Ebden comes prepared

RESURGENT Australian Matt Ebden says he has statistical proof his attacking tennis can hold sway over the legions of baseline belters.

The second-ranked Australian man has a willingness to attack the net and saw off talented American Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 6-2 to book a secondround Brisbane International crack at countryman Nick Kyrgios tomorrow.

Ebden had the biggest rankings leap of any player in the men’s top 100 last year, rising 620 places to No.76.

“I was encouraged that I could do it and ... I was able to work on and actually implement things in my game,’’ Ebden said. “For sure one of my strengths is coming in, my movement and my net game.

“Two years ago at the US Open the stats were (that when) playing from the baseline anybody was, at best, winning 49 or 50 per cent of the points. People who were servevolleying or coming to the net, they were winning 67 to 70 per cent of those points.

“So the winning stat for that tournament was definitely coming (to) the net.”