Australian Open: British No 1 Cameron Norrie beats Casper Ruud to reach second week in Melbourne for first time
Cameron Norrie, the only British player to make it past the first round in the singles' competition, has secured his spot in the second week of the Australian Open after an impressive four-set win against Casper Ruud. This marks Norrie's first time making it this far in the tournament.
Before the recent major tournament, Norrie hadn't defeated a player of Ruud's stature - a world No 11. Furthermore, prior to their meeting, Norrie had lost all of his previous three matches against the Norwegian, who is an accomplished tennis player with three Grand Slam finals under his belt.
However, the player who is 28 years old played with determination and ferocity in order to secure a triumph of 6-4 6-7 (7-9) 6-4 6-3, securing a spot in the final 16 against the 6th position seed, Alexander Zverev.
Typically recognized as someone who stays at the back of the court, Norrie surprised everyone by approaching the net a total of 56 times throughout the match and smashing an astonishing 63 winning shots.
Norrie has achieved a British record by winning twelve straight matches.
Norrie has achieved a significant milestone by advancing to the round of 16 at the Australian Open. He is now the 12th British male player in the Open Era to reach this level. Previously, this feat was accomplished by Andy Murray, who had 10 round of 16 appearances, Tim Henman and John Lloyd, with three appearances each, Roger Taylor, with two, and Gerald Battrick, Mark Cox, Robin Drysdale, Kyle Edmund, Daniel Evans, Richard Lewis, and Greg Rusedski, who each achieved it once.
Norrie Vs Ruud: A Comparison
This is definitely one of the most impressive victories of his career, and he expressed his delight by saying: "It's truly amazing. I was able to maintain a high standard of play during the entire match.
During the time period when I'm not officially playing, I dedicated a lot of effort in training to adopt a more assertive approach. In the actual game, I was able to successfully execute this plan and felt much more liberated in my movements.
Ruud's powerful forehand is a remarkable advantage and Norrie made a beeline for his opponent's backhand, resulting in an immediate reward of a break for 2-1.
The top player from Britain had to work hard to maintain his lead, managing to recover from a difficult situation when the score was 0-40 in the sixth game. He also prevented the opponent from scoring a break point at 5-4 before finally finishing off the set with his serve.
In the second set, Ruud displayed superior gameplay compared to his opponent Norrie. However, in the third game, Norrie managed to recover from a disadvantageous position of 0-40. Surprisingly, Norrie experienced almost no stress while serving.
Norrie could have won the tie-break, but unfortunately, he just missed hitting a backhand down the line when the score was 6-4. Ruud managed to save another set point with a powerful serve and then went on to win the tie-break with an ace.
Norrie must have felt frustrated when the score was tied at one set each. Ruud appeared to be gaining control of the game when he finally managed to win his ninth break point, giving him a 3-2 lead.
Nevertheless, Norrie quickly responded, putting Ruud in a tight spot as he served.
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The player who had reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon in the past was trying to approach the net on almost every point. He managed to get a chance to win the set at 5-4 and successfully did so when Ruud made an error with his backhand and hit the ball into the net.
The player ranked 11th had participated in a tennis match that lasted for five sets in the previous round. However, his enthusiasm was reduced at the beginning of the fourth set. Despite managing to create a chance of breaking his opponent's serve at a score of 2-4, Norrie responded effectively to his opponent's attempts.
When Norrie talked about the vibe at John Cain Arena, he mentioned that there were many different nicknames being thrown around. Some of the names he heard were Noz-dog and Noz. Overall, he thought the atmosphere was great and could tell that everyone had been enjoying a few drinks on a Saturday afternoon.
On Monday, Norrie is set to compete against Zverev in the last 16 round. Zverev emerged victorious in straight sets against Alex Michelsen, an unseeded American teenager. Zverev won the match with a score of 6-2 7-6 (7-4) 6-2.
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Can Norrie Become The Next Henman?
The blogger Raz Mirza from Sky Sports said:
Today, Norrie transformed into Tim Henman in the John Cain arena by altering his tactics in order to claim a long-awaited victory over Ruud. He undoubtedly earned the win.
He approached the net 56 times, succeeding in 41 of those attempts and even utilized serve-and-volleying during crucial moments.
Observing Norrie play against the three-time Grand Slam finalist felt akin to witnessing Henman at the height of his career at Wimbledon. However, Norrie was aware of the necessary strategies to suppress his opponent, resulting in an impressive victory at a Grand Slam event. He achieved this by executing an exceptional 63 winners. It was undoubtedly one of Norrie's most impressive moments in Grand Slam tournaments.
Let's take a trip down memory lane to recall the Norrie who clinched the Indian Wells championship and made it to the Wimbledon semi-finals.
Although he was not visible on the radar last year, Cam is performing exceptionally well in Melbourne now. There is a genuine possibility that he can advance even further in the tournament.
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