Cameron Norrie in the semi-final of the 2022 Delray Breah Open, Florida, USA
Cameron Norrie in the semi-final of the 2022 Delray Breah Open, Florida, USA | (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)

Tennis | ATP Lyon 2022 | Norrie survives Rune comeback to reach second consecutive Lyon final, Molcan awaits

By Tony Fairbairn

  • Cameron Norrie [1] def Holger Rune 6-2 5-7 6-4
  • Norrie v Alex Molcan | H2H: First Meeting
LYON, FRANCE – Cameron Norrie overcame a comeback from Holger Rune to edge past the young Dane to reach his second consecutive final in Lyon where he will play Alex Molcan.

 

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Cameron Norrie [1] def Holger Rune 6-2 5-7 6-4

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Cameron Norrie survived a late comeback from Holger Rune to reach his second consecutive final in Lyon. The Brit made a blistering start as he served effectively and used his variety to force errors out of the Rune. The young Dane won his last match through cramps and that showed in the opening set as he looked physically limited and tried to be over-aggressive.

Norrie took advantage as his accuracy and power saw him storm into a 5-0 lead in windy conditions in Lyon. Rune showed his frustration and displayed some colourful language towards his box. That seemed to help though as the Dane broke and held serve to reduce the deficit to 5-2 but Norrie remained calm to close out the opening set.

The world number 11 continued to batter Rune from the baseline with his unique variety of shot selection as he forced the Dane to cover a lot of the ground. Norrie broke to 15 for a 2-1 lead and looked to be cruising towards victory but Rune had other plans. The world number 40 decided to control his aggression better and slowly built his confidence up in his shots and got stronger physically as the match grew on.

This showed in Rune’s returning as he exposed the angles that Norrie didn’t cover and he proved clinical when given opportunities as he converted both break point opportunities to seal the second set 7-5.

In the deciding set both players played confident and well-constructed tennis as neither player created any opportunities. In the end though it was Norrie’s experience and more consistent tennis on return that earned the crucial break for a 5-4 lead. Norrie closed out the match to love as he sealed a place in his third final of the season.

 

Cameron Norrie [1] v Alex Molcan H2H & Match Fundamentals

Cameron Norrie [1] v Holger Rune H2H: First Meeting
ATP Lyon Lyon, France
Clay (O) Prize Money: €81,310/€47,430
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Norrie now takes on Alex Molcan for the title with the Slovakian improving his form since having Marian Vajda as his new coach.

 

Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (2022 – Clay)

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H2H: Cameron Norrie (WR 11) Alex Molcan (WR 47)
Tournament Previous Best Final (2021) N/A
1st Serve % 68.1 62.5
Service Games Won % 78.7 79.2
Break Points Saved % 56.6 57.3
2nd Serve Return Points Won % 49.1 58.4
Break Points Converted % 39.8 40

Both players have produced clinical and effective stats in this clay court season heading into this showdown in Lyon.

 

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Playing Styles and Prediction

Molcan is a talented young player who considers clay his favourite surface and started the clay court season by reaching the final in Marrakech. Now with former coach of Novak Djokovic, Marian Vajda by his side Molcan looks to expand on his massive potential.

Norrie’s consistency will be put to the test here with Molcan being a really aggressive player who gives no free points away. The Slovakian is capable of ridiculous shot selection so Norrie will need to expect the unexpected here. The Brit will enter as favourite to win the title but if the last two matches are to go by this could be equally as tough.

Prediction: Norrie in three sets.

 

 

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