The Tricky Australian

Duckworth has been impressing us lately...

I've seen him play quite a few good matches now on the American hardcourts this season. He came into the USO after retiring in the Winston-Salem semifinal, but it did not look like he was hampered in his first round against Arnaldi. It looked like it was going five sets, but he managed to stay clutch and win it in four. I found his level quite nice throughout the match; Arnaldi can be a tricky opponent, since he defends so well. As for Wu, he already disposed of an Australian opponent in the first round, in straight sets. It took a while for him to get going, but once he did, he was simply dominant, playing at a high level. Walton is a good matchup for Wu, since he is solid from the baseline but not overly aggressive or defensive, which allows Yibing to dictate, which is where he really excels.

I do think the matchup against Duckworth could prove a bit more challenging. James is someone who plays quite aggressively and with a lot of variety, which is great against Wu, who thrives on rhythm and having time on the ball. Being able to play well at the net and changing up the pace with some good slices should definitely come in useful. I still have the feeling that Wu is going to put up a good match. I really liked what I saw from him in the first round, and he had some really nice crowd support! As long as Duckworth holds up physically and is not affected by the right leg injury that troubled him in Winston-Salem, I can see a match with some twists and turns. It's hard for Wu to keep playing at a top level the entire time, especially against someone who has some tools to bother him...