Cameron Norrie defeated Tomas Machac to secure his place in the next round of the Madrid Open, but it wasn’t without its controversy.
Norrie’s 2026 form has seen him become the British number one and he’s continued his impressive performances at the Madrid Open.
The British star won a gritty three-set match against Machac in the second round, but he was far from happy with the Czech star’s behaviour during a reported medical time out.
Machac called a medical time out when Norrie took the ascendancy in the match, but then continued to play after the physio took too long to come.
Cameron Norrie reacts to Tomas Machac’s bizarre medical time out
Machac’s behaviour looked like gamesmanship, but the British star was the utmost professional when responding to his actions.
Speaking after his victory, Norrie said: “I’ve been feeling the ball really, really well. I had the chance in the tie-break, I was a little bit passive on my match point. I was a bit upset with myself, not going after it, not being courageous, but I hung with him in the third set, fought as hard as I could and played some really good stuff in the end, and that’s what mattered.
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“Three-setters, it’s classic me. It’s perfect for me, a lot of match court time getting ready for the French Open.
“I managed to dig really deep and break, and then suddenly he called the physio. He was taking forever to come, and then he said, ‘I’m actually OK’. I was fine; it can happen. Maybe he twisted his ankle on the volley, but he seemed OK.”
Norrie managed to re-focus and eventually took the decider with a nail-biting tie-break in the third set.
The British star will now play Thiago Agustín Tirante for a chance to reach the Madrid Open fourth round for the first time in his career.
Cameron Norrie could be set for a first-time-ever clash
Norrie will head into his match with Tirante as the favourite, as he starts the match ranked 50 places above him.
There is plenty on the line for Norrie to win the match and reach the Madrid Open fourth round for the first time in his career.
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Not only will he make career history, but he could play Jannik Sinner for the very first time in his career.
Sinner needs to beat Elmer Møller, but he will be the overwhelming favourite to face Norrie in the fourth round.
With his victory against Machac, Norrie has also returned to the top 20 of the ATP Tour rankings. In the live rankings, he currently sits at world number 19.
