Cameron Norrie ensured Great Britain made a winning start to its United Cup tie Thursday when he powered past Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-3 to give his nation a 1-0 lead against Australia in Group D.
In front of a lively crowd in Sydney, the World No. 14 did his best to quieten the Australian supporters, hitting his flat backhand with consistent depth to keep De Minaur pinned behind the baseline for large periods of the 90-minute encounter.
“I am feeling great,” Norrie said. “First match of the year there is a lot of nerves. It is a tough task to play Demon in Australia on this court, him playing at home. He loves playing here and it was not easy. I ran a lot, absolutely drenched three shirts. A lot of running and it was humid in there. I enjoyed the atmosphere and it was nice to get the win as well.”
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The 27-year-old, who won 87 per cent (26/30) of his first-serve points, crucially rallied from 1-1, 0/40 on serve in the first set, gaining momentum from that moment to take control of the first set. Norrie then earned a break in the second set and won the majority of the lung-busting exchanges to triumph.
With his entertaining victory, Norrie has levelled his ATP Head2Head series against De Minaur at 1-1, having fallen to the World No. 24 in Barcelona last season.
Katie Swan will aim to double Great Britain’s lead when she faces Zoe Hives in the final match of the day. The United Cup is a new mixed-teams event featuring 18 countries across Brisbane, Perth and Sydney. Played over two days, ties will be comprised of two ATP and two WTA singles matches and one mixed doubles match.
In front of a lively crowd in Sydney, the World No. 14 did his best to quieten the Australian supporters, hitting his flat backhand with consistent depth to keep De Minaur pinned behind the baseline for large periods of the 90-minute encounter.
“I am feeling great,” Norrie said. “First match of the year there is a lot of nerves. It is a tough task to play Demon in Australia on this court, him playing at home. He loves playing here and it was not easy. I ran a lot, absolutely drenched three shirts. A lot of running and it was humid in there. I enjoyed the atmosphere and it was nice to get the win as well.”
[ATP APP]
The 27-year-old, who won 87 per cent (26/30) of his first-serve points, crucially rallied from 1-1, 0/40 on serve in the first set, gaining momentum from that moment to take control of the first set. Norrie then earned a break in the second set and won the majority of the lung-busting exchanges to triumph.
With his entertaining victory, Norrie has levelled his ATP Head2Head series against De Minaur at 1-1, having fallen to the World No. 24 in Barcelona last season.
Katie Swan will aim to double Great Britain’s lead when she faces Zoe Hives in the final match of the day. The United Cup is a new mixed-teams event featuring 18 countries across Brisbane, Perth and Sydney. Played over two days, ties will be comprised of two ATP and two WTA singles matches and one mixed doubles match.