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The last Canadian standing in singles at Wimbledon is ... Vasek Pospisil
WIMBLEDON – Eugenie Bouchard was a Wimbledon finalist last year, and Milos Raonic was a semi-finalist on the men’s side.
With those credentials, even in the face of Bouchard’s struggles and Raonic’s uncertain health, you probably didn’t expect the last Canadian standing in singles to be … Vasek Pospisil.
But the 25-year-old from Vancouver is left to carry the flag alone. He will play arguably the biggest match of his career outside Davis Cup on Saturday, on the No. 1 Court at the All-England Club, against a Brit.
Luckily for Pospisil, that Brit is not named Andy Murray. Instead, he will face wild card James Ward, a rather more approachable endeavour.
It’s a huge opportunity for both, not only to move on at Wimbledon but also in terms of prize money and, most urgently, ranking points.
Ward has already jumped into the top 100 for the first time in his career on the basis of his results this week He’s inside the top 90 and if he beats Pospisil, would gain another 10 spots.
For Pospisil, who admitted he has “been looking for some wins”, his results have put him back inside the top 50 for the first time since last October. It’s a long way from his career best of No. 25, set after last year’s Australian Open, but it’s progress.
He began the tournament at No. 56 and is already assured of moving up at least a dozen spots, perhaps three or four more if he wins Saturday.
Best of all, the winner won’t have to face, say, a Rafael Nadal to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals. He would play either qualifier Dustin Brown, who upset Nadal Thursday, or No. 22 seed Viktor Troicki.
When you contrast that to Raonic’s third-round matchup today with Nick Kyrgios, in the third round, you quickly conclude that the draw gods certainly were smiling on both Pospisil and Ward this time around.
Once the matchup was set on Thursday, speculation about the court assignment began. Ward played his second-round match on No. 1 Court; it wasn’t a stretch to think that the Pospisil-Ward third-rounder might also be played there.
At the time, it seemed likely the tournament would have Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal to schedule on Saturday, leaving one men’s singles spot open of the four on the two big courts, with Federer yet to have a turn on No. 1 Court.
With Nadal’s loss, it became almost a no-brainer although in the end, they decided to put both Murray and Federer on Centre Court; that tells you they might be expecting some pretty high-level visitors to the Royal Box Saturday.
So No. 1 Court it is, a fabulous venue that will be filled with James Ward supporters.
“I actually tend to play well when the crowd’s against me. I think I just play well in front of big crowds, generally,” Pospisil said. “If I’m feeling well physically, it brings out the best in me. Even if they’re not cheering for me, I embrace the situation.”
Pospisil has certainly proven that in Davis Cup, before hostile crowds in Israel, most notably.
Ward is a fairly typical baseliner type, so Pospisil certainly has the edge in variety.
The only thing the pair has left to figure out is how well, exactly, they know each other.
Ward said in his press conference that they were good friends.
“We spend a lot of time together. In the last few years, we've played a couple of times as well in the challenger tour, a couple bigger matches in the semis and finals in the past,” he said. “We both know each other's games, so there's not too many secrets.”
It’s possible Ward might have Pospisil confused with someone else.
“I know him about as well as any other player, not more than the average. I played him one time, I know his strengths and his weaknesses, so I’ll try to exploit those. Just another match and I’ll have to make adjustments throughout the match for sure,” Pospisil said. “I haven’t played with him or practiced with him for a long time, so it’ll be kind of a new match for me.”
The Canadian might have the basic facts down a little better. The two played once, in the semi-finals of the big Vancouver Challenger back in 2011. Pospisil was 21 then, ranked just inside the top 200. Ward was 24, ranked a little higher at No. 174.
The stakes on Saturday, suffice to say, will be a little more significant.
