Taylor Fritz returned to the Eastbourne International once more, and he will be leaving with the trophy once more after beating Max Purcell in the final.
The American has made a name for himself in the coastal English town, having come to Eastbourne multiple times and won. The American actually won his maiden ATP Trophy in Eastbourne, so it was always a special place for him, but even more so now, after several more wins.
His first triumph happened in 2019 when he bested compatriot Sam Querrey in the final. The second time he won the title in Eastbourne was in 2022, when he bested Maxie Cressy in the final.
His third time was this year after some amazing performances to find himself in the final of the ATP 250 tournament once more. Fritz faced Purcell in the final and navigated the tricky matchup well.
Like many Australians, Purcell is no stranger to playing well on grass. He has a Wimbledon doubles trophy in his cabinet. However, he didn’t play that well in this match, as Fritz proved too stable to overcome.
The opening set was close, as neither player had too many chances, and it’s really difficult to have any chances on grass. Fritz was almost perfect, serving really well and winning comfortably the majority of points on his serve.
A late break sealed the set for him, winning it 6-4. The second one was a bit easier, as Purcell struggled to keep up. The American once again broke his opponent’s serve, but it came earlier in the set, midway through, for a 5-2 lead, which turned out in a 6-3 set finish.
Overall, it was a solid 6-4, 6-3 win for Fritz, who finished the match with nine aces and 17 winners. The American now has eight career trophies, three of which came in Eastbourne, as he improved to 3-0 in grass finals. Up next is Wimbledon, where he’ll face Christopher O’Connell in the first round.
