By Tony Fairbairn
- Cameron Norrie [7] def Ugo Humbert 1-6 7-6(6) 7-5
- Norrie v Aleksandar Kovacevic | H2H: Kovacevic leads 1-0
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA – Cameron Norrie saved three match points as he battled past Ugo Humbert to reach the second round in Brisbane where he will face Aleksandar Kovacevic.
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Cameron Norrie [7] def Ugo Humbert 1-6 7-6(6) 7-5
Cameron Norrie is into the second round of Brisbane after saving three match points against Ugo Humbert. The Brit had ended the 2025 season with good momentum and was looking to continue that work in 2026 as he prepares for the Australian Open. It wasn’t the best start for Norrie though as he was broken in the opening game through a double fault.
Meanwhile, Humbert had a point to prove after a rather disappointing 2025 season and returned and served with aggression and purpose in the opening set. Weak second serves from Norrie were being punished by the aggressive Frenchman as Norrie was broken to love with Humbert taking a 3-0 lead. Eventually Norrie got on the board in the fifth game, but was broken once again in the seventh game as Humbert cruised to the opening set in 27 minutes.
Things went from bad to worse at the start of the second set as another sizzling forehand winner on return sealed the break for Humbert with the Frenchman leading 2-0. That seemed to be the spark that Norrie needed as he immediately found his confidence from the baseline and broke back immediately. There was more confidence on serve from the seventh seed as Norrie started to put consistent pressure on Humbert’s serve.
That pressure was rewarded with two break points in the ninth game as he had a chance to serve for the second set. However, Humbert remained aggressive and proactive on serve as the second set would be decided by a tiebreak. It was a tense tiebreak that saw Humbert dominate the majority of it and he had three match points to send Norrie out of the tournament. However, an ace, a missed return and some incredible defence allowed Norrie to save all three match points. The comeback would be sealed with another missed return as Norrie won five consecutive points to level the match at one set all.
The momentum was with Norrie and he made it count in the early stages of the deciding set as more unforced errors from Humbert allowed Norrie to break before holding serve to seal a 4-1 lead. As expected though, there were more twists and turns as some loose errors from Norrie would allow Humbert to break back in the seventh game.
There would be no denying Norrie though as he continued to apply pressure to Humbert’s serve and that paid off as the Brit broke in the twelfth game to seal a crucial victory in two hours and 40 minutes.
Cameron Norrie [7] v Aleksandar Kovacevic H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Cameron Norrie [7] v Aleksandar Kovacevic | H2H: Kovacevic leads 1-0 |
| ATP Brisbane 2026 | Brisbane, Australia |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $12,885 |
| Third on Show Court One (04:00 GMT) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
Norrie will face Aleksandar Kovacevic for a place in the quarter-finals after the American knocked out Nick Kyrgios in the first round.
Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (Last 52 Weeks)
| H2H: | Cameron Norrie (WR 28) | Aleksandar Kovacevic (WR 58) |
| Tournament Previous Best | N/A | QR2 (2024) |
| 1st Serve % | 66.2 | 59.2 |
| Service Games Won % | 80.6 | 81.7 |
| Break Points Saved % | 66.1 | 60.2 |
| 2nd Serve Return Points Won % | 52.7 | 46.2 |
| Break Points Converted % | 38 | 33.3 |
Norrie will aim to be more clinical on return against a big server like Kovacevic as this is expected to be another tough test.
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Playing Styles and Prediction
Kovacevic is a talented American who had a decent year last year and finds himself on the brink of the world’s top 50. The American has a big serve and a solid baseline game that can test the skills of any opponent. Now, Kovacevic needs to mature his game and become physically stronger in order to maintain consistency and become a problem in the bigger tournaments.
Norrie will need to make a better start to this match then he did against Humbert as the Brit will need to play proactive tennis and be smart on return. While Kovacevic will use the fast conditions to his advantage and dictate play on the backhand. This will be another tough test for Norrie with Kovacevic entering this match as favourite but if Norrie can continue to grind out the longer points then he has every chance of winning this match.
Prediction: Norrie in three sets.
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