Week 34 - US Open Men's Qualifying - Hard

Robin · Lower Club Player

RE: Week 34 - US Open Men's Qualifying - Hard

Spectator · All-time great

Well done, Mr Ward. Really good year, this.

stevemcqueen · Futures qualifying

Good news to wake up to!

I have to confess that I have never heard of today's opponent. He is a clay court specialist, hasn't won a match off the dirt since March, and that was only at Futures level. At just 5'9", he isn't going to blow you off the court. I feel that another workmanlike and unspectacular performance from James will see him safely into the main draw.

James is in a rich vein of form. In the five tournaments he has played since Wimbledon he's earned 183 points. Let's hope he stays healthy!

Oakland2002 · All-time great

Wardy has really kicked on from his Davis cup success where he has consistently performed like a top 50 player, I think Andy's comments re verifying that he had top 100 weaponry in his serve and forehand really made him believe that by going all in he would get the rewards he deserves and given own comments about how tough life is on tour fiscally for those outside the worlds top 150 and that being 27 living a student life out of a Camden flat the time for him to do something about it was now. Fantastic start to the week and more fuel to that fire.

Evo I think is not far from a season ticket in the Holte and a life of pork scratchings, Bank's bitter and Balti pie. If only he'd got some of that fire he'd have been able to afford upper tier in the Doug Ellis (who names a stand after themselves?) which I feel is his natural habitat. But let's hope it's all related to his knee as this time last year the boot was on the other foot in the us open.

The irony is the contrasting fortunes and attitudes of two of the UKs top players is a fantastic lesson for the Goldings, Broadys and Bambridges ie the younger players with elite junior pedigrees to go al in and live by the mantra that while you are sleeping someone else is practicing

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

More excellent news to which to wake up ( smile ) & now an excellent chance of qualifying...

QR2: (q15) James Ward WR 131 defeated Vincent Millot (FRA) WR 164 by 4 & 4

*****

QR3: (q15) James Ward WR 131 vs Radu Albot (MDA) WR 205 (CH 160 in January)

They've met once before: Dino beat Albot by 3 & 5 in Round 1 of the French Open qualies this year, so the omens are good - says she, hopefully...

imoen · Admin: Moderator+Tennis Legend

James is set for 3rd on Court 6 so about the same time as last night.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Very good news to wake up to - was pretty confident about last night's match but you never know . . .

Short of a very brief, lacklustre showing on grass (barely won a set), James has certainly had a very good 6 months.

Like stevie, never heard of Albot - hope there's a good reason for that !

As to Dan, I don't care about his alternative interests or not. I guess that Roger Federer, with four (4 !) children probably has plenty of 'alternative interests'.

The proof is in the pudding.

And, as such, I think it's wrong to jump down his throat over this one result. He very nearly won (MP and all). Wang has just won his next match 6-1 6-1. Defending points (as someone said earlier) is not really about direct tit-for-tat. So I have no gripes with Dan about his showing at the US Open. Such is tennis.

However, the results (and possibly commitment/effort/interest) over the rest of the last 12 months have been pretty poor. Injury may well be one reason. Don't think it's the only one.

I still fervently believe the old 'he's got plenty of time' adage . . . In fact, I'm rather hoping he goes on a bit of a splurge and runs out of money in the next 12 months - great way to focus the mind.

edit: well done SC - absolutely no recollection of James and Albot playing at RG - well, if James can beat him on clay . . .

-- Edited by Coup Droit on Friday 22nd of August 2014 07:30:15 AM

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Coup Droit wrote:
edit: well done SC - absolutely no recollection of James and Albot playing at RG - well, if James can beat him on clay . . .

I really can't claim any credit for remembering that result, CD: it came up on the head-to-head page of the ATP site! wink

goldenboy · Club Coach

Well done James, and fully expect him to finish the job tonight (I'd be very disappointed if he didn't now). I get the impression James now feels he "belongs" at a higher level.

In general, the qualifier slots in the main draw seem to be fairly decent, only a few i'd want to avoid (Raonic, Stepanek, and perhaps a couple of lower seeds). First things first for James though!

gattolibero · Social player

I am following James since seeing him at the Davis Cup in Naples and this seems his best year... I am a lucky person! I also predicted that his ranking at the end of the year is about no. 120... hope he can do even better.

Time ago I saw Woody Allen's film "Matchpoint" (very good film!) where the protagonist after an ordinary career on the ATP tour becomes a tennis teacher at Queen's Club in London, I thought of Ward

paulisi · Tennis legend

So James currently has 447pts

He has defended all his points for the US Open last year already, so anything else is a bonus. 9 more points for qualifying, 45pts if he wins his first round

Current 590pts is enough to get to a ranking of 100, So James needs another 143pts

He has 29 +15pts to defend this year(of which 6pts can be replaced with a best non counter) thus a net 38pts

So in theory James needs a net 181pts up until February next year(will have to replace some of his current scores with better scores). I've no idea what his plans are for the rest of the year, but with Aussie open and various challengers and tour events to come in that period, it must be a great chance to make top 100.

indiana · Tennis legend

Very consistent run by James since Wimbledon. That's now 209 points from 6 tournaments ( and counting ) since Wimbledon, more points than any GB player other than Andy has so far banked in total ranking score looking post the US Open, though Kyle has 190 points plus his two Asian challengers to come.

This was the consistency that has so often not been shown that had me doubting James making the top 100. Great stuff.

Also James is establishing an extremely good Slam qualifying match record this year. That's now 7 wins and 1 loss, hopefully to become 8-1. Must be the best year by a Brit in qualifying in a long time ?

indiana · Tennis legend

Oops re that last bit about Slam qualifying.

For some reason I had James as reaching the FQR at the Australian Open rather than losing in QR1. He did qualify in Roland Garros, so now 5-1 for the year rather than 7-1.

PaulM · Tennis legend

Well done James. Nice to see him having a few consistent weeks rather than chucking in one good tournament every 3 months. Long may it continue.

Jaffa · Challenger level

On a side note, my adopted Brit, James McGee is in the FQR and plays Zhang Ze. Would love to see him get a Q berth.

Wardy should win tonight, didn't Smethy or Coxy beat Albot comfortably fairly recently?