Wimbledon 2021: Sam Querrey vs James Duckworth preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match Details
Fixture: Sam Querrey vs James Duckworth
Date: 1 July 2021
Tournament: The Championships, Wimbledon
Round: Second Round (Round of 64)
Venue: London, Great Britain
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Grass
Prize money: £17,066,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - BBC TV & Radio | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP.
Sam Querrey vs James Duckworth Preview
Former semifinalist Sam Querrey will take on Australian James Duckworth on Thursday for a place in the third round of Wimbledon.
The American, who is making his 13th visit to the All England Club, beat Pablo Carreno Busta in straight sets to reach the second round of the tournament for the 10th time.
Querrey put on a clinic, hitting 22 aces and 61 winners, and winning 90% of his first-serve points to hand Carreno Busta his sixth opening-round defeat in as many visits to Wimbledon.
Querrey, beset by injuries in recent years, has had a stop-start campaign this year. The American is 9-9 for the season but has been in good form of late, making a run to the final in Mallorca, where he lost to Daniil Medvedev.
The 33-year-old also reached the Stuttgart semifinals, where he came up short against Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Querrey's next opponent at Wimbledon, James Duckworth, managed to cross the first-round hurdle for only the second time in his career when he beat Moldova's Radu Albot in straight sets.
Duckworth is 8-7 this season and lost to Querrey in the Round of 16 in Stuttgart earlier this month. He arrived at Wimbledon on the back of an opening-round loss in Eastbourne.
Sam Querrey vs James Duckworth head-to-head
In the pair's only meeting on tour, Sam Querrey beat James Duckworth in straight sets in the second round in Stuttgart earlier this month. Thus, the American leads the head-to-head 1-0.
Sam Querrey vs James Duckworth Prediction
Sam Querrey has had his best Grand Slam results at Wimbledon. The lanky American reached his first Major semifinal at SW19 in 2017, losing to Marin Cilic. He also made a surprise run to the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 2019, before being stopped by Rafael Nadal.
The World No. 54 has a game well suited to grass. He has a monstrous serve, strikes the ball powerfully off both wings and moves pretty well for his height (6' 6").
Duckworth, meanwhile, has not made it past the second round of a Slam in 24 attempts. Nevertheless, the Australian is more than capable of picking up some wins on grass. He does not possess the greatest of serves, but he is a much better mover than Querrey and could trouble the American if he makes a strong start.
However, considering their recent form and the gulf in big-match experience, Querrey should be able to win this match and reach the third round.
Prediction: Sam Querrey to win in four sets.