19 June 2013 | Tennis Australia

James Duckworth and Matt Reid moved a step closer to main draw Wimbledon debuts following respective victories over Agustin Velotti and Amir Weintraub in the Wimbledon qualifying event currently underway in Roehampton.

Duckworth outclassed his Argentinean opponent 6-2, 6-3 and will now face the 31^st-seed, German Michael Berrer. Should he succeed in progressing through qualifying it will be the second straight Grand Slam appearance for Duckworth, a qualifier at the recent French Open.

Reid was also a straight-sets winner in Roehampton, defeating Israel’s Weintraub 7-6(5), 6-3 – a significantly more straightforward progression than in the opening round, when the 22-year-old secured victory over Somdev Dvvarman 18-16 in the third set.  Reid faces eighth seed Tim Smyczek, an American, in the final qualifying round.

John Patrick Smith and Sam Groth, the other Australian men in qualifying, were both eliminated in their second round matches.

There was success for Australian women as the women’s qualifying event began, with Casey Dellacqua and Sacha Jones both claiming their opening matches. Dellacqua defeated Russia’s Valeria Solovyeva 6-4 6-2 to set up a tough meeting with top seed Paula Ormaechea, while Jones eliminated Thailand’s Nudnida Luangnam 6-3 6-1 and now faces Japan’s Kurumi Nara.

The three other Australian women in qualifying were eliminated, with Anastasia Rodionova pushing Erika Sema to three sets but unable to progress. Experienced Frenchwoman Stephanie Gacon Foretz claimed a 6-2, 6-0 win over Ashleigh Barty while Olivia Rogowska fought hard but was defeated in straight sets by Petra Cetkovska.