- Cameron Norrie [1] def Tommy Paul [4] 6-3 6-3
- Norrie v Reilly Opelka [2] | H2H: Tied at 1-1
DELRAY BEACH, USA – Cameron Norrie eased past Tommy Paul to reach his maiden final of the year in Delray Beach where he faces big-serving Reilly Opelka.
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Cameron Norrie [1] def Tommy Paul [4] 6-3 6-3
Cameron Norrie eased past American Tommy Paul to reach his first ATP tour final of the season in Delray Beach. Norrie contained the American’s aggressive start to the match with defensive shots and moving Paula round the court. Although Paul was able to get a good read on Norrie’s deeper shots early on it was the Brit who was more clinical in the important moments as he broke for the early 2-0 lead.
Paul wasn’t able to be aggressive in the right moments and power through the Brit’s resilient defence. Norrie was able to hold off a late surge from Paul in the seventh game by saving two break points and holding for 5-2. Eventually another unforced error from the American sealed the opening set for Norrie in 39 minutes.
The fourth seed made a much more encouraging start in the second set as he was more consistent with his groundstrokes. However, Paul couldn’t get anywhere near Norrie’s serve and eventually another forehand unforced error sealed the break for Norrie to lead 3-2.
Although Paul continued to produce clever combinations on serve it proved to be too little too late as Norrie was dominant on serve. A clever backhand cross-court sealed a third break of the match for the top seed and with it a place in a first final of the season and much needed confidence heading into his Indian Wells title defence.
Cameron Norrie [1] v Reilly Opelka [2] H2H & Match Fundamentals
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Cameron Norrie [1] v Reilly Opelka [2] |
H2H: Tied at 1-1 |
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ATP Delray Beach |
Delray Beach, USA |
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Hard (O) |
Prize Money: $90,330/$52,690 |
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2nd on Stadium (Not before 20:00) |
TennisTV <- Subscription Required |
Norrie will now face big-serving American Reilly Opelka in the final, who is on a seven match winning streak having beaten John Millman in three tiebreaks in the last round.
Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (2022 – Hard)
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H2H: |
Cameron Norrie (WR 13) |
Reilly Opelka (WR 20) |
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Tournament Previous Best |
SF (2021) |
Winner (2020) |
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1st Serve % |
64.2 |
63.9 |
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Service Games Won % |
77.8 |
94.7 |
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Break Points Saved % |
58.3 |
77.8 |
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2nd Serve Return Points Won % |
51.6 |
43.9 |
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Break Points Converted % |
38.5 |
28.1 |
As expected Opelka is by far the dominant player on serve with Norrie dominating the return statistics. This match will test Norrie’s ability to play his best tennis in the big moments.
Playing Styles and Prediction
Opelka is on a seven match winning streak having won the Dallas title last week with a third round defeat to Denis Shapovalov at the Australian Open being his last defeat. The American’s big serve mixed with powerful groundstrokes and agile movement sees him as a threat to any player on his day.
Norrie will have to get as many returns back as possible while playing his best tennis in the big points. A variety of different groundstrokes will see Norrie gain some success on this slower hard court surface and Opelka’s three hour battle may take something out of him heading into this clash. It promises to be a long and intriguing match to see who can win the title in Delray Beach.
Prediction: Norrie in three sets.
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Live Stream |
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