Source: Radio New Zealand
New Zealand’s James Watt during Round 32 Singles Men’s ASB Classic Tennis Tournament at Manuka Doctor Arena. Photosport
New Zealand wildcard James Watt has been knocked out in the first round of the men’s ASB Classic tennis tournament in Auckland, losing to Jenson Brooksby in straight sets on centre court 6-4, 6-3.
It was a brave effort from Watt, who conceded 600 places in the world rankings to his American opponent.
He said the performance gives him confidence he can beat anyone on his day.
“It was cool to play at that level. I felt like I was there neck and neck, but obviously there’s levels to focus and a couple points that could have gone here or there. The fact that I can hang in there with the guy top 50 in the world, just sort of builds on the Davis Cup success.”
However, Watt admitted he was simply not consistent enough on the day.
“I thought I played well in patches. I think I had a lot of opportunities to break and really get on top of that first set and even in the second set as well. But credit to him, he hanged up and came up with some big serves on key points.”
The Auckland crowd were right behind Watt as he managed to save five match points in a see saw final game.
“Those big points, just to get everyone get behind me, that really gave me a boost of energy. It was a couple shots that missed by a few inches and if those had landed then it could have easily been the other way. But that’s tennis and I’ll learn from this experience and keep improving.”
Standing at 2.09m, Watt is a towering presence on the court and would not look out of place wearing the number four or five jersey on a rugby field.
“My high school was trying to recruit me for the first XV quite a lot and I played basketball through high school as well. I think tennis was a consistent thing and I really enjoyed it and just kept on improving at it.”
The night session begins at 6pm with fifth seed and Auckland-raised British representative Cam Norrie up against Frenchman Hugo Gaston.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
