After almost being eliminated by one Australian last night, Roger Federer will now face another one in James Duckworth, as he looks to make the semi-finals of the Brisbane International. Join The Roar for a live blog of the match from 8:00pm AEDT.
Last night, Roger Federer got a massive fright, as Australian John Millman had a set and a break lead over the former world number 1.
Unfortunately for the Aussie, Federer was able to fight back, and win 11 of the next 15 games to win the match.
Tonight he faces another Australian, James Duckworth, who made his first ever ATP World Tour quarter final yesterday against Jarkko Nieminen.
After losing the first set 6-4 to the Finnish player, Duckworth had to deal with two match points at 6-5 down in the second set.
The Aussie was able to save them both and then win the tiebreaker to bring the match into a deciding set.
From then on, it was all Duckworth, who won the third set 6-3 to seal his debut quarter final. The win was just his 8th on the ATP world tour.
Tonight he faces one of the biggest challenges on the tour in Roger Federer. It is a battle he has already had though after the duo faced each other last year at the Australian Open.
In the first round battle Federer was too strong. He won 6-4 6-4 6-2 in 106 minutes. I expect a similar score line tonight but that could change because of the rustiness of the Fed Express.
It was clear last night that Federer wasn’t at his best. He struggled at times with his concentration and made plenty of unforced errors.
If that happens again tonight then Duckworth is a big chance of putting Federer under pressure. His serve is better than Millman’s and he has more variety in his game than his fellow Australian.
He is solid at the net and likes to move around to win the point. Having said all of that I expect a different Federer tonight.
As the tournament progresses he will get better and better.
It will be interesting to see if he gets to a higher level tonight than last night.
Regardless of the level Federer plays tonight, Duckworth needs to play extremely well to win tonight.
His serve needs to be strong, as it was against Nieminen. He served 16 aces against the Finn and also saved seven of the nine break points he had. He also won 77% of his first serves.
Tonight he must do the same, and land plenty of first serves against the Fed Express.
In their last match against each other, Duckworth conceded 17 break points, and only served at 52% on the first serve.
Those figures need to improve tonight if he is any chance of beating the world number 2.
Duckworth’s forehand also needs to fire tonight. That shot is his weapon and he needs to hit plenty of winners to be in contention.
This promises to be a fantastic match between one player out of form, and another in the form of his life.
Federer should still win the match tonight though and I expect him to bounce back after last night.
Duckworth will be competitive for a set and a half but at some stage Federer will bounce back. When he finds his form Duckworth will be no match for him.
Prediction: Federer 2-0
Mark Coutinho
Guest
Thanks again from Holland, Shane!
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
That is it from me tonight. Thanks for joining in on the coverage. Until next time it is bye for now. Bye.
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
THOUGHTS - Federer wasn't happy with his performance last night and wanted to make amends for it. He certainly did that tonight against Duckworth. He didn't give his opponent an inch and capitalised on every chance he had in the match. Duckworth didn't play his best tennis but he wasn't allowed to by Federer either. Once he conceded in the opening game of the match, Federer took the momentum and ran with it. He continued that into the second set and the match was quickly over. He won 75 percent of the points and controlled the match. Duckworth will need to rebound from this, and do it quickly. He is listed in the Sydney event next week and will probably gain a wildcard for the Australian Open. If he is to have a good summer, he needs to forget about tonight. He is better than this and it is only a blip on a radar for the New South Welshman. As for Federer, he plays Dimitrov tomorrow. This will be a cracking match between him and the Bulgarian. He will be looking for win number 999.
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
MATCH STATS - Aces - Federer 12 Duckworth 0 Double Faults - Federer 2 Duckworth 1 1st serve % - Federer 70% Duckworth 66% 1st serve points won - Federer 19/21 Duckworth 8/25 2nd serve points won - Federer 6/9 Duckworth 4/13 Break Points saved - Federer 0 Duckworth 2/8 Total Points won - Federer 51 Duckworth 17
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
Roger Federer defeats James Duckworth 6-0 6-1 in just over 40 minutes of tennis. After a poor night last night, Federer was back to his best tonight. He was devastating. Career win number 998.
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
Duckworth saves one with a great second serve.
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
3 match points.
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
Federer races to 0-30 on the Duckworth serve.
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
Federer holds to love. 3 aces finish the game off. This is quick, brutal, and brilliant from Federer. FEDERER 6 5 DUCKWORTH 0 1
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
A backhand cross court winner gives Federer the double break. He leads 4-1 in the second set. FEDERER 6 4 DUCKWORTH 0 1
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
Two more break points for Federer. Unfortunately the end of this match is in sight.
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
Federer races to 0-30.
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
Federer holds to love. He serves three straight aces to finish the game off. FEDERER 6 3 DUCKWORTH 0 1
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
Duckworth wins the next three points and holds serve. He is on the board. Brilliant. FEDERER 6 2 DUCKWORTH 0 1
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
Federer hits a great winner down the line. It is his 14th in the match so far. Duckworth hasn't hit one so far. 15-15.
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
Federer holds serve. He races to a 2-0 lead. FEDERER 6 2 DUCKWORTH 0 0
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
Federer wins the next game but he makes an unforced error and the game goes to deuce.
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
Great call from Duckworth. He challenges a second serve call and gets it right. A double fault from Federer. 15-30.
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
Federer wins the first game of the second set. I just hope Duckworth can win a game today. A 6-0 6-0 loss could really smash his confidence. FEDERER 6 1 DUCKWORTH 0 0
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
Great depth from Federer. He hits a long forehand, which goes in, and Duckworth hits the ball into the net. Break Point for Federer.