British Ward hopes to claim Fish as first round casualty
Published:Great Britain’s Davis Cup player James Ward is out to cause an upset when he takes on American Mardy Fish in the first round of the Atlanta Tennis Championships.
Ward, who is ranked 287th in the world, has never faced Queen’s Club finalist Fish, and the 23-year-old Brit is 6/1 to claim a shock win.
Following his strong showing in Great Britain’s Davis Cup whitewash of Turkey, Ward is in decent form and he will be quietly confident of surprising Fish.
Ranked 49th in the world, Fish has claimed four tour titles and amassed over $4m in prize money in a career which has seen him consistently compete at major tournaments.
He is a convincing 1/12 to overcome Ward’s challenge, and a similarly compelling 7/1 to win the tournament.
Fish’s fellow Americans James Blake and Taylor Dent, meanwhile, face each other in what could prove to be the tie of the round.
Blake is the 2/5 favourite to win the match, though he will be wary of the threat Dent poses with his booming serve and forehand.
Dent is a 33/1 contender to be the champion in Atlanta, and the 29-year-old is 7/4 to beat Blake.
In five meetings between the two players, Blake has won four, and the experienced American is 16/1 to add the Atlanta Championship to his 10 career titles.
Who do you think will win in Atlanta? Andy Roddick is the 6/4 favourite to win the tournament. See the full Atlanta Tennis Championships market.
