By Tony Fairbairn
- Cameron Norrie def Lorenzo Sonego 6-2 4-6 6-1
- Norrie v Kei Nishikori [WC] | H2H: Nishikori leads 2-0
HONG KONG, CHINA – Cameron Norrie is into the quarter-finals in Hong Kong after a three set win Lorenzo Sonego and will now face a rejuvenated Kei Nishikori.
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Cameron Norrie def Lorenzo Sonego 6-2 4-6 6-1
Cameron Norrie is into his second consecutive ATP quarter-final as he defeated Lorenzo Sonego in three sets in Hong Kong. The Brit carried on from his win over Learner Tien in the previous round as he was clinical on return in the opening set and made the perfect start by breaking in the third game with a backhand passing shot winner. The British number two backed up the break of serve with comfortable holds of serve as he played on the front foot and dictated the majority of the rallies.
As the set went on, Sonego got more and more desperate as he made some poor approaches to the net that were ultimately punished by the Brit. Another string of passing shot winners gave Norrie the opportunity to secure the double break and he took that opportunity to take a 5-2 lead. Once again Norrie punished a careless approach to the net from Sonego to take the opening set in 31 minutes.
The rest of the match would be disrupted by rain in a frustrating turn of events that benefited Sonego in the second set. The Italian had a chance to regroup and stabilize his tennis as he neutralized Norrie’s returning in the second set. Both players had half-chances to break but neither player was ruthless in their approach.
Eventually it was Sonego who was the more proactive and aggressive player as he hit some powerful forehand returns to set up two set points in the tenth game. On his second set point Sonego made no mistake as this time it was Norrie who made a careless approach to the net that was punished by the Italian.
It was now one set all and now Norrie needed to find another gear in order to maintain the aggression he had in the opening set. More rain delays gave Norrie the chance to seek clarity and a break at the start of the final set helped things with Sonego putting a backhand volley into the net. In crucial moments Norrie pulled Sonego from pillar to post as he fended off a wave of pressure from Sonego on return.
A crucial hold in the third game allowed Norrie to play with freedom and that was evident as a forehand volley winner secured the double break for a 4-1 lead. The British number two was in complete control and another error at the net from Sonego sealed the match for Norrie as he broke for a third consecutive time to book a place in the Hong Kong quarter-finals.
Cameron Norrie v Kei Nishikori [WC] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Cameron Norrie v Kei Nishikori [WC] | H2H: Nishikori leads 2-0 |
| ATP Hong Kong 2025 | Hong Kong, China |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $20,555 |
| Fourth on Centre Court (Not before 10:30 GMT) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
Next up for Norrie is Kei Nishikori with the two facing each other for the first time in three and a half years.
Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (Last 52 Weeks)
| H2H: | Cameron Norrie (WR 49) | Kei Nishikori (WR 106) |
| Tournament Previous Best | N/A | N/A |
| 1st Serve % | 65.6 | 66.9 |
| Service Games Won % | 81.7 | 79.6 |
| Break Points Saved % | 64.3 | 61.7 |
| 2nd Serve Return Points Won % | 50.9 | 51.2 |
| Break Points Converted % | 40.3 | 36.3 |
Norrie will aim to continue his aggressive returning especially taking advantage of any short Nishikori serves that come his way.
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Playing Styles and Prediction
Despite struggling with injuries over the last couple of years, Nishikori has once again revived his career by going deep at Challenger tournaments which has been backed up by runs to the quarter-finals at ATP 500 level. Furthermore Nishikori has defeated Denis Shapovalov and Karen Khachanov this week to reach the last eight and as a result will return to the world’s top 100 next week. Now Nishikori looks to build on that momentum ahead of the Australian Open.
Norrie will need to take the ball early on return in order to rush Nishikori’s baseline play as he will use the angles on the forehand to open up space on the court. Meanwhile Nishikori will use the backhand to play counter-attacking tennis as he will hope to maintain a high level of consistency. This should be a really good match between two players who have rediscovered their confidence in recent months but the match-up itself favours Nishikori which is why he has the slight advantage heading into this match.
Prediction: Nishikori in three sets.
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