H2H data updated: 2026-09-02 00:00 UTC

Mel Purcell vs Christo Steyn H2H: 1-2

Christo Steyn holds a 2–1 lead over Mel Purcell in their ATP head-to-head. Across 3 main-draw meetings, they are tied 1–1 on carpet, while Christo Steyn leads 1–0 on clay. Most recently, Mel Purcell won the 1987 Philadelphia round of 64 6-3 6-1.

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Mel Purcell
USA Age 67 Right-Handed 178 cm / 5'10"
H2H
1 – 2
3 main draw meetings
Christo Steyn
RSA Age 65 Right-Handed 185 cm / 6'1"

H2H Match Log

PlayerScorePlayerMatch DataDateRoundTournamentCategorySurface
Mel Purcell #75 6-3 6-1 Christo Steyn #67 Match data Feb 4, 1987* R64 Philadelphia ATP 250 Carpet
Christo Steyn #51 6-4 3-6 6-4 Mel Purcell #61 Match data Nov 13, 1986* R32 Wembley ATP 250 Carpet
Christo Steyn #63 6-4 3-6 6-4 Mel Purcell #99 Match data Jul 30, 1986* R64 Washington Open ATP 250 Clay

Estimated match date where the exact historical date is unavailable. Arrows show an edition's recorded category and documented modern equivalent; unresolved editions keep their recorded category. Asterisked totals include editions mapped from documented historical predecessor categories. Mapping details.

Career Comparison

Player Current Peak Pts Elo W L Win % GS 1000 including documented historical predecessor categories Finals 500 including documented historical predecessor categories 250 including documented historical predecessor categories Titles
Mel Purcell #673 #21 21 1,992 190 164 53.7% 0 0 0 0 3 3
Christo Steyn #620 #42 0 1,748 43 53 44.8% 0 0 0 0 0 0

Career Progression by Age

Seasons are aligned by the age each player spent most of that calendar year. GS and Titles are cumulative career totals through that season.

Age Mel Purcell Christo Steyn
YrW-LWin %RankEloGSTitles YrW-LWin %RankEloGSTitles
18 1978 0–2 0.0% #555 1,474 0 0 — — — — — — —
19 1979 2–4 33.3% #245 1,509 0 0 — — — — — — —
20 1980 19–13 59.4% #27 1,743 0 0 — — — — — — —
21 1981 48–20 70.6% #24 1,916 0 3 — — — — — — —
22 1982 38–24 61.3% #28 1,838 0 3 1983 1–2 33.3% #616 1,505 0 0
23 1983 30–25 54.5% #28 1,771 0 3 — — — — — — —
24 1984 20–21 48.8% #67 1,703 0 3 1985 15–10 60.0% #77 1,657 0 0
25 1985 6–9 40.0% #129 1,706 0 3 1986 22–23 48.9% #67 1,677 0 0
26 1986 12–16 42.9% #72 1,650 0 3 1987 5–17 22.7% #278 1,530 0 0
27 1987 12–23 34.3% #140 1,529 0 3 1988 0–1 0.0% #601 1,510 0 0
28 1988 3–6 33.3% #268 1,538 0 3 — — — — — — —
29 1989 0–1 0.0% #504 1,525 0 3 — — — — — — —

Surface Results by Age

Seasons are aligned by the age each player spent most of that calendar year. Results cover completed main-draw matches. Bold green marks the higher win percentage when both players have at least 5 matches on that surface at the aligned age.

