By Tony Fairbairn
- Liam Broady def Shintaro Mochizuki 6-1 7-5
- Broady v Jordan Thompson [7] | H2H: First Meeting
NEWPORT, USA – Liam Broady continued his grass court momentum into Newport as he defeated Shintaro Mochizuki in straight sets to set up a second round meeting with Jordan Thompson.
 |
|---|
Liam Broady def Shintaro Mochizuki 6-1 7-5
Liam Broady is into the second round in Newport after a comprehensive straight sets win over Shintaro Mochizuki. Broady entered this week’s tournament with a stream of momentum as he reached the third round of Wimbledon and continued his confident form in his opening round match. The Brit played consistent and attacking tennis to put Mochizuki under pressure as he established the early break at 2-0.
Broady’s 20 year-old opponent hasn’t had the best grass court season even if he did qualify for Wimbledon and showed his passive play early on. Mochizuki eventually recovered some confidence but it wasn’t enough to stop Broady’s precision on the forehand side as the Brit sealed another break for a 5-1 lead. The world number 130 made no mistake securing the opening set as he hit his second ace of the match to convert his first set point.
The second started just as well for Broady who secured the break in the opening game as more unforced errors came from Mochizuki’s racket. It was a relatively comfortable match for Broady so far but the rest of the second set wasn’t as easy as Mochizuki simplified his game and came to the net to produce attacking patterns of play. The 20 year-old secured comfortable holds of serve and applied pressure on the Brit to close the match out.
That was something Broady was unable to do as a backhand unforced error on match point gave the former Wimbledon Juniors champion a lifeline. A lifeline that Mochizuki took as he broke back with a backhand down the line winner to level the set at 5-5. However Broady had learned a lot from his Wimbledon run and one of those things was composure as the Brit stormed back in the next game to break comfortably for a 6-5 lead.
Broady was not about to let the second opportunity to close the match out slip as a forehand into the net from Mochizuki secured Broady’s place into the second round in Newport.
Liam Broady [WC] v Jordan Thompson [7] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Liam Broady [WC] v Jordan Thompson [7] | H2H: First Meeting |
| ATP Newport 2023 | Newport, USA |
| Grass (O) | Prize Money: $6,895 |
| First on Court One at 11am (4pm BST) | TennisTV <- Subscription Required |
Next up for Broady is s-Hertogenbosch finalist Jordan Thompson who will look to bounce back after his second round exit to Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon.
Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (2023 – Grass)
| H2H: | Liam Broady (WR 130) | Jordan Thompson (WR 69) |
| Tournament Previous Best | R1 (2022) | Semi-Final (2021) |
| 1st Serve % | 54.9 | 62.6 |
| Service Games Won % | 76.8 | 88 |
| Break Points Saved % | 55.8 | 61.2 |
| 2nd Serve Return Points Won % | 54.4 | 47 |
| Break Points Converted % | 42.3 | 35.5 |
Thompson’ serve is perfect for grass court tennis as shown in the statistics however Broady’s will be confident he can neutralise the Australian’s serve given his returning efficiency.
 |
|---|
Playing styles and predictions
Thompson is an expert on playing on grass courts and the Australian has another successful build-up to Wimbledon having reached the final at s-Hertogenbosch. Thompson also produced an impressive performance against Djokovic at SW19 as he now looks to use this as a platform to produce more consistent results on other surfaces.
Broady will look to be smart on return by using the block return to start longer rallies and make Thompson uncomfortable from the baseline, using depth from the forehand. Meanwhile Thompson will continue to be aggressive on serve as he looks to come into the net to finish point off earlier. This is a winnable match for Broady as long as he can be smart on return and not rush his groundstrokes from the baseline. However if the Brit does overcommit too early then it will be a comfortable win for Thompson.
Prediction: Broady in three sets.
How to Watch/Follow ATP Newport 2023
| Live Stream | TennisTV <- Subscription Required |
 Sign up to PBLC for free to support ongoing contributions from Britwatch Sports |
|---|
| Follow Britwatch - Sport in General, Brits in Particular! | |
|---|---|
| Soundcloud | |
| YouTube | |
| We may receive compensation for products purchased via affiliate links on this website | |