Return to 2002: Freestyle Superstar

Chapter 155 The King of Tie-breaks
Chen Ran's second round of competition officially began.

At the beginning, Kafelnikov played very actively, showed a very strong desire to win, and had a feeling of returning to the top.

On the baseline and in front of the net, he runs all over the court and is everywhere.

Chen Ran was not in good condition, but Kafelnikov couldn't hold off and hit incredible magic balls one after another, and even touched the break point several times.

"Kafelnikov seems to be rejuvenated in this game..." Zhou Yuan, standing in the press box, showed some worry, "It seems that it will not be easy for Chen Ran to win this game."

As a senior tennis reporter, he found that the last time Kafelnikov performed in such a state seemed to be the year before last.

Throughout last year, Kafelnikov's competitive state was in an extremely low state. The former world number one was eliminated in the first and second rounds of all four majors.

boom!
Kafelnikov on the court hit another powerful forehand smash!

He once again struggled to keep serve, and the two sides fought to 6-6 and had to enter a tiebreaker.

In the No. 12 game just now, after the two sides tied 40 to 40, the scores of the two sides changed alternately, and there were 8 draws.

In the end, the tenacious Kafelnikov secured serve and dragged the game into a tiebreaker.

In the stands in the distance, Dementieva whispered: "Maria, it seems that our senior is in surprisingly good condition today."

She was well aware that Kafelnikov had been in the doldrums for a long time.

"It's not unexpected. It's very normal for individuals to have ups and downs in tennis competitions." Sharapova shrugged, "You and I obviously have the strength to be in the top [-] or even the top eight, but in Australia Net eliminated them in the first round.”

Thinking of this, she felt a little depressed.

She is recognized by almost all media as a rising super star of the WTA, comparable to the former Swiss Princess Hingis.

In the 2002 season, Hingis, a superstar in women's tennis, has gradually faded out, and the WTA is also looking for a replacement. Sharapova has high hopes.

However, Sharapova's highly anticipated first Grand Slam trip ended in the first round, while Chen Ran made it to the semi-finals. The difference in performance between the two was very obvious.

The WTA is different from the ATP. Due to the huge gap in competitive levels, in order to increase attention and appeal, they have been working hard to create superstars.

"But Maria..." Dementieva said doubtfully, "Is that Chinese player named Chen Ran not as good as you said? He did not show an absolute advantage in this game."

"Irina, believe me..." Sharapova said in a very positive tone, "Chen Ran's ability to adjust and adapt to different opponents is too strong."

I remember that in the third round of the Australian Open, when Chen Ran lost to Roddick with a disparity of 2-6 in the first set, Sharapova was very sure that Chen Ran would stop this round.

So she had a good sleep.

Chen Ran is only one year older than Sharapova. Deep down in her heart, she obviously doesn't want this peer to be too popular. After all, she went home in the first round.

Then when Sharapova woke up from her sleep and saw the news reports, she was petrified.

Chen Ran unexpectedly won three sets in a row and achieved an incredible reversal.

Sharapova watched the game video again and was conquered by Chen Ran's wonderful performance.

"Irina, look!" Sharapova's face showed a hint of pride, "After the tie-break started, Chen Ran seemed to be a different person."

There is a vague feeling that this guy seems to be even more powerful than he was at the Australian Open.

After the start of the tie-break, Chen Ran served first and scored one point, then completed two mini-breaks against Kafelnikov, and then he kept two consecutive service points.

"I checked Chen Ran's match information and he never lost a single tie-break set!" Sharapova recalled this and was very excited.

Dementieva paused and uttered a few words: "The king of tie-breaks?"

The difficulty of the "tiebreak" is that the server only has two opportunities to serve, so there is not much to adjust his serving state.

For example, in regular matches, Chen Ran would occasionally get a 30-0, 40-15, or even 40-0 lead in Fernikov's serve.

But if the opponent adjusts his serving state in time, changes his serving rhythm, scores a few points in a row, and is very likely to reverse the situation and keep the serve.

However, in the thrilling and suffocating tie-break, just two service opportunities do not give you enough time to adjust.

Kafelnikov's serve!
Second district, outer corner!
Chen Ran followed his heart and once again used a two-handed backhand to hit the ball back steadily.

The placement and spin are both very good.

Kafelnikov, who was trailing 0-5, seemed a little impatient. He adjusted his small steps in a hurry, and then made a powerful and heavy swinging action.

Chen Ran saw the right opportunity and rushed to the ball smoothly. After the speeding tennis ball hit the ground and bounced, he directly hit the ball at an opposite angle.

Kafelnikov's hitting movement was too wide, not only leaving a lot of space on the other side, but also having some difficulty adjusting his posture, so he struggled to save the ball, leaving room for the opponent. A bigger gap.

Chen Ran seemed to continue to hit the ball in the opposite direction, but ended up releasing an unexpected ball to complete the score.

0 is better than 6!

In the tiebreaker, Chen Ran scored 6 points in a row.

Thousands of spectators in the audience were shocked.

"Stable!"

