Max Purcell placed himself in line to win a second ATP Challenger title within a week when he marched into the final of the Bengaluru Open with a victory over Hamad Medjedovic in Bengaluru on Saturday.
In the semi-final, Purcell, who had won the trophy in Chennai last Sunday, defeated Serbia’s Medjedovic 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (4).
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Purcell of Australia will face No. 2 seed and countryman James Duckworth in the summit clash on Sunday. Duckworth defeated compatriot James McCabe 6-3, 6-3 in the other last-four clash.
Purcell, the defending Wimbledon doubles champion, made a bright start to the match, bringing up a break in the very first game and he did not let the advantage slip for the remaining part of the first set.
Medjedovic got his act together in the second set to take a 3-0 lead but Purcell hit back to make it 3-3. The Aussie had a golden chance to close out the match in the second set itself while serving on the back of a 5-4 lead but the Serbian broke back to make it 5-5.
Medjedovic garnered another break in the 12th game to pocket the second set 7-5. In the deciding third set, both the players managed to hold on to their serve as the match veered towards a tie-break.
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In the tie-break, a mini-break gave Purcell a 5-4 lead and the Australian this time did not squander the chance to emerge the winner.
Earlier, Duckworth made light work of McCabe in a match where the former was in full control. Duckworth employed his trusted formula of big serves and sharp ground shots to gain a measured win over McCabe.
The constant pressure applied by Duckworth was evidenced by the six breakpoints he earned in the match, and he also converted three of them to wrest the match.
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