James Ward: Ready to give Great Britain head coach Leon Smith a headache

James Ward clinched his first Challenger Tour title for over two years by winning the AirAsia Open in Bangalore to boost his chances of a Davis Cup final spot next month.

The Londoner defeated top seed Adrian Menendez-Maceiras 6-2 7-5 to clinch his first success on the second-tier tournament since July 2013.

Ward has been a key figure in Britain's rise up the Davis Cup pecking order and his victory over John Isner was pivotal in Leon Smith's side's triumph against the United States in March.

Captain Leon Smith, Jamie Murray, Andy Murray and James Ward celebrate after GB defeated France in the last eight

He broke into the top 100 for the first time after making the third round of Wimbledon, but a run of 11 straight defeats saw him left out of the team for the semi-final against Australia last month.

Dan Evans was given the nod instead, and Smith must choose between Ward, Evans and Kyle Edmund for the number two position alongside Andy Murray when Britain take on Belgium in Ghent at the end of November.

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