Match point

Chapter 487 Meeting in a narrow road

The short [-]-second break between rounds successfully calmed down Cilic's messy brain, regained his senses a little bit, and regained the sense of being down-to-earth, so when the game started again, Cilic's entire tactical routine became clear. ——

Cilic, who defeated Federer with overwhelming and flowing attacks, finally appeared on the final stage.

In Cilic's serve after "3:0", Gao Wen still played well and took the initiative, and got three non-consecutive break points. However, Cilic played very well at the critical moment. In a difficult situation where he created enough advantage for himself, Cilic turned the situation around through his excellent defense and sharp attack.

The round ball, finally came.

The most rare thing is that the serving state is still wandering, but the batting feel has stabilized the situation. Cilic showed his solid bottom line basic skills, foot movement, landing point prediction and shot selection. With a strong recovery, the scene is gradually returning to balance.

and!

The return of the touch of the bottom line allowed Cilic to regain the center of gravity of the game, gain a firm foothold, gradually calm down his mentality, and gradually recover his serving state.

Four equal points, saved three break points, missed a game point, entangled back and forth for nearly 7 minutes, and then Cilic finally seized the opportunity on his second game point and forcibly tore open with his iconic forehand slash attack Gao Wen's defensive line kept his first serve with a winning point.

"3:1".

The entanglement and anxiety of this game also became an important turning point in this game, because it means that Cilic finally got rid of the tension and panic in the opening stage, the game is on the right track, the confrontation is formally formed, and then Gao Wen wants to score easily like the opening It is not so easy.

There is one thing to say. In this year's US Open, Cilic's serving state is not supernatural. He averaged 15 ACEs per game. He can only rank seventh among all players, keeping pace with Wawrinka; but his baseline hit The status is indeed divine.

On the one hand, his offensive touch is sharp enough and smooth enough, and the timing of the entire shot is very precise, and he can often pass the timing dislocation-or advance or lag, and then create a sense of rhythm for his offense, and use his strength Take advantage of it.

It may not be obvious to the audience, but it is very troublesome for the defensive side, because it will interfere with their own defensive predictions.

On the other hand, it is his defensive success rate. Although the success rate is still not high, the increase in the success rate means putting pressure on the opponent's offense, forcing the opponent to attack one more time, and may need to be more tricky and more defensive. Remote, if you don't pay attention, you may make mistakes in the continuous attack.

It is precisely because of the improvement in the quality of the baseline shot that Cilic does not need to completely rely on his serve like Isner. To a large extent, the pressure of serving is relieved, and the power of serving is indirectly improved.

Naturally, the impact presented by the serve is more direct and vivid.

Why do you say this way?
Just look at a set of data from Cilic against Federer in the semi-finals:
Cilic's first-serve success rate is only 56%, which means that his first-serve firepower is actually not strong; but his first-serve scoring rate can reach 87%, which is very, very good data, which means he The first serve was able to create a threat, and then beat Federer through the baseline.

Beat Federer with offense, just like Del Potro in 2009, this is the state of Cilic this year's US Open.

Today, facing Gao Wen, it is the same.

Cilic's offense was full of power, just like Kei Nishikori in the quarter-finals. There were quite a few amazing balls, showing an amazing touch.

However, Gao Wen came prepared.

For one thing, Gao Wen knew that Cilic was in a "superior state" and some offenses could be played as he wanted, so he was more prepared on the defensive end.

Secondly, Gao Wen also knew that he couldn't make Cilic go crazy, so he needed to break the rules and destroy Cilic's batting routines, and take the initiative to attack, because Cilic's biggest shortcoming is "rules". There are really not many changes, and the choice of routes and landing points are sticking to habits, so Gao Wen needs to take the lead in breaking the routine and turning the situation around.

It's like the beginning.

Cilic's offense was sharp, while Gao Wen's strategy was exhaustive, so the contest between the two sides was a hand-to-hand battle of suppression and counter-suppression. Judging from the results:

Gawain was slightly better.

In the second half of the first set, there was no surprise. Gao Wen failed to get a break point, but neither did Cilic. One set of victory has already fallen into Gao Wen's pocket.

"6:3".

By virtue of taking the lead in the opening stage to gain a firm foothold and break serve, Gao Wen took the lead all the way to win the first set, seizing the opportunity in this championship battle.

In the second set, Cilic took the lead to serve, and the two players were still inseparable. Although accompanied by physical fluctuations, both sides' serve loosened, and break points appeared again; but at the critical moment, the serving side was still able to stand quickly. Get a firm foothold to recover the break point and continue to maintain a balance of power.

"4:4".

Since Gao Wen broke Cilic's first serve in the opening game, the two players have each kept eight serve games. Neither of them has been able to break the balance. The calm game is actually a bit... boring.

It's not that the two players didn't work hard enough, but that they lacked the moment when Djokovic and Federer sought changes to impact the game in the semi-finals, and the confrontation between the two players also lacked a little spark.

No wonder!
People always say that the best matches are actually not the finals, but often the quarter-finals or semi-finals, just like the World Cup; and the chances of the final being the peak matchup are really too small.

It's just that in recent years, tennis audiences have been fed up with the "big four" Huashan's swordsmanship. At this time, watching the contest between the two dark horse young players is naturally unsatisfactory, and even the Chinese fans are a little distracted.

However, if there are fans on the scene who start to yawn and play with their mobile phones, I am afraid that they will miss the wonderful moment——

Gao Wen has been observing and looking for opportunities.

He knew that Cilic was in good condition, but under the continuous impact of Gao Wen's serve, Cilic still couldn't find the rhythm. He sometimes missed the first serve. Although he didn't watch the game statistics to know the exact number, the success rate of the first serve should be in the About 50%, which also means that in the confrontation of the bottom line ball, both sides have a chance.

Therefore, Gao Wen has been trying, he just needs a "turning point", such as——

"... wipe the net!"

"For this ball, Gao Wen's return kicked the net and changed the bounce rules. Cilic's handling was a bit rough, and he hit the return ball directly into the audience stands."

"Gao Wen raised his hand and gestured to Cilic to express his apology. It is obvious that this net wipe was an accident."

"However, the net-scratching accident gave Gawain a '15:30' lead in Cilic's serve game."

Accidents that cannot be avoided in tennis, table tennis, badminton, volleyball and other sports, luck is the only explanation, but what does this have to do with chance?
(End of this chapter)