US Open: Cameron Norrie reaches last 16 for the first time after overcoming error-prone Holger Rune
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Updated 04/09/2022 at 01:00 GMT
Cameron Norrie's last two meetings with Holger Rune were three sets matches which went the distance. But in their first Grand Slam meeting, Norrie was untroubled against his Danish opponent who was ground down by the 27-year-old on Grandstand. Norrie, bidding to win his first ever Grand Slam at Flushing Meadows, will play Andrey Rublev in the fourth round.
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Cameron Norrie is into the last 16 of the US Open for the first time in his career after a straightforward 7-5 6-4 6-1 win over Holger Rune in two hours and 12 minutes.
Norrie was superior on points on his first serve , winning 77 per cent compared to Rune's 55. The Dane's game disintegrated as the British No 1 wore the 19-year-old No. 28 seed down, making 43 unforced errors.
Norrie, who reached the Wimbledon semi-finals for the first time in his career earlier this year, will play Andrey Rublev in the fourth round after he beat Denis Shapovalov 6-4 2-6 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 7-6 (10-7) .
"Holger is not easy," Norrie told Amazon Prime video afterwards. "He can go through patches where he's playing pretty passively and then he goes through and hits very aggressively so you have to be ready for anything.
"He has great hands and defends really well at times. For me I think I stayed a lot calmer than he did in the big moments in the match. There was a couple of moments where I served for the first where I should have held and closed it out either at 5-3 or 5-4. I managed to stay tough during that first set and again when serving for the second set.
"Really my goal today was to get to two hours and then we start the match from there. Literally when I got to two hours and I broke to go 2-1 up in the third.
"I looked and I pointed to [my coach] Facu [Facundo Lugones] and was like 'now the match starts'. He seemed to dial out a little bit. I'm not sure what was going on with him."
Rune caused Norrie some problems in the first set. After the Brit squandered two set points at 5-5, the Norwegian got back on serve. Parity did not last long, though, as Norrie broke immediately in the very next game before serving out the 49-minute opener.
Rune became more rash with his shot selections in the second set and he paid the price, getting broken in the first and fifth games. Rune did pull a break back in the sixth and when Norrie was serving out for the set, he had two break point opportunities. However, Norrie would take the second set on his third set point.
It proved a pivotal moment in the match as Rune's confidence was shot heading into the third. Norrie sensed it on the other side of the net and he raced through the third set in 29 minutes to book his place in the fourth round.
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