Week 34 - ATP 250 - Winston-Salem Open, Winston-Salem, NC, USA (hard) - doubles

Jaggy1876 · Grand Slam Champion

RE: Week 34 - ATP 250 - Winston-Salem Open, Winston-Salem, NC, USA (hard)

goldenboy · Club Coach

:/ had a few quid on James too as decent odds beforehand
unfortunately he'll be seen as a bit of a plum draw at the US Open. needs to pull something big out of the bag somehow

edit: james has now only won 1 best-of-3 ATP-level match in the past 12 months. and that against a player outside top 200.

-- Edited by goldenboy on Monday 24th of August 2015 09:35:31 AM

Madeline · Admin:Moderator + Tennis Legend

airsmashers wrote:
James up a break early on *2-0

I would post the livestreamhunter link but its flagged as potential spam

-- Edited by airsmashers on Sunday 23rd of August 2015 10:52:11 PM

-- Edited by airsmashers on Sunday 23rd of August 2015 11:30:38 PM

Yes, Activeboard is funny about links. Some (but not all) have to be approved by a Mod. I have approved the link in question but too late. . .

I wish the board were as good at blocking kitchen spam adverts!

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Stircrazy · Tennis legend

For the record (with today's rankings):

L64: Chung Hyeon (KOR) WR 71 defeated James Ward WR 134 by 6-7(7) 6-4 6-3

*****

L64: (Q) Marco Cecchinato (ITA) WR 102 (CH = 97 earlier this month) vs Aljaz Bedene WR 58

vohor · Grand Slam Champion

On that basis that was a decent effort from Wardy then; fingers crossed he has a kindly draw for the USO later today and can make the most of it :)

Mervatron · Masters Series Champion

James really not in good form.

savva0122 · Intermediate Club Player

The streak continues.

Perhaps time for a break from the game, or at least a decent training block.

A131 · Intermediate Club Player

goldenboy wrote:
:/ had a few quid on James too as decent odds beforehand
unfortunately he'll be seen as a bit of a plum draw at the US Open. needs to pull something big out of the bag somehow

edit: james has now only won 1 best-of-3 ATP-level match in the past 12 months. and that against a player outside top 200.

-- Edited by goldenboy on Monday 24th of August 2015 09:35:31 AM

edit: james has now only won 1 best-of-3 ATP-level match in the past 12 months. and that against a player outside top 200.

and not won a match since Wimbledon

nicofrance · Strong Club Player

What has happened to Ward? His loss of form since Wimbledon has been shocking, yesterday was bad enough losing from a set and two breaks of serve up but in recent weeks he has lost to players below him when you'd think he would have gained some confidence from reaching the 3rd round at Wimbledon. One can almost view his first tournament after the DC as the start of his collapse in confidence.

The Colombia tournament gave him an opportunity and his draw to get at least to the QF's of a 250 event, since then he has been very poor and yesterdays shocker rounds off a desperate run of results. I think his chances of appearing in the DC tie in September are remote and Leon Smith needs to go with Kyle Edmund who at least is on an upward curve.

philwrig · Hall of fame

That looks like a high quality effort in defeat, what is all the doom and gloom !!!!

nicofrance · Strong Club Player

philwrig wrote:
That looks like a high quality effort in defeat, what is all the doom and gloom !!!!

Sorry I disagree, he was a set and two breaks of serve up at 3-0 in the second set so whats high quality about losing from that position? He was playing someone ranked 70 not top 10. Theres too many excuses made for some dismal Brit performances, the fact of the matter is he choked and threw away a winning position. The doom and gloom re James Ward is his dismal form which was glossed over by beating a poor opponent then an injured one at Wimbledon. He may have pulled off some good wins in the Davis Cup but seems unable to raise his level at other times.

philwrig · Hall of fame

If Wardy was playing badly yesterday surely he wouldn't have been a set and double break up in the 1st place.

nicofrance · Strong Club Player

philwrig wrote:
If Wardy was playing badly yesterday surely he wouldn't have been a set and double break up in the 1st place.

Well if that's the case how on earth did he blow that lead? I think you're straw clutching here, he was not playing a great player and should have closed the match out.

Spaced · Lower Club Player

philwrig wrote:
If Wardy was playing badly yesterday surely he wouldn't have been a set and double break up in the 1st place.

I see what you're saying, but there is surely no denying James is in desperate need of a win or two at the moment. Blowing it from a position like that can only further dent his already shaken confidence. Here's to hoping for a good draw and performance at the US...

indiana · Tennis legend

James' relative loss of form is actually for most of the year rather than just since Wimbledon, apart from occasional spikes of better form. And that is basically why he stands at number 161 in the race so far through the season.

Not clear how much this has been a factor, but he did seem to get his knickers in a proper twist re chasing after that top 100 spot, when the fact is he had a huge window to get there and just a sensible tournament schedule and anything at all near his form of the second half of last year would have easily got him there.

He played here there and everywhere, often seemingly when carrying niggles, and does seem to have played himself right out of form without the necessary break(s) to try and address issues.

In all the circumstances this latest defeat on the face it overall ( or rather in part ) looks a more encouraging performance, if "high quality effort" probably being rather a stretch especially given how the second half of the match unfolded. If he was playing well earlier that level really did need to be sustained to take more from the match moving forward ( while accepting the element of there, of course, being two players on the court ).

-- Edited by indiana on Tuesday 25th of August 2015 10:24:35 AM