By the time you read this, these two men will have had an in-depth tactical conversation about the challenges presented by Vasek Pospisil.
Advertisement
For the second time, it was a story of chances that got away as James Ward saw his lead over Canada’s Vasek Pospisil peter out into a 6-4, 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 8-6 defeat.
The Brit had the world no. 56 on the ropes as his own seemingly impenetrable serve helped build a two sets to one lead but Pospisil fired back to emerge triumphant 6-4, 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 8-6 in just over three hours.
Such was his dominance that he won 89 per cent of points when his first serve connected – his stream of 32 unforced errors the only reason the match lasted as long as it did.
“I’ve made my first fourth round so I am super happy right now but I am really thrilled with the way I ended the match”. It certainly definitively elevates him from the first-round British cannon fodder he is sometimes erroneously lumped in with.
The 28-year-old, who overcame Luca Vanni in his first game at SW19 this year, had never before reached the third round of a Grand Slam.
In the final set, his instinct was to go for broke, which meant whacking a return and charging to the net – the sort of extreme policy rarely seen on these courts since Arthur Ashe was bamboozling Jimmy Connors in the 1975 final. The umpire lectured him back. Such are the fine margins between success and failure.
Next up for Pospisil is likely a second-round doubles date with Sock on Friday, although the American will be playing with a recently fractured finger. He’s wizened, too, upsetting No. 30 seed Fabio Fognini in four sets in the second round. And as he did so, the initially lukewarm atmosphere began to bubble.
Britain’s Ward advanced to the main draw as a lucky loser, but has played well since.
Their second-round match comes after thousands of people were evacuated from Wimbledon last night when a fire broke out at Centre Court. Pospisil sat in his chair, having something to drink, like a kid trying to ignore bickering parents.
Not that the match remained anything other than tight. “It’s going to be a tough match again, but a good opportunity for both of us”.
Ward and Pospisil traded the first two sets with just a single break in each but when the home favourite secured a double break to take the third 6-2, things were looking rosy. Amid an increasingly raucous atmosphere, he clenched his fist and raced to his chair for the changeover.
Anderson – England’s record wicket taker – brought with him Radio 1 DJ Greg James, while Murray’s mother Judy was joined by her former Strictly Come Dancing partner Anton Du Beke.
Pospisil is even a clutch performer when it comes to the rankings computer. He also was the player who had the bigger serve, and a far more varied set of grass-court weapons in his arsenal.
Advertisement
But then the pendulum swung again and Pospisil was able to break Ward in the fourth game of the fourth set, the British player casually sending two regulation forehands into the net.
