It was never a contest on equal terms. Wu Yibing defeated James Duckworth in the second round of the US Open on Court 6 of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, 7-5, 6-3, 6-1, putting on an impressive show of his current hard-court form. For the Chinese player, it was his tenth consecutive victory — a winning streak he extended with complete conviction.
First set sends an early warning
The opening set remained relatively competitive before Wu Yibing landed the decisive blows. Duckworth, who had caused a stir in the previous round by upsetting 30th seed Matteo Arnaldi, tried to put pressure on his opponent with a powerful serve — averaging 191 km/h on his first delivery. But his serving percentage let him down: only 47 percent of first serves landed in. The consequences were eight double faults and a growing vulnerability on serve. Wu Yibing converted his break points with clinical efficiency to take the first set 7-5.
Wu steps up — Duckworth falls apart
In the second and third sets, the match became a one-sided affair. Wu Yibing was imperious on serve: he held in every single service game, winning 78 percent of points on both first and second serve, and conceded barely any break points. Duckworth, by contrast, racked up 37 unforced errors and failed to convert a single break point. The second set went to Wu 6-3, the third 6-1 — a clear statement from the Chinese player.
Wu Yibing's 12 aces and 36 winners underlined the 26-year-old from Hangzhou's superiority throughout. He won 59 percent of all points overall and succeeded on 73 percent of his net approaches. Coach Dante Bottini, who has worked with Wu Yibing since 2025, will have every reason to be satisfied with his charge's performance: the Chinese player had already claimed the Sarasota Challenger title on hard court earlier this season, further cementing his credentials on the surface.
Outlook: Wu eyes more
By reaching the third round of the US Open, Wu Yibing adds another chapter to his career — standing at this stage in Flushing Meadows for the second time. Duckworth, whose previous-round performance had turned heads, bows out of the Grand Slam without a single set to his name. The final scoreline of 7-5, 6-3, 6-1 in Wu Yibing's favour reflected the balance of power throughout — on this day, the Chinese player was simply a cut above.
