Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell went the distance for the fifth time this fortnight to claim their maiden Grand Slam title in Saturday's Wimbledon final. The Aussies, who saved eight match points across two matches in reaching the championship match, recovered an early break in the fifth set against Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic in a thrilling 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(10-2) victory.
Pavic, who was playing exclusively with his dominant left hand due to a broken right wrist, put forth a valiant effort alongside his fellow Croatian, but the second seeds fell just short in their bid to retain the Wimbledon title.
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A Purcell return winner clipped the line to open up a double mini-break lead at 5-2 in the decisive tie-break, and another made it 9-2 as the Aussies sprinted through the finish line. An Ebden ace — the team's fifth of the match — sealed the deal after four hours, 11 minutes.
While the Australians did not need to save a match point on Centre Court, they did save two break points on the Purcell serve at 4-4 in the fifth set. After some untimely unforced errors piled on the pressure, Purcell saved the first chance with a wicked backhand dipper and the second with a 130-mph serve, the fastest of the match. That escape prevented Pavic, who was not broken in the contest, from serving for the title.
More to follow...
from Tennis - ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/VxaWLXo
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