Age Mel Purcell Christo Steyn
Yr HardClayGrassCarpet Yr HardClayGrassCarpet
W L M Win % W L M Win % W L M Win % W L M Win % W L M Win % W L M Win % W L M Win % W L M Win %
18 1978 0 1 1 0.0% 0 1 1 0.0% — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
19 1979 1 2 3 33.3% 1 2 3 33.3% — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
20 1980 7 5 12 58.3% 12 5 17 70.6% — — — — 0 3 3 0.0% — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
21 1981 20 3 23 87.0% 20 11 31 64.5% 1 1 2 50.0% 7 5 12 58.3% — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
22 1982 14 8 22 63.6% 20 8 28 71.4% 0 1 1 0.0% 4 7 11 36.4% 1983 1 1 2 50.0% 0 1 1 0.0% — — — — — — — —
23 1983 9 8 17 52.9% 16 11 27 59.3% 4 1 5 80.0% 1 5 6 16.7% — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
24 1984 9 7 16 56.3% 8 8 16 50.0% 1 2 3 33.3% 2 4 6 33.3% 1985 2 3 5 40.0% 1 2 3 33.3% 12 5 17 70.6% — — — —
25 1985 3 4 7 42.9% 0 2 2 0.0% 0 1 1 0.0% 3 2 5 60.0% 1986 13 11 24 54.2% 3 4 7 42.9% 3 3 6 50.0% 3 5 8 37.5%
26 1986 4 5 9 44.4% 6 7 13 46.2% — — — — 2 4 6 33.3% 1987 4 11 15 26.7% — — — — 1 4 5 20.0% 0 2 2 0.0%
27 1987 1 11 12 8.3% 6 7 13 46.2% 2 2 4 50.0% 3 3 6 50.0% 1988 0 1 1 0.0% — — — — — — — — — — — —
28 1988 3 2 5 60.0% 0 3 3 0.0% 0 1 1 0.0% — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
29 1989 0 1 1 0.0% — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Career — 71 57 128 55.5% 89 65 154 57.8% 8 9 17 47.1% 22 33 55 40.0% — 20 27 47 42.6% 4 7 11 36.4% 16 12 28 57.1% 3 7 10 30.0%

Advanced Statistics Comparison by Age

Seasons are aligned by the age each player spent most of that calendar year. Metrics are precomputed from eligible main-draw results; point-stat values use the available detailed sample. Bold green marks the stronger value when both underlying samples are sufficient. Lower is better for Schedule because a negative value means a tougher schedule. Career Schedule is normalized per 100 matches.

Age Mel Purcell Christo Steyn
Yr Elo P+ Serve+ Return+ PD TPW% Hard Elo Clay Elo Grass Elo Set Win % Set Margin Dec. Set Tiebreak Pressure+ Schedule Yr Elo P+ Serve+ Return+ PD TPW% Hard Elo Clay Elo Grass Elo Set Win % Set Margin Dec. Set Tiebreak Pressure+ Schedule
18 1978 1475 97.5 — — — — — — — 20.0% -1.80 0–1 0–1 — +0.28 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
19 1979 1509 112.5 — — — — +27 +9 — 37.5% -0.56 0–1 0–1 — -0.34 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
20 1980 1744 150.1 — — — — -128 -24 — 56.8% +0.69 4–5 (44%) 2–2 (50%) — -1.39 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
21 1981 1916 153.0 — — — — +9 -97 — 62.5% +0.92 16–6 (73%) 7–4 (64%) — -2.73 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
22 1982 1838 155.1 — — — — -35 +108 — 60.0% +0.68 6–5 (55%) 7–5 (58%) — -5.38 1983 1506 108.7 — — — — — — — 45.5% 0.00 0–1 — — +0.34
23 1983 1771 144.5 — — — — -61 +111 -55 54.8% +0.29 8–13 (38%) 9–4 (69%) — +0.37 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
24 1984 1703 139.2 — — — — +12 +119 -31 49.5% -0.08 7–8 (47%) 5–6 (45%) — -1.17 1985 1658 127.9 — — — — -98 -149 +77 59.1% +0.45 2–3 (40%) 6–3 (67%) — +2.14
25 1985 1706 132.0 — — — — +24 — — 39.5% -0.89 3–1 (75%) 3–5 (38%) — -2.09 1986 1677 129.0 — — — — -42 -146 +61 47.3% -0.32 9–4 (69%) 9–12 (43%) — +0.56
26 1986 1650 128.8 — — — — +22 +75 — 46.5% -0.25 5–7 (42%) 3–1 (75%) — -1.07 1987 1531 114.3 — — — — -6 — +120 28.8% -1.38 0–3 (0%) 1–3 (25%) — +0.12
27 1987 1530 132.0 — — — — +26 +134 +149 38.6% -0.47 3–6 (33%) 2–5 (29%) — 0.00 1988 1510 100.0 — — — — — — — 40.0% -1.40 0–1 1–0 — +0.09
28 1988 1538 115.3 — — — — +78 +54 — 40.7% -0.78 1–2 (33%) 3–0 (100%) — -0.36 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
29 1989 1526 103.2 — — — — — — — 25.0% -1.00 — 0–1 — -0.07 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Career — 1993 150.0 — — — — -13 +49 +19 52.7% +0.23 53–55 (49%) 41–35 (54%) 100.0 -3.94 — 1749 127.1 — — — — -36 -147 +81 46.3% -0.35 11–12 (48%) 17–18 (49%) 99.3 +3.39

Career Rivalries

Each player's five most-played main-draw opponents. The current matchup is highlighted when it appears in a player's top five.