Week 40 - Challenger (€106,500+H), Mons, Belgium (Hard)

Topemp · Strong Club Player

RE: Week 40 - Challenger (€106,500+H), Mons, Belgium (Hard)

thejester · Satellite level

At deuce now on the JPS serve...

Topemp · Strong Club Player

From nowhere (40-15 down) Wardy gets a MP

Topemp · Strong Club Player

Doh! Gets a look at tentative 2nd serve but nets return- Deuce

thejester · Satellite level

JPS makes something worse than a pig's ear of his smash
Match point James
2nd serve return netted by Wardy
Ace out wide followed by another awful volley from the Aussie
Deuce...

thejester · Satellite level

He'll have to serve it out... *5-4

Topemp · Strong Club Player

Smith finally serves out, but James will kick himself if he doesn't win this now, had chances to take that, after Smith missed two easy overheads and double faulted but he couldn't take advantage

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

At last!

L32: James Ward WR 150 defeated John-Patrick Smith (AUS) WR 112 by 7-6(3) 6-4

thejester · Satellite level

Superb drop shot from James at the end of a lengthy rally. Really sublime touch. 15-0
JPS long. 30-0
Big serve doesn't come back and it's 3MPs
Cracking return from JPS saves the 1st MP. 40-15
A nasty DF waves the 2nd goodbye. 40-30
But the next one's a big serve. It's not coming back
Ladies and gentleman - James Ward has won a match!!!

thejester · Satellite level

A sigh of relief is heard in tennis communities across the land

nicofrance · Strong Club Player

As that wonderful Etta James song goes At Last........ James finally gets his first win since Wimbledon. Played well and he must be very relieved.

Topemp · Strong Club Player

Whoah! Tight, but Wardy finally gets that elusive win.
biggrin
Won a marathon point for 15-0 then got to 40-0 fairly comfortably. Hit a good 1st serve at 40-0 but Smith got reply right on the line and JW went long.

Then hit second serve into the net cord serving at 40-15 which luckily still just landed in for a net, but then hit 2nd (3rd) serve long.

Finally came up with winning first serve at 40-30.

I also noticed that JPS refused to acknowledge umpire at the end furious (anyone know what that was about?) Anyway who cares, Wardy has a W, hope its start of a good week!

steven · Tennis legend

What a relief to see the 11-match losing streak finally end

- and of course, being James, he beat a higher-ranked player to do it after losing to lots of lower-ranked ones LOL

2nd seed Janowicz has withdrawn too, so he'll now play Dodig or Khachanov in R2.

LouieG · County player

Pleased for Ward, he played well and deserved the win. Now let's hope he can hit some form!

Oakland2002 · All-time great

Wardy

at last.
Still optimistic he will be top 50 before he's 40! Stats never ever lie