After missing out on a few Grand Slam titles at the U.S. Open, Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson couldn’t help but remember their Wimbledon disappointment.
“Yeah, a fair bit,” Purcell admitted.
They left Wimbledon feeling heartbroken. However, their trip to Flushing Meadows ended in joy. Purcell and Thompson won the U.S. Open men’s doubles title on Saturday, avoiding another late collapse and defeating the 10th-seeded German pair, Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz, with scores of 6-4, 7-6 (4) to claim their first major trophy together.
The Australian team, seeded No. 7, had three match points at Wimbledon in July but lost in a third-set tiebreaker to Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten.
This time, they nearly faltered again on Saturday, letting two match points slip away when they were up 5-3 with Krawietz serving. The score evened out at 5-all after Purcell was broken while serving for the match.
But Purcell’s serve proved crucial at the end, sealing the victory with an ace at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“Wimbledon kind of helped us and probably made us focus a little bit more once it kind of slipped again to make sure it didn’t slip a third time,” Purcell said.
As close friends who have both been coached by Thompson’s father, the pair now have a 50-10 record, including 37-6 this season. This was their fifth title together and earned them $750,000.
“We don’t think of it as, ‘We’re doubles players,’” Thompson said, who also reached the fourth round of singles at the U.S. Open before losing to fellow Australian Alex de Minaur.
