Small margins cost Watt in ASB Classic singles
- editor59343
- 6 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Kiwi professional James Watt put up a strong performance but it wasn't quite enough to defeat world No 49 Jenson Brooksby from the United States.
Wildcard Watt was beaten 6-4 6-3, but the match was tighter than the scoreline suggested with the 25-year-old constantly asking question of Brooksby's game.
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“It was awesome,” said Watt. “It was cool to play at that level. I felt like I was there neck and neck. But obviously there are things to focus on and a couple points that could have gone here or there, so it’s fun.”
Watt was broken in the seventh game of the opening set, but had break point opportunities in the next game to make it 4-4.
In the second set he held serve and then looked likely to break his opponent but couldn't capitalise and was eventually broken at 2-2 before holding from 0-40 down at 2-4.
Serving at 3-5, he saved five match points before Brooksby sealed the win on the sixth clipping the net for the win.
After the match Watt said he believed he had his chances.
“I think just the consistency was a little bit lacking. I had a lot of opportunities to break him, really get on top in that first set, even in the second set as well.
“But credit to him, he hung tough and came up with some big serves on key points.”
He said he now has more of an understanding of his own game and that of the ATP Tour
“Stay aggressive. Serve plus one, get in as much as I can,” he said.
While he was disappointed not to have served more consistently, Watt acknowledged the pressure Brooksby applied.
“Obviously I would have liked to have served better, but he returned really well,” he said. “I think I served well in patches as well.”
Despite the ranking gap, Watt is ranked 705 in the world, he felt the margins were slim.
“There was a couple shots that missed by a few inches,” he said.
“If those had landed in, then it could have easily been the other way. That’s tennis, I’ll learn from this experience, take that with me and keep improving.”
Later Ajeet Rai and Dutchman Jean Julien Roger lost 6-3 6-2 to the top doubles seeds Yuki Bhambri (India) and Swede Andre Goransson.