Cameron Norrie in the second round of the 2020 US Open, New York, USA
Cameron Norrie in the second round of the 2020 US Open, New York, USA | (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Tennis | ATP Delray Beach | Norrie takes on wildcard Aragone in opener

  • Cameron Norrie v JC Aragone [WC]
  • First Meeting
DELRAY BEACH, USA – Cameron Norrie is the first of the British men to get his feet wet in the new 2021 season as he faces US wildcard JC Aragone in his opening round.

 

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Cameron Norrie v JC Aragone [WC] | First Meeting

British No. 3 Cameron Norrie is the first of the British men to get his tennis feet dunked firmly into the 2021 season when he takes on US wildcard JC Aragone. Another product of the US college tennis circuit, Norrie will be facing one very determined young man across the net.

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Aragone was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2012, while still a junior player, before committing to continuing his tennis while at the University of Virginia – where he helped the Cavaliers win three straight NCAA Men’s Tennis Championships.

In 2017 he got a wildcard to the 2017 US Open, where he fought his way to the main draw, losing to Kevin Anderson. Having debated getting a proper job, he has been on the circuit primarily in Challengers with a smattering of main tour qualifying and early rounds.

 

 

Tale of the Tape – Key Stats

H2H: Norrie (74) Aragone (299)
1st Serve % 65 64
Service Games Won % 77 66
Break Points Saved % 63 52
2nd Serve Return Points Won % 49 37
Break Points Converted % 40 29

 

It is of little surprise that Norrie, the more experienced player by far, has a more commanding tale of the tape going into this match. And in usual circumstances he would have been able to call on his own college experiences while playing a home-crowd favourite but of course the ongoing effects of the global pandemic means no crowds so the atmosphere levels out for both players.

Evenly matched on serve, Norrie should be far more comfortable in all the major biting points in a match and over the summer and especially the last Battle of the Brits, it has been noticeable how Norrie has worked a lot on his court movement.

His heavily disguised forehand and short take-back backhand are effective and being a lefty can always be a challenge.

Experience really ought to win out, but we saw at the Battle of the Brits closing out the year that Norrie was slow to get going, and he should expect an aggressive start by the wildcard, and would hope not to get caught napping.

A Norrie on-song should have no troubles progressing cleanly to the next round.

Prediction: Norrie in straight sets.

 

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