Wimbledon 2015: Top 5 Upsets in Men’s Draw

Aug 27, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Jiri Vesely (CZE) in his match against Denis Kudla (USA) on day two of the 2013 US Open at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports

Wimbledon 2015: Top 5 Upsets in Men’s Draw

It has been a roller coaster Wimbledon so far. Unpredictability is one of the reasons why we love sport and we have had our fair share of upsets that have grabbed the headlines. Seeds began tumbling from the first round, with bigger names falling later in the first week.

We are here to look through 5 of the most unexpected upsets of Wimbledon 2015 in the men’s draw. Although the top four seeds made it through to their respective quarter finals unscathed, a number of other players fell to some inspired performances.

Upset Number 5

Second Round

James Ward [WC] v Jiri Vesely

James Ward was the beneficiary of the late withdrawal of 8th seed David Ferrer and made the most of the opportunity, beating a lucky loser in the opening round. Despite going into the next round as the underdog, a match against Jiri Vesely had all the makings of a classic Wimbledon upset.

For many years the home hopes, especially in the men’s draw, have been pinned on Andy Murray. However, Ward has shown his penchant for the big occasion, registering some big scalps in the Davis Cup world group. Buoyed by home support, he never let Vesely settle.

The early stages of the match already spelled danger for the Czech player, who was struggling to find any rhythm. In contrast, Ward was leaning on his forehand and hitting his spots on serve. He breezed through the opening set, with excitement building for another Brit in the third round.

Vesely, somewhat inevitably as the higher ranked player, did find is groove. He forced a tie break in the second set, although that resolve came too late as he went two sets down. Ward only had a small mental lapse, missing a few routine shots and Vesely stole the third set.

However, it is rare for such a significant upset to be such plain sailing and Ward showed all his character to right the ship and break early in the fourth. He held his nerve impressively, continuing to serve impressively as he won the match, in the process breaking the Top 100 for the first time and registering his best ever major performance.

Score: 6-2 7-6(4) 3-6 6-3

Next: Upset Number 4