Week 18 - Challenger ($50,000) - An-Ning, China (Clay)

korriban · Challenger level

RE: Week 18 - Challenger ($50,000) - An-Ning, China (Clay)

Jeff Stelling · Club Coach

Really hope James wins, but this match is unfolding suspiciously like the Zverev match.

steven · Tennis legend

korriban wrote:
You lucky, lucky *******!!!
Completely undeserved IMO, but set to James, so who cares.
James - all the momentum is with you, you are starting to play better (though still very poorly compared to what you can do), your opponent is 21 and in his first CH QF, and will be feeling gutted......by rights, this should be a formality now, so show him who's boss.

I wouldn't say it was completely undeserved though I agree he needed a bit of luck. Neither of them are playing that well now, but I did think James was looking better of the two of them towards the end of the set and the results of the 2 highest-ranked players left suggest nobody is finding it easy today. Anyway, he can be forgiven the luck if he now goes on and makes the most of it.

The Magician Santoro · Top national player

Good rally, Petrovic nets a forehand 0-15
Petrovic gets Ward out wide, then hits a backhand winner 15-15
Petrovic goes for a S&V, good return from Ward as Petrovic balloons it high and wide 15-30
Big 1st serve from Petrovic, Ward manages to float it in, Petrovic huge forehand goes wide 15-40
Ace from Petrovic 30-40
Ace from Petrovic 40-40
1st serve, good rally, James thwacks a strong forehand cross court which Petrovic can only put wide 40-AD
Good strong serve, James gets a good return, Petrovic comes in for the volley and connects well for the winner 40-40
Strong serve, James gets a slight touch AD-40
James works the backhand well, Petrovic eventually nets 40-40
2nd serve, James hits a looped forehand cross court, Petrovic hits wide 40-AD
2nd serve, James hit backhand cross court, Petrovic hits long, Ward shouts CMONNNN THERE IT IS, Break

JW *1-0

The Magician Santoro · Top national player

Good rally, somehow Petrovic gets a shot back in play somehow, James then hits the passing shot long 0-15
Double fault 0-30
Unbelievable! Rally ensues, James hits the net, just bounces over nicely for Petrovic who smashes it down the line, James sticks a racket at it and makes a greast passing shot 15-30
Petrovic attempts drop shot and fails 30-30
James dominates the rally, Petrovic eventually nets backhand 40-30
2nd serve, Petrovic rash backhand into the net, game

JW 2-0*

korriban · Challenger level

Steven. I think a neutral would have awarded set 2 to our Serbian friend, until right towards the end....

.....but as Ivan Lendl rightly says, its the player who wins the last point that matters.

steven · Tennis legend

Petrovic - more dodgy droppers in a day than Muzz manages in a week ...

The Magician Santoro · Top national player

Ward returns serve, Petrovic whacks it long 0-15
Ward returns serve, Petrovic attempts drop shot, hits the net 0-30
Big 1st serve, Ward hits it high and long 15-30
Ward returns good 2nd serve out wide, Petrovic hits forehand long 15-40
Big 1st serve, unbelievable return from Ward, smacks forehand for a winner, break, shouts CMONNN

JW *3-0

steven · Tennis legend

This is unfolding uncannily like Katy Dunne's match yesterday. I hope James will spare our nerves and not let him back into it so it has to go to a long tiebreak in the 3rd though!

SMC1809 · All-time great

James using the old rope-a-dope trick!

The Magician Santoro · Top national player

MTO for Petrovic getting his back done

Jeff Stelling · Club Coach

Told you it was like the Zverev match.

korriban · Challenger level

Is there anyone who actually believes this MTO is for real? Given the Zverev trick, using an MTO as part of his strategy to pull back a 2 breaks down situation against Wardy, it wouldn't surprise me that the locker room was well aware of what happened.........and that James might have to put up with this sort of think a lot in the coming months.

The Magician Santoro · Top national player

Petrovic hits backhand long 15-0
1st serve, Petrovic nets backhand 30-0
1st serve, Petrovic hits forehond long 40-0
1st serve, Petrovic returns, Ward then hits forehand long 40-15
Petrovic hits return of serve to the right, Ward then hits forehand wide 40-30
Ward hits 1st serve, Petrovic returns then Ward hits a good curling forehand winner, game

JW 4-0*

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

steven wrote:

[...] and the results of the 2 highest-ranked players left suggest nobody is finding it easy today. [...]

Results which mean that there are no seeds at all left in the draw, not even Ito! disbelief