Newport, USA, 16 July 2022 | Vivienne Christie

A stunning week continues for Jason Kubler at the Infosys Hall of Fame Open in Newport, where the 29-year-old Australian has advanced to an ATP-level semifinal for the first time.

Kubler defeated fellow Australian James Duckworth to achieve the new career milestone, recording a 7-5 7-6(3) in two hours and 15 minutes.

https://twitter.com/atptour/status/1548054036334620675?s=20&t=tqqlrxkLeDueMR7tgXKwOw

The Queenslander recovered from a challenging start against world No.74 Duckworth, dropping serve in the opening game but levelling in the seventh game.

Kubler claimed another break of serve in the 12th game to secure the 54-minute first set.

The Australians exchanged service breaks to open the second set before proceeding to a tiebreak. After taking a 5-1 lead over Duckworth, Kubler never looked back.

“It’s a good mental victory for me today,” said Kubler, who defeated Duckworth for the first time in the five matches they’ve played.

“I’ve been putting a lot of effort into my mental side. I’m happy that I was able to stay consistent throughout the match.”

The unseeded Kubler had earlier stunned tournament top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime to set the all-Australian clash in Newport, saving a match point in the three-set battle to advance.

It marked a first top-10 win for Kubler, who has built a 25-4 match-winning record since the start of May. At Wimbledon,  he came through qualifying to progress to the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time.

Kubler next faces No.3 seed Alexander Bublik, who defeated three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray in their quarterfinal clash.

Aussies in action – Newport

RESULTS
Men’s singles, quarterfinals
Jason Kubler (AUS) d[8] James Duckworth (AUS) 7-5 7-6(3)

Men’s doubles, semifinals
[4] William Blumberg (USA)/Steve Johnson (USA) d John-Patrick Smith (AUS)/Ramkumar Ramanathan (IND) 6-4 6-4

COMING UP
Men’s singles, semifinals
Jason Kubler (AUS) v [3} Alexander Bublik (KAZ)