Wimbledon: Sussex tennis star's title defence ends in quarter-final defeat with doubles partner
Defending Wimbledon champions Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool saw their title defence come to an end, after a quarter-final defeat to Mate Pavic and Marcelo Arevalo.
The British duo were beaten 6-2 7-6 on Court Two, with the second set proving a far tighter contest before Pavic and Arevalo dominated the tie-break to seal victory.
Cash admitted the pair were slow out of the blocks against their experienced opponents, who produced another strong serving display.
“It was tough,” the Burgess Hill-born tennis star said.
“We had a slow start. Credit to them, they played well and served well again. We did much better in the second set.
“It wasn't our cleanest match, but we did a much better job of just sticking with them and giving ourselves a chance, I suppose.”
Glasspool echoed his partner’s assessment, conceding that Pavic and Arevalo were simply the better team on the day.
“They were definitely too good on the day,” he said. “We could have been better, but we knew everything we needed to know going in.
“I don't think too much took us by surprise, it was just one of those matches where they were better and we weren't good enough.”
Despite the disappointment, Brighton’s Cash reflected positively on another memorable appearance at the All England Club, praising the conditions and the unique atmosphere of Wimbledon.
“It was nice conditions to play in,” he said. “I felt the court was a lot harder and a lot faster than the others, but other than that, it was a nice day to play some tennis.
“[Wimbledon] is always a special place to come to. Even when you're practising here, it's just a different feeling. It's the best place in the world to play tennis, there's no doubt about that, so it's always a privilege to come back.
“I’m proud that we put a solid week together. Getting three wins at this level is always a positive. Obviously, it’s a shame about today, but there are definitely positives.”
Cash and Glasspool arrived at Wimbledon as reigning champions after their breakthrough triumph last year, when they lifted the doubles trophy in front of a home crowd.
Although they were unable to repeat that success, Glasspool believes the pair can take confidence from their run and return stronger at the US Open later in the season.
“Any tournament where you get to play four matches, three wins is a positive,” he said. “We obviously wanted to go deeper, and we went deeper last year, so it's not what we were aiming for.
“But we'll try to take the positives. It’s a long year; there's still another slam to play.”
The British pair’s Wimbledon campaign may have ended before the final stages this time, but they leave SW19 with another strong showing at their home Grand Slam and remain confident of challenging for further major honours.