Great Britain hopeful James Ward has bowed out of Wimbledon at the third round following a five-set defeat to Vasek Pospisil this evening.
Ward - one of two Britons left in the singles competition, along with Andy Murray - looked on course to reach the last 16 after taking a 2-1 lead in sets.
© Getty Images
Having defied his 111th world ranking for much of the campaign, the test of Pospisil proved a bridge too far as the Canadian came back to clinch a 6-4 4-6 2-6 6-3 8-6 victory in a gruelling three-hour encounter.
He follows compatriot Heather Watson through the exit door at SW19, after she came perilously close to shocking world number one Serena Williams on Friday.
The Canada native took the first set after breaking Ward's serve midway through the opener and holding on to take the early initiative.
However, Pospisil went off the rails at the start of the second set, allowing Ward to break and wrestle back control of the game. The Brit held his nerve, thanks in part to a string of aces, to serve out the set and level the game.
The 28-year-old then gave rise to suggestions that a last-16 place beckoned by inflicting two breaks of serve in the third and fifth game en route to a 2-1 lead in sets.
However, the Canadian, ranked 56th in the world, 55 places above Ward, refused to give the baying fans what they wanted without a fight.
Pospisil managed a break of serve in the fourth game - his first since the opener - of the fourth set to establish a 3-1 lead, and a solid service game ensured that he would not be caught as a decider beckoned.
There, both players held their serves en route to being deadlocked at six games apiece, but it became clear that a break would help determine the victor, with the winner needing to do so by a two-game margin.
Pospisil took a big step toward the win by breaking to move 7-6 ahead and knowing that another held service game would see him progress.
From there, he made no mistake to set up a last-16 clash with Viktor Troicki and ensure that Murray remains the only Briton left in the competition.
Shane Callaghan
