Miami Open news: Cameron Norrie seals straight-set victory against Hugo Gaston to reach final 16
- Planet Sport writer
- 27 March 2022
After reaching the quarter-finals of the Indian Wells earlier this month, Cameron Norrie is enjoying another successful run in the Miami Open.
The world No.11 secured a convincing win over France's Hugo Gaston to move into the fourth round of the tournament.
After a convincing first set, Norrie endured a late wobble in the second, but recovered well to record a 6-3 7-5 victory.
The match couldn't have started much worse for the Briton, who dropped serve in the first game of the match.
But Norrie kept his composure and started to find rhythm quickly, and after a dominant first set it seemed as though the 26-year-old would see out the game fairly quickly.
An impressive break in the second saw him race to a 5-3 lead and on the brink of victory, but it seemed as though he lost focus in the final few games.
Hugo takes flight š«@HugoGaston7 #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/gnriFweXYn
ā Tennis TV (@TennisTV) March 27, 2022
After holding five match points on his opponent's serve, Gaston eventually cut the deficit to 5-4, and the 21-year-old then remarkably broke Norrie to level it up at 5-5.
With momentum seemingly swinging in the direction of the talented Frenchman, Norrie had to call on his experience in the 11th game of the set, and he was able to break Gaston immediately back to take a 6-5 lead, resulting in his opponent lashing out and hitting the net in anger.
It turned out to be an acknowledgement of defeat by Gaston, and Norrie was finally able to convert the eighth match point and seal the deal.
Cameron Norrie takes another step closer to Top 10 entry in ATP ranking šŖ
ā Sportskeeda Tennis (@SK__Tennis) March 27, 2022
He will meet 6th seed Casper Ruud for a place in the Quarterfinal š„#CameronNorrie #CasperRuud #Tennis #Miami pic.twitter.com/HXqq6ePwVE
Following the match, Norrie commented on his troubles seeing out the second set.
"It was one of those days where it was tough to close it out. I was a little bit stressed there. I managed to sneak through. I just got a little bit tentative and lost my feet and wasn't moving enough.
"I was really happy with how I responded to getting broken. He's a tricky guy. You feel like you need to be really aggressive otherwise he's going to throw in a drop shot at any moment. I think that's something I need to work on."
Now on the brink of entering the top 10 ranking, Norrie can look forward to a round of 16 match against Norway's Casper Ruud, who currently possesses the No.6 spot.
The pair will take to the court on Tuesday, March 29, with the winner booking a spot in the quarter-finals.
