Yet the 28-year-old Ward, who matched his achievement in 2012 by reaching the second round, still had to beat the opponent in front of him and he battled back from a set down to win 6-7, 6-2, 6-4, 6-3 in front of an increasingly partisan evening crowd.
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The British No 4 joined Andy Murray in the last-32 with a 6-2 7-6 3-6 6-3 win over the 21-year-old from the Czech Republic. who is ranked 65 places above him in the world rankings.
Shortly after Andy Murray dispatched Robin Haase in straight sets, Ward completed his own triumph to hand Britain two men in Wimbledon’s third round for the first time since the Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski era.
“It felt different, I’m really happy they came to cheer for me, it helped”.
The world No75, who became a United Kingdom resident in 2008, will now turn his attention to what could prove an even tougher fight: his bid to play for his adopted country in the Davis Cup. We spend a lot of time together.
“I watch a lot of his matches online when he’s playing Challengers and stuff”.
“It’s something that I’ve had for a few years now”, said Ward, of his second-place status.
“I know Pospisil pretty well”. He’s been a big help to me and I’m grateful for that.
The Britons face France at Queen’s Club a week after Wimbledon, and Ward’s resurgent form ought to nail down that second singles spot alongside Murray.
Aside from joining Murray in the last 32 here, where he is guaranteed to make £77,000 in prize money, Londoner Ward also has something else in common with the Scot – his support of Arsenal.
“He just needs to find a way to do it on a weekly basis”, Murray said.
Attention will now turn to another Brit, Aljaz Bedene, who is slated to appear last on Court 12 on Thursday against Viktor Troicki.
“He could still go further and certainly has an opportunity to win the match”.
“After that, we start thinking about Champions League finals”, said Ward.
Laura Robson however suffered an early exit in her first Grand Slam match in 17 months, losing 6-4 6-4 to Russia’s Evgeniya Rodina.
Ward, a keen Arsenal fan, said winning his next match would compare with his beloved football team “winning the league next year”.
‘Now it’s done it’s good because a lot of people will get off my back. Everyone has picked their game up, it’s good to have a few more guys playing well and winning matches – we keep knocking at the door.
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Likeable Hertfordshire resident Bedene claimed after his first-round victory over Radek Stepanek that his new-found nationality can spur on all the British players to new heights.
