An Australian duo reigns at Wimbledon after recording their names in the record books during a grueling final.
Matt Ebden and Max Purcell secured an epic victory in a five-set thriller on the center court to become Wimbledon men’s doubles champions.
The Australian duo defeated Wimbledon title defenders second seeded Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic as they won the Grand Slam crown in a fifth-set tiebreaker 7-6 (7/5), 6-7. 7/3). , 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (10/2) which lasted four hours and 11 minutes.
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It is reportedly the first time a men’s doubles match at the All England Club has been decided by the tiebreaker from the first to 10 of the fifth set, and the Australians found themselves on the right side of history when it was all over.
Edben and Purcell entered the tournament as the 14th seed and reached the final after saving three match points in their first round and five more in their victory in the semifinals.
The Stars won five of their six matches in five sets and become the first Australian pair to win Wimbledon since Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde in 2000.
It is the first major doubles title for the couple. They lost the Australian Open final to Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Praise for the historic victory came, and her Australian compatriot Nick Kyrgios praised the pair for the victory.
“Congratulations @mattebden and @ MaxPurcell98 very solid effort, I guess I don’t care about M&M’s anyway,” Kyrgios wrote.
Socceroos legend Tim Cahill was amazed by the duet’s fighting spirit: “An amazing performance, the spirit they showed to keep fighting was quite special. Congratulations to Ebden and Purcell.”
ABC presenter Warwick Long wrote: “What a most epic doubles finale. Well done Ebden and Purcell and thank you for the absolute roller coaster of a trip.”
Pavic had broken his right wrist in the semifinals and played on Saturday with the injury tightly tied.