Aussies Purcell/Thompson Win Houston Doubles Title In Match Tie-break

Jared Wickerham/US Clay

Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson dropped their first set at the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship in Sunday's final, but the Aussies regrouped after a wild opener to claim their first title as a team.

The Aussies defeated third-seeded Britons Julian Cash and Henry Patten 4-6, 6-4, 10-5 in what was their first doubles final as a team, claiming victory at the Houston ATP 250 with their third match win in two days. The teams traded seven breaks of serve in the first set, but Purcell/Thompson did not drop serve in the second, saving the only break point they faced. They never trailed in the Match Tie-break and capped their comeback by winning the final three points of the match.

"We had a little bit of a slow start. They were all over us early and we just had to try and figure it out and see what worked," Thompson said post-match. "We snuck through a couple of big points and then I think we kind of got on a roll in that [Match Tie-break]."

Now boasting a 7-1 tour-level record, the team that sent Australia to the 2022 Davis Cup Finals championship round with a win against Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic are champions on the ATP Tour. It is a third title for the 25-year-old Purcell, who won the Houston crown and the Wimbledon trophy with countryman Matthew Ebden last season, and a second for the 28-year-old Thompson, who won the 2017 Brisbane title with Thanasi Kokkinakis. Purcell is also a two-time Australian Open finalist (2020 with Luke Saville, 2022 with Ebden).

Purcell, who also reached the singles second round in Houston, reflected on his personal title defence: "Two different partners, which is also cool, two different experiences," he said. "It would be nice to come back [and win] for a third time."

Britons Cash and Patten, who won a record 10 ATP Challenger Tour titles together last season, fell in their first ATP Tour final. Their run backed up a semi-final showing earlier this season in Pune, and their three wins in Houston moved them up eight places to 26th place in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings.