Melbourne, VIC, 19 February 2019 | tennis.com.au

James Duckworth is on the cusp of a top-200 return after advancing to the semifinals of last week’s Challenger tournament in Bangkok, Thailand.

The 27-year-old improved 21 places to world No.210 as he continues to work his way back from injury-marred seasons in 2017 and 2018.

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After going winless at tour level during the Australian summer, Duckworth has built momentum on the Challenger circuit, reaching the second round in Burnie, the quarterfinals in Chennai, India and now the semis in Bangkok.

His latest rise puts him at No.11 in the Australian rankings, behind 10th-ranked Jason Kubler.

In July last year Duckworth was ranked No.748 but has risen significantly since then, helped by to a trip to the third round of the ATP 500 event in Washington DC plus a Challenger title in Cary, North Carolina in September.

His career-high ranking is No.82, a mark set back in April 2015.

In other news, Ajla Tomljanovic rose one place this week to crack the WTA top 40, while Ash Barty crept up one position to a career-high ranking of No.12.

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