Cameron Norrie has advanced to the fourth round of the Madrid Open after a hard-fought straight-sets victory over Argentine Thiago Agustin Tirante, setting up a highly anticipated first-ever meeting with world number one Jannik Sinner.
Norrie overcomes Tirante in straight sets
The British number one secured a 7-5, 7-6 (5) win on Monday, overcoming a challenging opponent who fired serves up to 149 miles per hour. Norrie, who had survived a nearly three-hour battle against Tomas Machac in the previous round, managed to break Tirante's serve in the 12th game of the opening set with a backhand winner. He then clinched the match on his first match point in a tense second-set tie-break.
"It was tricky," Norrie admitted after the match on the Caja Magica's third court. "I hadn't played in the stadium courts yet, not even in practice, so it was a little bit different returning and it was tough to get the range. I had to go back because his serve was kicking so, so much. His first serve is an absolute rocket, as we expected, but I managed to dig deep when I needed to and played well in the big moments, and that was the difference."
First meeting with Sinner
Norrie's reward is a clash with Jannik Sinner, the world number one who is on a 19-match winning streak. Remarkably, despite having faced the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic multiple times, Norrie has never previously played Sinner.
"I've never played him, which is crazy," Norrie told Sky Sports. "I'm excited to play him but every time we practise he rips me up and smokes me. He's really confident, probably the most confident player in tennis right now. I'm going to take it to him, I'm just going to play my game, play the ball in front of me."
The match is scheduled for Tuesday at the Caja Magica, with Norrie aiming to reach the Madrid Open quarter-finals for the first time and halt Sinner's impressive run.
