The Wimbledon weeks did not start well for Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson, but the Australian duo could have a golden finish.
The pair have fought their way into the men’s doubles final and believe they can win after sweeping the top seeds off the court.
Purcell and Thompson defeated Spaniard Marcel Granollers and Argentinian Horacio Zeballos 6-4, 6-4 in 71 minutes on Thursday to book a place in the final, which takes place at the All England Club on Saturday (Sunday morning AEST).
At the beginning of last week, Purcell lost in the opening round of the men’s singles to Finnish Otto Virtanen 6:3, 6:2, 6:2.
An unusually weak Thompson was eliminated in the next round by the same score against Brandon Nakashima.
But the doubles offered the couple a second chance and they took it.
As the number 15 seeds, they have dropped just one set in five matches, in the quarterfinals against the number 11 seeds Argentines Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Moltoni.
For the 26-year-old Purcell, it is his fourth major doubles final. He previously won Wimbledon in 2022 alongside Matt Ebden and is a two-time finalist at the Australian Open (2020 with Luke Saville, 2022 with Ebden).
The 30-year-old Thompson is in his first Grand Slam doubles final.
Purcell and Thompson earned the first break of the match in the seventh game – the first time all tournament that the top seeds had lost a service game – and they held on to that lead to win the first set.
Granollers and Zeballos were looking to reach the Wimbledon final for the third time in four years, but the Australians broke again in the ninth game of the second set. Purcell then served out.
The pair now have 26 wins from 30 games together.
Their aim is to become the seventh Australian pair to win the tournament since the start of the Open Era in 1968. That list is headed by Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge (six times) and John Newcombe and Tony Roche (four times).