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Aussie James Duckworth will look to make the most of his wildcard entry at the Brisbane International but standing in his way is talented Frenchman Gilles Simon. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 2:00pm AEDT.
The withdrawal of Juan Martin del Potro has allowed Duckworth to secure his place in the main draw of the Brisbane International and he is certainly capable of making the most of good fortune this afternoon against Simon.
At just 22 years of age, Duckworth’s best years are still ahead of him. He has already faced some of the ATP tour’s finest players and such experience will serve the Australian well this afternoon.
Duckworth produced a competitive effort against Roger Federer at last year’s Australian Open and also pushed Tomas Berdych and Richard Gasquet during the 2014 grass court season.
At his best, Duckworth is a tenacious opponent with a big serve and solid groundstrokes. He regularly gives his all and should fancy his chances of causing the upset against the talented but unpredictable Simon.
Simon throughout his career has always had the talent to beat the very best players on the ATP tour. The fact that he pushed Federer all the way in last year’s Shanghai Masters final proves this.
For all his talent however, Simon can lose his way quickly in matches, particularly if things don’t go to plan early on against players he is favoured to defeat.
If Duckworth can secure an early break of serve, it may just be enough for Simon’s game to fall apart, in turn granting the aussie wildcard a great window of opportunity.
Needless to say a fit and firing Simon should have Duckworth’s measure. If Simon is on song, he should add to his lone 2012 victory over Duckworth at this very tournament.
If the Frenchman however isn’t switched on from the get go, Duckworth’s competitive nature may just allow the Australian to secure a tight victory.
Duckworth in three sets.