Australians Li Tu, Omar Jasika, Philip Sekulic and Tristan Schoolkate are all set to compete in the Wimbledon qualifying competition for the first time.
London, Great Britain, 24 June 2024 | Leigh Rogers
Four first-time competitors are among the Australian hopefuls contesting the Wimbledon 2024 men’s qualifying singles event.
This includes Tristan Schoolkate, who grew up playing on grass courts in Perth. The 23-year-old has charged up the rankings this season, improving more than 70 spots since April.
Philip Sekulic, a 20-year-old from Brisbane, has been in career-best form too and earned himself a spot in Wimbledon qualifying after breaking into the world’s top 240 last month.
Li Tu, a 28-year-old from Adelaide, and Omar Jasika, a 27-year-old from Melbourne, are also set to make their Wimbledon qualifying debuts. It is a welcome reward for perseverance for the two athletes, who have both reached new career-high rankings this season after returning from extended stints on the sidelines.
A total of seven Australians will compete for a coveted main-draw spot at Roehampton in London this week, marking our highest representation in a Wimbledon men’s qualifying singles competition in five years.
The experienced James Duckworth headlines the Australian contingent, looking to build on his impressive form which has netted eight grass-court wins in the past month.
The in-form 32-year-old, who has skyrocketed up the rankings to world No.88, is the fourth seed in the draw.
Duckworth, who has previously completed successful Wimbledon qualifying campaigns in 2013 and 2014, begins his quest against Germany’s Benjamin Hassan, one of the highest-ranked unseeded players in the draw.
Marc Polmans and Dane Sweeny round out the Australian chances. The 27-year-old Polmans is contesting Wimbledon qualifying for a fifth time. He qualified in 2021 and progressed to the final qualifying round last year, while this is 23-year-old Sweeny’s second qualifying appearance at the tournament.
| Wimbledon 2024 Men’s qualifying singles, first round |
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| Player | Rank | Player | Rank | |
| [4] James Duckworth (AUS) | No.88 | v | Benjamin Hassan (GER) | No.143 |
| Tristan Schoolkate (AUS) | No.183 | v | [10] Damir Dzumhur (BIH) | No.110 |
| Li Tu (AUS) | No.202 | v | Valentin Royer (FRA) | No.199 |
| Omar Jasika (AUS) | No.210 | v | [3] Zizou Bergs (BEL) | No.77 |
| Marc Polmans (AUS) | No.212 | v | [9] David Goffin (BEL) | No.109 |
| Philip Sekulic (AUS) | No.240 | v | Hugo Dellien (BOL) | No.175 |
| Dane Sweeny… | ||||
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