James Duckworth has returned to the world’s top 100 after capturing the Perpetual NSW Open title at Sydney Olympic Park on Sunday.
The top seed swept past Australians Moerani Bouzige, Dane Sweeny and Jason Kubler before defeating Japanese qualifier Hayato Matsuoka 6-1 6-4 in the final for his first Australian Pro Tour trophy of the season.
The ATP Challenger Tour victory lifts Duckworth 19 places in the rankings, from world No.106 to No.87, all but guaranteeing him main-draw entry at Australian Open 2026 for the 14th time in his career.
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“It means a lot,” said the 33-year-old, competing in his home town. “I love playing in front of family and friends, and to win this tournament is really special. It’s an awesome feeling, especially here in Sydney, where I grew up and spent so much time at this facility. I first came here when I was eight years old.”
The former world No.46, who upset Flavio Cobolli and pushed Daniil Medvedev to three sets in the semifinals of the Almaty Open in October, credited his resurgence to improved mental discipline.
“I’ve worked quite a bit on the mental side, my concentration and staying in matches for long periods. I’m slowly getting better at that.”
Working with new coach Jarrad Bunt, Talia Gibson defeated No.1 seed Kimberly Birrell 6-4 3-6 6-3 in the semifinal before winning a showdown final against Emerson Jones 6-2 6-4.
The victory marked Gibson’s third ITF title of the year and propelled her 12 places up the rankings to world No.124.
It also put her in pole position for a main-draw wildcard at Australian Open 2026. She holds a six-point lead over Jones as the Australian Pro Tour heads to Playford for the deciding event in the wildcard race.
With the top 100 now within reach, the 21-year-old Perth talent said she was learning to steady herself as expectations rose.
“I think there’s been a pretty big shift, especially mentally,” Gibson said.
“The experiences I’ve had over the last year have helped me learn a lot and approach things differently – mentally and physically. I’ve made a lot of gains.
“There were definitely some nerves, but I tried to stay as calm as possible and treat it like any other match. Using my experience from this year, I just tried to keep it in perspective.”
In doubles, Rinky Hijikata and Marc Polmans delivered a dominant performance to beat Dane Sweeny and Callum Puttergill 6-0 6-4 for the men’s title, while Japanese pairing Hiromi Abe and Ikumi Yamazaki outplayed Australians Petra Hule and Elena Micic 6-4 6-4 to win the women’s championship.
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