‘I wasn’t so comfortable’ – Cameron Norrie battles to ATP first in Barcelona
British number one Cameron Norrie is rallied from behind to defeat Egor Gerasimov in three sets and claim his first ATP tour clay victory of 2022.
Cameron Norrie, who broke into the ATP top 10 for the first time earlier this year, battled back from a set down a break in the final set to earn a hard-fought victory against the world number 155 Belarusian, winning 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.
After losing out a tightly contested opening set, which could have gone either way at 5-5, the 2021 Indian Wells Masters champion recovered and looked to be taking control of the match, claiming the second set 6-4.
But the 26-year-old was pegged back once more as he found himself 3-1 down in the deciding set.
However, Norrie did not give up and showed grit and determination as he rattled off five of the next six games to win the match.
The result is a turnaround for the Brit after he suffered a disappointing opening round loss at the Monte Carlo Masters last week to Spain’s Albert Ramos-Vinolas.
Speaking after the victory over Gerasimov, Norrie admitted to his struggles on the red clay of Barcelona, believing he has a lot to improve.
He said: “I obviously wasn’t so comfortable in the beginning.
“It is a bit colder and gloomier today and the clay is a bit heavier.
“It’s my first time playing in these conditions and I wasn’t really feeling the ball in the first set and I wasn’t moving well and I had to tough it out.
“There is no easy way [to win].
“I managed to scrape the third set down a break and yes it is just good to get a three-set battle [won] and time on the match courts.”
The Brit will next take on Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics for a place in the quarter-finals, the same stage Norrie reached in Barcelona last year.
Norrie leads the pair’s head-to-head 3-0.
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