Giant slayer Aussie Jason Kubler storms into first-ever ATP semifinals after meeting an all-Australian at the Hall of Fame Open with James Duckworth
- Kubler thought his tennis career was over after six knee surgeries
- The former number 1 in the junior world is back on the comeback trail
- He had a great performance at Wimbledon before being eliminated in the fourth round
- Now the 29-year-old has a chance to reach an ATP final at the Hall of Fame Open
He was the Aussie feel good factor tennis history of WImbledon and now Jason Kubler has continued his winning streak to advance to the semi-finals of the Hall of Fame Open at the famous Newport Courts in the United States.
It’s the only ATP grass-roots tournament to be held outside of the UK and Kubler has made hay with a huge win over top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime to reach the quarter-finals – the first time Kubler has defeated a top-10 opponent.
Then Kubler, who is trying to rebuild his career after six knee surgeries, worked hard to beat his compatriot Duckworth 7-5, 7-6 (7-3) in a close duel.
It’s the first time Kubler has come this far in an ATP tournament.
“It’s a good mental win for me today,” said Kubler in his on-pitch interview.
“I put a lot of effort into my mental side. I’m glad I was able to stay consistent throughout the game.”
It comes after Kubler was able to advance to the second round of Wimbledon while winning his first-round match at the French Open. Kübler has now won 25 of his last 29 games.
Kubler celebrates winning his match against James Duckworth during their quarterfinal match of the Infosys Hall of Fame Open at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport
The 29-year-old had to earn qualification in the Grand Slam events the hard way through lead-in tournaments, but is now poised to climb back into the world top 100.
He now meets Alexander Bublik from Kazakhstan in the semifinals, who had previously beaten the two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray 7-5 6-4.
Duckworth had won on all four previous occasions the two had met on tour. Kubler also edged out fellow Australian Jordan Thompson early in the tournament.
