Mardy Fish edges past James Ward into the third round – Wimbledon Championships 2012
American number two, Mardy Fish, came back from the jaws of defeat to overcome the challenge of resilient British opponent, James Ward, in the second round of the Wimbledon Championships in London on Thursday.
Fish needed four hours and 13 minutes to beat the Brit in five sets 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-3 in a marathon match.
The American made an ideal start, breaking Ward in the second game and winning his next serve to grab a 3-0 lead. Fish sustained his advantage till the end, serving it out at 5-3.
The 30-year-old made an almost similar start in the second set, as he made a strike in the very first game and consolidated on it to attain a 2-0 advantage. However, this time, he could not maintain his lead till the end, losing
his serve in the eighth and evening out the score at 4-4. Serving to stay in the set at 5-6, Fish was broken again and went down 5-7.
Ward and Fish made a steady start in the third set, holding their serves in the opening eight games to square off the proceedings at 4-4. Fish grabbed a breakthrough in the ninth and closed it 6-4.
The American and Brit exchanged a break of serve in the fourth set, levelling the score at 6-6 and taking it to a tie-breaker. Ward managed to claim a couple of mini-breaks in that, capitalising on both of them to win 7-6(3).
The Brit and Fish held their serve in the first seven games of the decider to take the proceedings to 4-3 in favour of the latter. The American struck in the eighth and held his following serve to triumph 6-3.
On his physical condition, Fish said, "I feel pretty tired. My legs are pretty tired. But it feels good to win. [It] certainly feels good to win a match like that. [It] sort of felt like a Davis Cup-type atmosphere at the end."
On the other hand, Ward said, "It was a long match, ups and down, but I tried to give myself the best chance. In the end he was just a little bit better than me. He's a top player and he came up with some big points at the right
times. Every time I sort of had a chance, he came up with a big first serve. You've got to expect that. He's a great player so he's most likely to go for it.”
Fish will play Belgian’s world number 70, David Goffin, in the third round.
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