By Tony Fairbairn
- Cameron Norrie [2] def Juan Pablo Varillas [Q] 7-6(5) 6-4
- Norrie v Carlos Alcaraz [1] | H2H: Alcaraz leads 3-1
BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA – Cameron Norrie overcame a resilient performance from Juan Pablo Varillas to reach the Buenos Aires final where he will face top seed Carlos Alcaraz.
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Cameron Norrie [2] def Juan Pablo Varillas [Q] 7-6(5) 6-4
Cameron Norrie is into his second ATP final of the season after defeating Juan Pablo Varillas in straight sets. The match was far from easy for Norrie as the Peruvian qualifier was in confident form especially on serve as he neutralised Norrie’s powerful return in the opening couple of service games.
However Norrie wasn’t going to be denied for long as a powerful forehand return winner sealed the crucial break for a 4-2 lead. Pablo Varillas was resilient though and responded quickly as Norrie couldn’t keep up his consistency from the baseline with the qualifier securing the break back at his first attempt.
Norrie attempted to break for the set on two occasions in the tenth and twelfth games as he created three set points. However Pablo Varillas’ accurate serving set up some powerful forehand winners as the Peruvian saved all three set points and forced a first set tiebreak. The world number 12 made the perfect start to the tiebreak as he secured a 5-2 lead with some powerful forehands as well as finishing points up at the net.
There would be a quick response from Pablo Varillas though as he recovered from the double mini-break deficit with some powerful forehands of his own to get the tiebreak back to 5-4. Norrie remained firm though as his quick movement around the court would earn him the tiebreak and the opening set after a misfired forehand from the Peruvian.
The momentum was firmly on Norrie’s side and that was evident at the start of the second set as the Brit produced the early break, breaking in the opening game. There was even a threat of a double break advantage with Norrie raising his level especially on the backhand side, creating a flurry of winners. However Pablo Varillas remained resilient and would prevent the double break advantage, holding in the third game.
Most of the second set proved to be comfortable for Norrie as he found his range on serve but the final game would prove to be the trickiest as Pablo Varillas hit the ball freely from the baseline. Norrie would overcome the scare as he saved two break points and closed out the match on his first match point to seal a place in his second final of the season.
Cameron Norrie [2] v Carlos Alcaraz [1] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Cameron Norrie [2] v Carlos Alcaraz [1] | H2H: Alcaraz leads 3-1 |
| ATP Buenos Aires | Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Clay (O) | Prize Money: $55,595/$95,305 |
| Second on Court Guillermo Vilas (Not before 19:00 GMT) | TennisTV <- Subscription Required |
Norrie will now battle world number two and US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz for the title in Argentina.
Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (2023)
| H2H: | Cameron Norrie (WR 12) | Carlos Alcaraz (WR 2) |
| Tournament Previous Best | QR2 (2019) | N/A |
| 1st Serve % | 66.5 | 68 |
| Service Games Won % | 81.7 | 86.7 |
| Break Points Saved % | 64.6 | 71.4 |
| 2nd Serve Return Points Won % | 54 | 52.8 |
| Break Points Converted % | 40.8 | 48.3 |
Norrie will look to use his return to dictate the tempo of the match while Alcaraz will look to keep a high level on serve to neutralise Norrie’s return.
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Playing Styles and Prediction
Since the end of last season Alcaraz has struggled with various injuries which has meant that Buenos Aires is his first tournament of the season. Missing the Australian Open has resulted in the loss of his world number one ranking to Novak Djokovic and Alcaraz will look to claim back his spot at the top of the ATP world rankings as soon as possible starting with this week.
Norrie will need to play with more risk in this match as Alcaraz will neutralise any short ball that comes his way. A mixture of depth, pace and spin is required from Norrie if he is to force errors from Alcaraz. Meanwhile the Spaniard will look to use his serve to set up easy winners from the baseline and will look to step inside the baseline to attack Norrie’s forehand.
This will be a tough battle especially if Alcaraz is on the top of his game but these conditions in Argentina may suit the Brit more which gives him the advantage heading into this match.
Prediction: Norrie in three sets.
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