Jordan Thompson and Max Purcell claimed their maiden men's doubles title at a major as a team, becoming the first all-Australian pairing to triumph in New York since 'The Woodies' in 1996.
The seventh seeds defeated the German partnership of Kevin Krawietz and Tim Pütz 6-4, 7-6(4), letting out a massive roar before celebrating with an iconic chest bump after match point on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Purcell, 26, won the Wimbledon doubles crown in 2022 with Olympic gold medalist Matt Ebden - familiar with what it takes to clinch a Grand Slam title.
It got extremely nervy late in the second set when Thompson and Purcell squandered two championship points up 5-3 on the return of serve.
Purcell served two double faults in the following game with the championship on the line, broken to love and gifting the initiative to the Germans to mount a comeback.
“There’s more tension when winning the match means the title, not just another round,” said Purcell. “And being that we got so close the last one, we really wanted to get over the hump this time.”
Despite the slip-up, the Aussies prevailed in the tiebreak to etch their names in the history books, served with an ace by Purcell to ultimately redeem himself.
“It got a little bit tense there at the end with the match points, I thought I can’t do it again, but we stuck with it and got there,” Thompson said.
The 30-year-old later told Stan Sport: “Grand Slam champion, it’s got a nice ring to it. I couldn’t be happier.”
The duo has been on a tear on the doubles circuit in 2024, winning titles in Dallas, Los Cabos, the US Clay Court Championships, Madrid, and the US Open—as well as reaching the final of Wimbledon.
Thompson and Purcell are projected to achieve a top-10 place in doubles when the official rankings are released tomorrow.
Comentários