Max Purcell has overcome injury to win the first all-Australian battle at the French Open in eight years, downing fellow Sydneysider and occasional doubles partner Jordan Thompson in a Roland Garros dogfight.
Purcell, who won an ATP doubles tournament with Thompson in Houston only last month, prevailed 7-5 1-6 6-4 6-4, fuelled by adrenaline to ignore the knifing pain from an injured ankle and ensure he's one of the four Australian men in the second round at the Paris slam for the first time in 23 years.
It continued an extraordinary breakthrough year for Wimbledon doubles champ Purcell, who’s been concentrating on singles, shooting up to No.68 in the world from being way back at No.203 in February.
This was his first singles win in a fifth grand slam appearance - another 2023 landmark after already reaching six singles finals, winning three, in second-tier Challengers.
But his joy was dissipated by the bloke across the net being the Australian player he probably knows best.
"I’m pretty proud of the effort, happy I got my first main draw win - but it would have been nice if it had been against someone who’s not Jordan," shrugged Purcell.
"I felt a bit bad because I was a bit injured. I think that was kind of in his mind too and it was a bit of a s***show - but I guess one of us had to win."
The only Australians in singles action on Tuesday, it felt unfortunate that a pair who've played Davis Cup doubles together should be pitted against each other when both have been in such fine form.
They were the first Australians to play in the Paris singles since Thanasi Kokkinakis beat Bernard Tomic in the second round in 2015.
In a Challenger final in Busan, South Korea at the start of the month, world No.76 Thompson had defeated Purcell but this time the younger man took the initiative, cashing in on the sole break point at the end of the first set.
Thompson then won six straight games, with Purcell wincing at the end of the second set after exacerbating a right ankle injury he'd first suffered in the Busan final.
Though he had a conversation with the trainer and was clearly hampered in his movement, it only forced Purcell to go for broke against Thompson, who's had his own problems with an eye complaint this year.
"The anti-inflammatories the doctors gave me did help a little bit but, more or less, the adrenaline just kicked in. I was lucky the way it forced me to play - it was really the only way I was going to beat him, and I was lucky I could pull it off," said Purcell.
The 25-year-old earned a single break in each of the last two sets, eventually finishing the job after two hours 51 minutes with a glorious backhand down the line, his 49th winner.
In the last-64, Purcell faces Japan's 27th seed Yoshihito Nishioka, who came from two sets down to beat American JJ Wolf 1-6 3-6 6-4 6-3 6-3, and he'll be icing the injury to ensure his fitness.
"Structurally, there’s not much wrong, at least I know the injury's not going to get any worse," said Purcell.
"But it feels like a knife in the side of your foot when you’re about to push off, it’s not great."
AUSSIES IN ACTION ON DAY FOUR AT ROLAND GARROS ON WEDNESDAY:
Men's singles, second round
Jason Kubler v Fabio Fognini (ITA), starting 1900 AEST
Thanasi Kokkinakis v Stan Wawrinka (SUI), starting approx 2100 AEST
Women's singles, second round
Storm Hunter v Elina Svitolina (UKR), starting 1900 AEST
