Cameron Norrie, US Open 2017, Flushing Meadows, New York
Photo by DaveShopland/BPI/REX/Shutterstock | Cameron Norrie US Open 2017, Flushing Meadows, New York

Cameron Norrie preps for huge week in Lyon

By Jake Davies

  • Cameron Norrie vs Jose Hernandez [Q]
LYON, FRANCE – British No.3 Cameron Norrie will play a final tune-up tournament in preparation for what will be just his third appearance at a major.

 

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Cameron Norrie vs Jose Hernandez [Q] – H2H: First meeting

Cameron Norrie has gained some ground in the last twelve months to the point where he is now regularly featuring in a lot of the qualification stages of the big ATP events. He now has the great opportunity of playing an ATP 250 level main draw, the lowest level of the main tour, with a great opportunity at getting some match wins and getting some confidence at this level.

In many ways, this is the perfect time for Norrie to make a decent run at this level, with a particularly depleted field due to a number of big name withdrawals including Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Nick Kyrgios and getting some wins under his belt, just before a major, can help him win the second grand slam main draw match of his career.

I do think the conditions in Lyon will really suit the Norrie’s game. The conditions in Lyon are slightly on the quicker side in comparison to the slower clay courts of Rome and that essentially allows him to make more of an impact on his aggressive forehand side and it robs time away from the opponent from the baseline.

The British No.3 has had notable success on the quicker clay courts if you draw your mind back to his big Davis Cup debut, where he defeated a Top 25 player in Roberto Bautista Agut and Norrie played exceptionally well under that pressure and those quicker conditions.

First up for Norrie will be Jose Hernandez, who is flying the flag for the Dominican Republic and historically plays very well on the clay courts, but mainly at Challenger level. It is an interesting match-up for Norrie as he goes into that match as the favourite and as the player possessing greater experience, with the winner potentially facing Gael Monfils in the second round.

Prediction: Norrie in two sets.

 

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