Aussie pair Jordan Thompson and Max Purcell are through to the third round in the Wimbledon 2024 men’s doubles competition.
London, Great Britain, 7 July 2024 | Leigh Rogers
Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson believe they can challenge for the title after charging into the third round of the Wimbledon 2024 men’s doubles competition.
The Australian duo are yet to drop a set this week and have impressively won 23 of their 27 matches together this season.
“I don’t see why we can’t win it,” said Purcell, who won the Wimbledon doubles title two years ago alongside Australian Matt Ebden.
“Obviously I’ve done well here before and Jordan has been telling me he really wants to win a Slam.”
The 26-year-old Purcell believe a pressure-free approach is the secret to his solid partnership with Thompson.
“Jordan and I are never too fussed with how we do in doubles,” Purcell said. “I think of it like a free ride. If you get in the draw you can make a bit of extra money and pay for your coach for the year. Jordan thinks of it as the same.
“Obviously we want to do well, but no-one is getting at each other’s throats. If we lose, we lose. We’re all good with it. We also know what we’re capable of, so it’s quite fun winning and seeing how far we can go.”
The 15th seeds completed a 6-4 7-5 victory today against the experienced Fabrice Martin, a 37-year-old Frenchman, and Matwe Middelkoop, a 40-year-old from the Netherlands. The second-round match was played across two days due to inclement weather.
Purcell and Thompson were the only Australian players to score doubles win on day six at the All England Club.
It proved a tough day especially for world No.1 Ebden, who suffered a shock second-round loss in the men’s doubles competition alongside Indian partner Rohan Bopanna.
German pair Constantin Frantzen and Hendrik Jebens caused a major upset, knocking out the second seeds and reigning Australian Open champions in a 6-3 7-6(4) victory.
Neither world No.59 Frantzen or world No.58 Jebens had scored a Grand Slam-level win before this tournament. Meanwhile, Ebden and Bopanna were semifinalists at the All England Club last year and had won 19 of their past 22 Grand Slam matches as a team entering this match.
Aussies in action – Wimbledon
RESULTS
Men’s doubles, second round
[15] Max Purcell (AUS)/Jordan Thompson (AUS) d Fabrice Martin (FRA)/Matwe Middelkoop (NED) 6-4 7-5
Constantin Frantzen (GER)/Hendrik Jebens (GER) d [2] Matt Ebden (AUS)/Rohan Bopanna (IND) 6-3 7-6(4)
Men’s doubles, first round
Nicolas Mahut (FRA)/Skander Mansouri (TUN) d [Alt] Aleksandar Vukic (AUS)/Reese Stalder (USA) 6-4 7-6(3)
Women’s doubles, second round
[4] Katerina Siniakova (CZE)/Taylor Townsend (USA) d [Alt] Olivia Gadecki (AUS)/Elixane Lechemia (FRA) 6-4 2-6 6-1
COMING UP
Men’s doubles, second round
John-Patrick Smith (AUS)/Andreas Mies (GER) v [3] Rajeev Ram (USA)/Joe Salisbury (GBR)
Rinky Hijikata (AUS)/John Peers (AUS) v [9] Neal Skupski (GBR)/Michael Venus (NZL)
Men’s doubles, third round
[15] Max Purcell (AUS)/Jordan Thompson (AUS) v TBC
> VIEW: Wimbledon 2024 men’s doubles draw
Women’s doubles, second round
[3] Ellen Perez (AUS)/Nicole Melichar-Martinez (USA) v Timea Babos (HUN)/Nadiia Kichenok (UKR)
> VIEW: Wimbledon 2024 women’s doubles draw
Mixed doubles, first round
[1] Matt Ebden (AUS)/Ellen Perez (AUS) v Andres Molteni (ARG)/Asia Muhammad (USA)
John Peers (AUS)/Nicole Melichar-Martinez (USA) v [3] Mate Pavic (CRO)/Lyudmyla Kichenok (UKR)
Max Purcell (AUS)/Dayana Yastremska (UKR) v Nathaniel Lammons (USA)/Ena Shibahara (JPN)
> VIEW: Wimbledon 2024 mixed doubles draw
Find your way to play: Visit play.tennis.com.au to get out on court and have some fun!