ATP Eastbourne: Billy Harris vs Max Purcell; Preview, Head-to-Head and Prediction

Britain’s Billy Harris will be flying the flag high for his country at the 2024 Eastbourne International, recently beating Italian Flavio Cobolli in the QF to ensure his maiden ATP Tour SF entry. Now the question is – approxn he loss Australian Max Purcell in the semi-finals and becoming the first British male player to reach the final in Eastbourne?

Harris had a decent season this year, with five QFs and two SFs before this tournament. By comparison, Max Purcell’s best result came in the Challenger Taipei, TW, where he reached QF. The Australian reached the SF here in 2021, now it will be interesting to see if he can take a step forward at the same location this year.

Billy Harris vs. Max Purcell: Preview

Billy Harris will get in the semi-finals after a three-set win over Cobolli 6(3)-7, 7-6(4), 6-2 in the QF. He hit 8 aces against the Italian and hit only 1 double fault. His first serve win percentage was 77%, and second serve win percentage was 75%. Harris could only succeeding in convert 2/5 break points and don’t give any away, despite Cobolli getting 3 chances.

Overall, it’s season has not it went credit for Harris. He managed only 19 aces and only 2 double faults. He has won 91% of his service games, but showed poor performance in the return games, winning only 11%.

His opponent, Max Purcell, defeated Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic 6-3, 7-6(4) in his previous match. Purcell hit only 5 aces and made 2 double faults against the Serbian. He won 76% of his first serve and 62% of his second serve in the QF. The Aussie was 2/2 on break points against Kecmanovic, while he gave the Serbian 1/2.

He has almost hit 144 aces this season and has committed 54 double faults. Max Purcell has won 76% of his service games and 13% of his return games this year, but who between these two tennis players will lead the H2H?

Harris vs Purcell: Straight Duel

Billy Harris has only met Max Purcell once in his career. They played in the SF of Les Franqueses del Vallès and defeated the Aussie 7-6(3), 7-6(4). Both players hit 4 aces and 3 double faults before Harris reached the final. Purcell won 61% of his first serve and 39% of his second serve, while it was 68% and 33% respectively for Billy Harris. The Brit converted 7 of the 12 break points in that match, while Max Purcell was only able to convert 6 of his 11 chances.

Prediction: Harris wins in straight sets

Billy Harris gets the huge support from the home crowd as he steps onto the court in the semi-finals. Can the 26-year-old Purcell handle the external pressure effectively? This season Harris has a win-loss record of 2-1, while Purcell has a win-loss record of 6-14. However, he is currently ranked 94th in the world, with the Briton 139th in the men’s singles rankings.

Despite being a few places behind the Aussie in the rankings, Harris’ current form and the support from the crowd will give him extra motivation in this match. The 1.93m Harris is known for his big serves and strong two-handed backhands, both a blessing on grass. These are the two big weapons he will use in this match. Can Max Purcell counter this with his slice-and-dice tennis style?

Purcell has a different game style and he can hit slice forehands quite efficiently. He is also quite good with forehands and volleys, but is that enough to beat the British tennis player on home soil? Probably not!