Cam Norrie stuns US Open champion Dominic Thiem at Open Parc Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Lyon
Cam Norrie claims sensational victory over Dominic Thiem in the second round of the Open Parc Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes in Lyon; the British No 2 said: "I couldn't be happier to get the win today and to get another match on the clay before Roland Garros"
Thursday 20 May 2021 19:56, UK
Britain's Cam Norrie claimed the best victory of his career over US Open champion Dominic Thiem in the second round of the Open Parc Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Lyon.
The British No 2 was facing a top-five player for the fifth time and produced a brilliant performance to beat the Austrian 6-3 6-2 for his 10th clay-court win of 2021.
Norrie is enjoying the best season of his career, reaching the final of the ATP tournament in Estoril and consistently beating players ranked above his mark of No 49.
He would be significantly higher than that were it not for temporary changes to the system to protect players while the schedule was impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
- Wimbledon confident it will go beyond minimum 25% crowd
- Updated ATP & WTA rankings
- Stay updated with the latest scores I results
In his on-court interview, Norrie said: "I'm so pleased to win today. It's my biggest win of my career. I couldn't be happier to get the win today and to get another match on the clay before Roland Garros.
"I'm moving well and I've played a lot of matches. I'm feeling good on my feet, I'm hitting my forehand well, I'm serving well so I'm looking forward to the next match."
Norrie showed why he is among the top 20 best performing players this season with a display of power and precision that left Thiem chasing shadows.
The world No 4 took two months out of the season after admitting he was struggling mentally following his breakthrough in New York last summer and the restrictions caused by the pandemic.
He was caught cold by Norrie and was unable to recover, the British player establishing decisive leads in both sets and not facing a break point throughout the match.
- Konta adds Birmingham Classic to summer itinerary
- Download the Sky Sports Scores App: Apple | Android
- The UK's No 1 scores app: Find out more
Thiem is a two-time French Open finalist but he has a lot of work to do if he is to challenge for the title at Roland Garros this year.
Norrie will take on Arthur Rinderknech in the quarter-finals after the French lucky loser upset sixth seed Jannik Sinner of Italy, 6-7 (7-9) 6-2 7-5.
They know each other well too with Norrie and Rinderknech having both played college tennis in the state of Texas.
Don't forget to follow us on skysports.com/tennis, our Twitter account @skysportstennis & Sky Sports - on the go! Available to download now on - iPhone & iPad and Android
