Cameron Norrie is through to the second week of the Australian Open for the first time in his career; he plays German sixth seed Alexander Zverev in the last 16 on Monday; we will bring you live scores, reports, analysis and features from Melbourne over the next fortnight
Sunday 21 January 2024 05:36, UK
Cameron Norrie's third-round win over world No 11 Casper Ruud at the Australian Open was his first against an opponent ranked that high at a major tournament, the British No 1 describing it as "one of my best".
Norrie, seeded 19th at the tournament, defeated Ruud - a three-time Grand Slam finalist - in four sets, winning 6-4 6-7 (7-9) 6-4 6-3 on Saturday in Melbourne.
Against a player he had loss to on each of their prior three meetings, Norrie - normally known as a baseline grinder - came to the net 56 times during the contest and cracked 63 winners, his "brave" approach paying dividends.
"It was so good," the 28-year-old said. "I was really enjoying it from start to finish. I really felt a sense of calm throughout the whole match.
"I embraced the atmosphere. Everyone was enjoying themselves. They were behind me, as well, the crowd, so I think that definitely played a factor in the match.
"In terms of performances, it was up there with one of my best in a Grand Slam. Losing that second set... then down a break in the third, I managed to stay really tough.
"I was committed to the game plan and I loved it. I played really well today."
Norrie added: "I really had to be brave tonight tactically against Casper. I had to really execute. It's not easy to do that.
"It depends who I play. I think the tactics is always interesting but it was really good to know I had that in there tonight."
Norrie saved five break points to take the opening set after an early break and should have taken the second despite Ruud being on top for nearly all of it.
The British hope opened up a 6-4 lead in the tie-break but, with two set points, he put a simple backhand down the line just into the tramlines, allowing Ruud the chance to fight back.
Then, when the 11th seed broke to lead 3-2 in the third set, it appeared he had control of the match, but Norrie redoubled his attacking efforts, hit straight back and broke again to clinch it.
Ruud made a fight of it in the latter stages of the fourth set after a lacklustre start but Norrie held firm.
The Norwegian admitted after the match that Norrie had taken him by surprise, saying: "He changed a few things since the three previous matches that we played and he played better today.
"I didn't go off the court thinking I played bad, I just was a little hesitant and didn't hit with good enough depth but he took advantage and came in and rushed me."
With his victory, this is Norrie's career-best run at the Australian Open. He faces German sixth seed Alexander Zverev in the fourth round on Monday.
Six-time Grand Slam semi-finalist Tim Henman on Eurosport:
"It was really impressive. Norrie had been playing okay, but there have been a few question marks with his wrist - he pulled out of Auckland [pre-tournament] - but that was a fantastic win, he'll take so much confidence from that.
"Norrie came to the net 56 times and won 41 points when he did come in. That's not easy to do when it's not your natural instinct, but it was such a smart, tactical adjustment because Ruud was standing so far behind the baseline.
"He'd lost all three matches previously with Ruud, who is such a great competitor. From Norrie's point of view, he's going to be feeling so much more confident about all aspects of his game."
Former British women's No 1 Laura Robson on Eurosport:
"I just love Norrie's attitude. He's got such a good approach on how to handle things.
"He knows he didn't have great year last year; he knows exactly what he should have done differently - and he's changed it straight away. His offseason was different, his preparation was different and he gets on so well with his coach (Facundo) Lugones, they've been together years and years. The whole team vibe is just so relaxed.
"I saw him after the match, just before he was heading into the press room and he was so pumped with how aggressive he played. As Tim said, that's what you should do, but to commit to it is another thing."
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