HANGZHOU/STARNBERG, October 13, 2024
James Duckworth has claimed the title of the Hangzhou Binjiang International Tennis Challenger. The top seed of the ATP Challenger Tour 125 hard-court tournament came back from a set down to overcome Mackenzie McDonald from the United States 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 in Sunday’s singles final.
Duckworth battled his way into the title match with wins over Yastuaka Uchiyama of Japan, Indian alternate Ramkumar Ramanathan, No. 5 seed Adam Walton from Australia and No. 8 seed Chun-hsin Tseng of Chinese Taipei.
The World No. 75 withstood 13 aces and broke McDonald’s serve one time. Duckworth won three points more than his opponent to secure victory in two hours and two minutes.
James Duckworth (1) wins at ATP Challenger level for an 11th time in his career def Mackenzie McDonald in Hangzhou
The 31 year old rises +12 spots in the rankings to ‘63 Live’ #TheFirstServe pic.twitter.com/iVKzrVF7Qb
— The First Serve (@TheFirstServeAU) October 13, 2024
By winning his 15th ATP Challenger Tour career title, his first of the season, Duckworth collected $22,370 in prize money as well as 125 ATP Ranking points.
The first edition of the Hangzhou Binjiang International Tennis Challenger offered a total prize purse of $164,000 and was held at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Tennis Center. Hangzhou is the capital of Zhejiang Province in eastern China.
The city known for its rich history, stunning natural beauty, and technological innovation. Famous for the picturesque West Lake, a UNESCO World Heritage site, Hangzhou offers tranquil landscapes of temples, pagodas, and gardens, blending ancient charm with modern urban life. The city has been a center of silk production and tea culture for centuries, particularly the renowned Dragon Well (Longjing) tea. Today, Hangzhou is also a tech hub, home to major companies like Alibaba, making it a symbol of China’s rapid economic growth and development.