By Tony Fairbairn
- Cameron Norrie [Q] def Dominic Stricker [WC] 7-6(2) 6-3
- Norrie v Tomas Machac [3]| H2H: Norrie leads 1-0
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Cameron Norrie continued his Roland Garros preparations by defeating Dominic Stricker and will now face last year’s runner-up Tomas Machac in Geneva.
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Cameron Norrie [Q] def Dominic Stricker [WC] 7-6(2) 6-3
Cameron Norrie ensured that his Roland Garros preparations remained on track as the Brit secured a straight sets win over wildcard Dominic Stricker. The match was far from easy against the former top 100 player as Norrie was forced to dig deep into his skillset early on, surviving a couple of tough service games.
The qualifier found confidence from his early form and that was rewarded with a break of serve in the fourth game to take a 3-1 lead. However, things went south very quickly for Norrie as Stricker upped the aggression and intensity with the Swiss finishing off long rallies with devastating dropshots. An immaculate next four games were produced to see Stricker take a 5-3 lead with Norrie only winning two points in the process.
A love hold from Norrie settled his game down as he took advantage of Stricker’s passive play when serving for the set with the Brit breaking back to level the set at 5-5. Both players held comfortably after that which saw the opening set go to a tiebreaker. The tiebreak was a dominant one from Norrie as a Stricker backhand sealed the tiebreak for Norrie 7-2 and with it the opening set.
There would be more success for Norrie on return in the second set as he broke in the opening game with the rallies continuing to be longer. Despite the early break Norrie was still severely tested on serve and was forced to save four break points in the fourth game with some aggressive play. That was the platform for Norrie to take control of the match, securing the double break in the following game.
One last push on return would be created by Stricker as the Swiss broke to love in the eighth game to get one of the breaks back. However, on his first match point Norrie produced a forehand passing shot winner to seal another break serve and the match to reach the second round.
Cameron Norrie [Q] v Tomas Machac [3] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Cameron Norrie [Q] v Tomas Machac [3] | H2H: Norrie leads 1-0 |
| ATP Geneva 2025 | Geneva, Switzerland |
| Clay (O) | Prize Money: €10,460 |
| Fifth on Center Court (18:30 BST) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
Norrie will now take on last year’s runner-up Tomas Machac as the Brit aims to reach his first ATP quarter-final since Delray Beach.
Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (Last 52 Weeks)
| H2H: | Cameron Norrie (WR 90) | Tomas Machac (WR 21) |
| Tournament Previous Best | N/A | Final (2021) |
| 1st Serve % | 67.5 | 60.9 |
| Service Games Won % | 79.9 | 79.1 |
| Break Points Saved % | 65.7 | 58 |
| 2nd Serve Return Points Won % | 50.9 | 52 |
| Break Points Converted % | 41 | 45 |
Norrie will need to have a really good serving day as he is facing one of the most aggressive and clinical returners on the tour.
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Playing Styles and Prediction
Since winning the biggest title of his career in Acapulco, it has been a disappointing last few months for Machac. The Czech Republican has only won four matches since then and now has final points to defend. However, Machac can play some sublime tennis on his day and will need to produce that once again under pressure.
Norrie will use angles to make Machac move as he looks to be aggressive on serve. Meanwhile Machac will use a mixture of variety and power to disrupt the tempo and rhythm of Norrie. This will be a good match with both players needing the win here. However, Machac has more options to use and should be too strong for Norrie in this contest.
Prediction: Machac in three sets.
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