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Taylor Fritz vs Max Purcell: ATP Eastbourne – Final
Taylor Fritz is going after his third title at the ATP Eastbourne when he face Max Purcell in the final today.
Taylor Fritz Profile
The two-time ATP Eastbourne champion, Taylor Fritz is 13th in the ATP rankings, while his career high was No. 5 in the world. The American is 30-12 for the season and 5-1 on grass.
He is coming off a 7-6, 7-6 semifinal win over Aleksandar Vukic. Previously he defeated Juncheng Shang with the same score and Thiago Seyboth Wild 7-6, 6-3.
Earlier this season, Fritz won the title in Delray Beach, defeating Tommy Paul in the final, and lost the final match in Munich to Jan-Lennard Struff.
Fritz won the title in Eastbourne twice before in 2019 and 2022.
Max Purcell Profile
Max Purcell is 94th in the rankings while his career high was No. 40 in the world. The Australian is 17-18 for the season and 8-2 on grass.
Purcell reached the final after going through the qualifiers. He defeated Jan Choinski and Henry Searle to get it to the main draw and then went on to beat Laslo Djere, Lorenzo Sonego, Miomir Kecmanovic and Billy Harris to get to the finals.
Earlier this season, Purcell reached the quarterfinal at the Challenger in Taipei and the round of 16 in Wuxi, Houston, Los Cabos, Dallas and Auckland.
This is Purcell’s fourth appearance in Eastbourne and the first time he won a match in the main draw.
Head-to-Head – Fritz 1-0
- Fritz vs Purcell 7-6, 7-6 (2023 ATP Basel, first round)
Prediction and Conclusion
Taylor Fritz is having a solid season and is targeting a return to the top 10 players in the rankings. He is a two-time champion in Eastbourne, and he has shown that confidence by winning the last five sets all in tiebreaks. In the only previous match against Purcell, Fritz won in two tie breaks. This is by far the best tournament this season for Purcell, as he hasn’t won more than one match in any ATP tournament this season. He has never won an ATP title in his career, which makes this a career opportunity for him. However, Fritz is a much better player and will win his third title in Eastbourne in straight sets.