Perfect Start For Aussie Trio

John Millman, James Duckworth and Jordan Thompson made it an ideal three from three for the Australians on the first day’s play at the Citi Open in Washington on Monday. Fresh from a career-best third-round Grand Slam showing at Wimbledon, Millman carried his form to the first tournament on the US hard court swing, downing local hopeful Denis Kudla 7-5, 6-0.

The 27-year-old hit five aces on his way past Kudla, reeling off the last seven games of the match to book a second-round showdown with 2010 finalist Marcos Baghdatis. The last time the pair met, Baghdatis prevailed in a five-set battle in the second round at Wimbledon in 2015. Qualifier Duckworth inflicted more pain on the Americans, taking down Tim Smyczek 7-5, 6-1.

It was Duckworth’s third win in a row, having come through qualifying. He claimed 76 per cent of his first-serve points and was never broken. The win sets up a clash with top seed and three-time runner-up John Isner.

Thompson became the third Australian to advance in straight sets. The World No. 90 in the Emirates ATP Rankings overcame Victor Estrella Burgos 6-3, 6-2. Thompson, 13 years the Dominican’s junior, won 88 per cent of first-serve points in little more than an hour to set up a second round meeting with 11^th seed Alexandr Dolgopolov.

In other matches, 22-year-old Bjorn Fratangelo claimed an all-American battle with Alex Kuznetsov, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 to book a second round match against another of his countrymen, Sam Querrey. Brit Dan Evans built on his third-round run at Wimbledon to see off German Benjamin Becker 6-2, 6-1.