Cameron Norrie’s charge towards the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings continues to gather speed.
The Brit produced an all-round display to nullify the threat of Hugo Gaston and secure a 6-3, 7-5 win in the third round of the Miami Open presented by Itau on Sunday afternoon.
Norrie currently sits at a career-high ranking of No. 12 and knows that a deep run in Miami could see him enter the Top 10 for the first time. Despite dropping his serve in the opening game of the match and some late Gaston resistance at Hard Rock Stadium, the 2021 BNP Paribas Open champion looked focused and calm as he completed a one hour, 55-minute win to reach the fourth round in Miami for the first time.
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Despite the defeat, World No. 68 Gaston will be happy to have bounced back from a disappointing early exit in Indian Wells two weeks ago with his first run to the third round in Miami. The Frenchman produced moments of quality throughout, a clear demonstration of the talent that took him to the quarter-finals of the Rolex Paris Masters in November.
After three breaks in the first four games of the match, Norrie established a 4-1 lead, settling into his rhythm and giving the Frenchman few free points. Gaston stayed competitive and carved out two break point opportunities in the seventh game but could not find a way to make them count as the 10th seed went on to take the opening set.
Both players tightened up on serve as the match wore on but it was Norrie who made the crucial breakthrough by converting the first break point of the second set in the seventh game. Gaston saved seven match points and reclaimed the break as he threatened to force a deciding set but Norrie overcame the late onslaught to break again and seal victory with an ace.
Sweet relief for Norrie 🇬🇧
On his *eighth* match point, @cam_norrie defeats Gaston 6-3 7-5 to advance to the Miami R16 for the first time!#MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/gacRNAOSgj
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) March 27, 2022
Norrie was a constant threat on the Gaston serve, carving out fifteen break point opportunities in the match and converting four of them. The Infosys ATP Stats for the match show the Brit won 39/81 points on his opponent’s delivery overall.
Another win for Norrie in Miami would make it five tournaments in a row where the Brit has made the quarter-finals at least, his 0-4 start to 2022 now well and truly forgotten. His fourth-round opponent will be sixth seed Casper Ruud or 30th seed Alexander Bublik.
Source Tennis – ATP World Tour
