Jack Draper may well be the future of British men's tennis but Cameron Norrie gave a timely reminder yesterday that he is still around and, it seems, would quite like his British No 1 ranking back. In a match between the country's top two, Norrie produced one of his best performances of the year as he clinched a 7-6(3), 6-4, 7-6 (5) victory over the current No 1 to reach the third round for only the second time.
A semi-finalist two years ago, Norrie edged a tight first set thanks to a fast start in the tie-break. In the first clash between the British No 1 and No 2 in a grand slam event since Tim Henman beat Greg Rusedski at the Australian Open in 2002, Norrie's greater grass-court experience and nous made the difference. He cruised through the second set and then recovered from 5-3 down in the third to wrap up a convincing victory.
"Jack's been playing so well and we're such good friends off the court," Norrie said. "We had to put that aside today. I was pretty relaxed coming in, I was happy with my level and played really physical.
"I just wanted to keep trusting my movement, my legs. I've put in some really good practise, the level is there, It was nice to use it today and use my experience. I was a bit nervy toward the end of the tie-break but I managed to get it done."
Norrie had insisted that he was the underdog against Draper, even though he had won their previous two meetings. Draper won his first title in Stuttgart last month and beat the Wimbledon champion, Carlos Alcaraz, at Queen's Club, to be seeded in a slam for the first time, at No 28. Kidology or honesty, Norrie came out firing, fist pumping almost from the first point.
Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin July 05, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin July 05, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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