competitive sports, never say "absolutely impossible".

It is precisely because of this that the broadcast signals from all over the world are all focused on the No. 2 court for the first time, even the official Wimbledon signal is no exception—

Coincidentally, Kvitova's game broadcast has ended, Federer and Dezuch's first round match is warming up, and it doesn't matter if the broadcast signal is switched.

match point.

In the audience, everything was quiet and silent, and the tense and anxious atmosphere spread all over the place, and the sound of the heart hitting the chest could even be heard.

I am afraid that Gao Wen is the calmest person in the audience at this time. He has a stable mind and a high degree of concentration. He has no distracting thoughts at all and just focuses on this point.

In fact, for Gao Wen, what really matters now is not the match point, but the mentality of this game:

Leading from "40:0", fluctuated a little bit and distracted, and then fell into a passive position and had to face a break point. The fast pace of the grass court once again brought a blow to the head.

So, how should we play the next point?

Looking back at the whole game, the core problem is indeed the poor feel of the ball, and it is still serious; in addition, Gao Wen thinks that his serve is also mediocre.

For one thing, grass pays attention to speed, so a strong serve can often get a bonus, including players like Querrey and Isner who are strong, but the point is that Gao Wen has never been a cannon, even if he adjusts his serve during the offseason Finally, his serve is still more particular about the combination.

Secondly, Istomin's ability to receive and serve is really good. Last week's victory over Querrey in the final of Nottingham is the best proof. His receiving and serving technique is somewhat similar to that of Djokovic, which is to wrap, no matter what ball is wrapped. Push back and make sure the return ball goes back into the field—

On the grass field, many games will be reduced to serving and receiving practice. There are almost no rounds, and the score is all based on the serve. But if you can ensure that the serve enters the court like Djokovic, you can also break the balance. is a very important point.

Strictly speaking, Istomin's catching technique and touch are far inferior to Djokovic's, and his wrapping power is not so strong, which leads to a decline in the quality of the ball returned; moreover, the bottom line round ball is exactly Gawain's strong point, and it is also The rhythm of the game that Gao Wen hoped for, but the problem is that Gao Wen did not find the sense of the ball, which affected the quality of the ball in the bottom line, could not control the ball, and even made mistakes. The result can be imagined.

Disaster!

Difficulties!

"40: AD".

Second District.

Gawain wiped his sweat, slowed down a little, and got out of the predicament of turning the situation, trying to get his brain to work again.

And then back to the baseline, ready to serve.

Gawain took a look at Istomin's position. He was impartial, with a slight forehand. Because Istomin has a strong backhand, he tends to focus on protecting his forehand. If Gawain chooses to serve with a backhand, Istomin will Tomin is also able to gain space through his footwork and hitting technique.

The breeze is blowing, and the cheers and applause of the outfield can be vaguely captured, but it further sets off the tranquility of the No. 2 stadium; the golden sun is lightly jumping on the green grass, and the stars are dotted with white, and the crystal clear sunlight is enveloping in the air. , like an exquisite oil painting, but it is precisely this elegance that almost breaks the tense nerves.

Kick off!

The breeze blew the hem of Gawain's white jersey.

Throw the ball!

The body is compressed to the extreme like a full bow and arrow, and then released.

hit the ball!

First shot, outside corner, 177 km/h—

Serve with reduced force!

The tennis ball, wrapped in a ball of golden sunlight, crossed the court along a diagonal line, and finally landed on the dead corner of the small triangle outside the service area without any mistakes.

boom!

The tennis ball hits the sideline drawn by the white powder, and a ball of powder splashes out. This is also one of the characteristics of the grass. The lineman can often judge whether the line is pressed by the splash of white powder, including players and spectators. , like an elf dancing in the grass.

Serving, the speed of the ball is not fast, but the landing point is accurate.

Istomin concentrates, moves his feet quickly laterally, backhands with both hands and leads the racket early to prepare for the shot.

Step, step, step...

Istomin has already realized that Gao Wen's serve is going to a landing point, and he is tearing the angle with a strong side spin. His foot movement is obviously lacking a little, so that it is a little late to reach the point, and his upper body It must be stretched out, and at the limit point of the body, it can barely complete a shot.

And, that's not all—

Sweeping lightly from the corner of his sight, Istomin saw a white-clothed swordsman with light and unrestrained footsteps and a tall and handsome figure, approaching the net at lightning speed.

Serve to the net!

Facing the match point, Istomin was even more nervous, while Gao Wen had completely relaxed and chose the most classic serve on the grass court.

In today's game, it was not the first time for Gao Wen to serve to the net, but on the whole, he still stuck to the bottom line more, after all, Gao Wen was a bottom line player.

Istomin suddenly chose to serve the ball to the net, and Istomin, who was only one kick away from the victory, felt the pressure, and his hand became tighter in an instant. Bit hit back.

exactly the same—

It is almost the same routine as the "40:30" point, the difference is that that point is a forehand attack and the ball goes to the net, and this point is to directly choose to serve and go to the net.

Istomin tried to squeeze Gao Wen's swing space again with a close-up return, and finally made Gao Wen's return error.

With one kick, one kick, Istomin braked in time, controlled his body, and cast his gaze towards Gawain following the flight of the tennis ball. Then his pupils shrank slightly, and he could see that Gawain was adjusting his steps to get out of the way. Gaining space for the swing, but judging from the distance, it seems that it cannot be adjusted—

Could it be?

Istomin's heart soared high, joy and happiness were pouring out.

Some people died, but not completely dead...