Jay Clarke helped the British contingent at Roehampton achieve something that last occurred when he was just shy of his first birthday. The 18-year-old is one of three British men through to the final round of qualifying for The Championships, joining Marcus Willis and Alex Ward in the final round.
Not since 1999 has Great Britain fielded three players in the final round of qualifying for the gentlemen’s singles draw. Jamie Delgado, Danny Sapsford and Arvind Parmar all reached the final round that year – and, for those looking for omens, all three went on to qualify.
While Willis’s twilight win over Liam Broady may grab the headlines, both Clarke and Ward deserve huge credit for overcoming two players well-versed in the life and rigours of the ATP Tour. Clarke was the first to advance, beating Sweden’s Elias Ymer 6-4, 7-6(5), before Ward downed No.6 seed Go Soeda 6-3, 6-1.
“A lot of good wins have come recently, but I’ve been working hard for a long time now,” said Clarke, who is making his qualifying debut after graduating from the junior ranks this year.
“Unless you win, people don’t see the improvements, I guess, so it’s obviously good to get the result but I’m confident that even if I didn’t win that match that I was going to be good for the next few tournaments.”
Clarke, now working with Johanna Konta’s former coach Esteban Carril, describes himself as a clay-courter at heart – “I play with a lot of topspin and I move well, so clay allows you to stay in the rallies” – but has excelled on the grass, perhaps helped by the knowledge he will be at The Championships this year regardless of the outcome in Roehampton, partnering Willis in the gentlemen’s doubles.
“He’s the same age as my sister, so they know each other really well,” said Clarke when asked how the partnership came about, before paying tribute to Willis’s runs in 2016 and again this year. “A lot of the players he played, I’d say, are better, but he’s so much smarter. So he uses what he has really well, and I think that’s the most important thing.”
Willis’s showdown with Broady always guaranteed that at least one Briton was set to move within a match of the main draw this year. The duo started their match under dark grey clouds and ended in the twilight, Willis holding his nerve after missing match points in the second set to claim a 7-6(2), 6-7(2), 6-2 victory shortly after 8pm.
“I did say it was tough to see out there, but it’s the same for the opponent,” Willis conceded. “We were both struggling with the light, but you have to knuckle down and win the match.
“I thought my form held under pressure superbly well,” Willis added. “I went after my serve – must have hit a few double faults, but I’m glad I stayed aggressive. I had match points in the second set, missed a forehand by just a few inches, but over the course of the match I stayed aggressive and I won.”
Clarke will face Austria’s Sebastian Ofner in the final round, while Willis will take on No.9 seed Illya Marchenko.
“He’s very, very solid, normally quite a bad match-up for someone like myself – good backhand, good serve, moves well, fights very well,” Willis said. “I’ve got to look after my serve and see what he gives me on his.
“No one’s a good match-up the last round of a Grand Slam qualifying tournament – everyone’s very, very good. I’m awkward to play when I play well. I’ve just got to get my game out, play smart and fight very hard. No shame if I don’t win, and great if I do.”
But as Broady pointed out, nobody wants to face the man who faced Roger Federer on Centre Court as he bids to reach the main draw for a second straight year.
“I think most of the guys in the qualifying draw would be looking to avoid Marcus Willis, because of the way that he plays,” Broady said. “He is very tricky – he asks a lot of questions and puts you under a lot of pressure with his serve.”
He’s not short of confidence, either – and believes he is a better player than the man who swept through Roehampton a year ago. “I’m fitter, I’m faster, I’m moving better,” he said. “I was still a very good player last year, just Mr Federer took me out. I still stick by that if I didn’t play him, I could have won some more matches there.”
Alex Ward completes the trio of home hopes in the final round on the men’s side, despite the chilly conditions at the Bank of England Sports Club: “I was a bit cold to be honest! On Monday we were playing in mid-twenties heat and today it was pretty damp and cold, but once I got into it I felt good, despite the conditions.”
The 27-year-old faces Teymuraz Gabashvili after downing world No.111 Soeda in such impressive fashion away from his preferred clay courts.
“To be honest it was probably the best match I’ve ever played,” Ward said. “It was great, I didn’t do much wrong at all and it was some of my best tennis. I’d struggled for form a few weeks ago, but now I feel like I’m picking up momentum. It’s clicked this week, and it’s going well at the moment.
“But I’m taking things step by step – obviously it would be incredible to get into the main draw but right now I’m happy to reach that final round of qualifying, where I’ve never been before.”
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