Dozens of Chinese reporters watching the game also clenched their fists in excitement.

Kafelnikov, who had lost 6 points in a row, seemed to be in despair and felt that he had no way to recover. He actually made a double fault, allowing Chen Ran to take the first place 7-0 in the "tiebreak" game. Plate victory.

Tie-break, 7-0!

The two Russian golden flowers, Sharapova and Dementieva, also covered their mouths and looked at everything in front of them in disbelief.

This kid is really the king of tie-breaks!
In a tennis match, a 7-0 tiebreak cannot be said to have never happened, but it is indeed a rare occurrence, very, very rare.

"Kafelnikov seems to be very close to victory, but there is no chance at all!" Dementieva shook her head and said, "I must admit that there is indeed such a type of player in the world who is very suitable for a tiebreaker."

"After they enter the tiebreaker, their entire attention will be highly concentrated, and their competitive state can be adjusted to the best in an instant." "Obviously, Chen Ran is also this type of person."

Sharapova said with some anticipation: "Let's take a look at the second set. There may be a tiebreaker."

She is well aware that tenacity is a common trait among Russian players, and Kafelnikov is no different.

The opponent will not be discouraged and give up the fight just because they are one set behind, or even defeated 0-7 in the tie-break.

really……

After the start of the second set, Kafelnikov was still in excellent condition and was not affected by being given an egg by Chen Ran in the tiebreaker of the first set.

He is more than 1 meters tall and has a strong and muscular body. Standing opposite him seems to be a menacing polar bear that wants to eat his opponent alive.

The two sides went back and forth. While maintaining their own serve, they also continued to attack the opponent's serve.

Chen Ran tried to break serve, but failed even once.

The experienced Kafelnikov used wonderful shots again and again to make Chen Ran return without success.

The trend of the game seemed to be exactly the same as in the first set.

Chen Ran got break points several times, but was always saved by Kafelnikov.

So in the second set, the two sides entered a tie-break again.

“Both sets went into tie-breaks.”

"The game was unexpectedly intense."

"This is a tennis match. Kafelnikov is obviously weaker than Nalbandian, but the difficulty he brings to Chen Ran is far greater than that of his opponent."

This time in the tiebreaker, Kafelnikov served first.

He scored directly with a beautiful ACE ball and also won the "tiebreak" point of the game.

As if the pressure had been released, Kafelnikov pulled on his clothes and roared toward the sky.

I just got one point, and I was so excited.

Obviously, the "7-0" score in the first set tie-break put tremendous pressure on the opponent.

However, Kafelnikov's excitement did not last long.

In his two service points, Chen Ran had an ace and a straight serve, directly completing the lead.

Your serve is in good shape, and so is mine!

As long as Kafelnikov's serving condition declines in the "tiebreak", it will be Chen Ran's opportunity to complete a "mini break".

Chen Ran was standing on the baseline ready to receive the serve. Every time he entered the tie-break, he couldn't help but get excited, and his mental state became extremely focused.

Beating the opponent in the tie-break is Chen Ran's only thought now.

This time, Kafelnikov began to try to change his serving routine. He no longer insisted on sneak attacks on Chen Ran's backhand, but chose to suppress the opponent's forehand.

One shot, inside the line!

The ball hits hard!

This time, the quality of Chen Ran's return was average, and Kafelnikov was not in a hurry to attack, but still started to make plans.

The opponent obviously knew that Chen Ran had the ability to launch a defensive counterattack at any time, so he acted cautiously.

But the problem is that when the two sides are in a stalemate on the bottom line, Chen Ran's technical advantage begins to appear.

Even though Kafelnikov had some rejuvenation in this game, he was no longer as brave as he once was.

Once it fell into a multi-shot stalemate, Chen Ran found an opportunity and returned the ball to the net under pressure.

Mini break, done again!
Kafelnikov continued to serve, this time trying to suppress Chen Ran's serve.

When Chen Ran was leading 3-1, he became much more courageous, and once again used the "SABR" tactic unexpectedly, rushing directly into the field and rubbing it gently.

The flight trajectory of the tennis ball was low and fast. Kafelnikov was caught off guard and returned the ball slowly and flatly. Chen Ran completed the smash directly in front of the net.

4 is better than 1!

"Oh~"

"God, what did I see?"

The audience present saw Chen Ran use the "SABR" tactic for the first time, and they all let out incredible exclamations.

This time, even Russian players, who have always been known for their tenacious willpower, collapsed.

Another two consecutive mini breaks!
How to play this "tie-break"?
When a player becomes upset and anxious, these negative emotions are immediately reflected in the body.

This is a "tie-break" and there is no rest time or opportunity to adjust.

Chen Ran also decisively seized this opportunity, scored 3 points in a row, and once again won the second set with a disparity of 7-1.

Although Chen Ran did not give the opponent an egg in the "tie-break" of the second set, the process was very similar. He still scored 7 points in a row and won the tie-break with overwhelming momentum. .

Chen Ran advanced into the top [-] with his head held high.

……

(End of this chapter)