Max Purcell won his second consecutive ATP Challenger singles title, triumphing at the Bengaluru Open with a gruelling three-set win over James Duckworth in an all-Australian final, here on Sunday.
Duckworth did not have to strain himself much to win the first set but it was Purcell, who rallied to win 3-6 7-5 7-6 (5) in the final.
Purcell, one half of the reigning Wimbledon champion team, earned three break points in the 10th game of the second set but Duckworth saved all of them.
Purcell made the decisive break in the 12th game to force a decider.
The third set went on serve, even as Purcell looked more confident and collected.
His mix of power and touch was a treat to watch.
In the tie-break, Purcell closed out the match without much ado, as a good house of crowd cheered him on.
On Saturday, the South Korean-Taipei pair of Yunseong Chung and Yu Hsiou Hsu had clinched the doubles title, defeating the Indian duo of Anirudh Chandrasekhar and N Vijay Sundar Prashanth.
Published 26 February 2023, 17:03 IST