Bytom, Poland, 15 June 2011 | tennis.com.au

James Duckworth (Gordon, NSW) is set to continue his rise up the world rankings after claiming his second career ITF Pro Tour title in Bytom, Poland.

Following his maiden ITF Pro Tour victory in May, Duckworth produced another exceptional performance on clay to claim his second title in as many months. After defeating fellow rising starMaverick Banes (Gold Coast, Qld) in the first round, Duckworth upset No.5 seed Erik Chvojka (CAN) and top seed Pavol Cervenak (SVK) en route to the final where he overcame Peter Torebko(GER) in a tough three set match, 6-3 3-6 6-4.

Beginning the year ranked No. 742 in the world, Duckworth has already reached No.485 in the ATP rankings and could climb even higher when the latest rankings are released next week.

“James continues to pick up valuable ATP points that will give him opportunities to compete at Challenger and Tour event qualifying events,” said AIS tennis head coach Brent Larkham.

“It’s great to see a young Aussie performing well on clay and the sequence of events in Poland has been very successful for him. The transition out of juniors has gone very well so far but James knows there is a long way to go, and the quicker you can progress through Futures level the better.

“Well done and thanks also to AIS men’s coach Ben Mathias who helped James on that trip as well as looking after his own assigned players.”

Duckworth has emerged as a proven performer on clay, reaching the semifinals or deeper in his last four events on the surface. The nineteen year-old has enjoyed a rich vein of form in recent months, reaching the quarterfinals or beyond on all but three occasions on the ITF Pro Tour since November.

As a junior, Duckworth reached a career-high ITF world ranking of No.7 in July 2010 and was a semifinalist at the French Open Junior Championships and quarterfinalist at Wimbledon last year.

Duckworth is currently a member of the AIS Pro Tour Tennis Program, a targeted training program to support the transition of junior players into senior ranks. Athletes are given world class coaching, physical and medical support as they travel the world on the tennis tour.