By Tony Fairbairn
- Cameron Norrie [9] def Brandon Nakashima 6-4 6-4
- Norrie v Botic Van De Zandschulp | H2H: First Meeting
MONTREAL, CANADA – Cameron Norrie eased past talented American Brandon Nakashima as he reached the second round in Canada where he faces Botic Van De Zandschulp.
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Cameron Norrie [9] def Brandon Nakashima 6-4 6-4
Cameron Norrie continued his good form in Montreal with a comfortable straight sets victory over Brandon Nakashima. Norrie made a positive start to the match as Nakashima’s baseline play was too conservative for Norrie’s display of aggressive tennis as the Brit broke in the third game.
One of the most pleasing aspects of Norrie’s game recently was his improvement on serve and that continued in this match with Nakashima offering very little resistance on return. Norrie only dropped four points on serve since breaking as he cruised to the opening set with the American feeling more comfortable on serve as well.
Just like the opening set the only break points came in the third game where Norrie converted his third break point to seal the early break. This time Nakashima got into the ninth seed’s service games a bit more but just couldn’t find the answers on the big points. The American ran out of answers and ran out of time as Norrie served out the match to love to seal victory and a place in the second round.
Cameron Norrie [9] v Botic Van De Zandschulp H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Cameron Norrie [9] v Botic Van De Zandschulp | H2H: First Meeting |
| ATP Montreal | Montreal, Canada |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $42,760 |
| Fourth on Court Rogers (20:30 BST) | Amazon Prime Video <– Sign up for trial |
Norrie will meet last year’s surprise US Open quarter-finalist Botic Van De Zandschulp in the second round.
Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (2022)
| H2H: | Cameron Norrie (WR 11) | Botic Van De Zandschulp (WR 25) |
| Tournament Previous Best | R2 (2019) | N/A |
| 1st Serve % | 66.2 | 64.6 |
| Service Games Won % | 80.4 | 78.4 |
| Break Points Saved % | 62 | 64.2 |
| 2nd Serve Return Points Won % | 52.7 | 50.2 |
| Break Points Converted % | 43.2 | 43.5 |
Norrie will need to be aware of Van De Zandschulp’s effectiveness on break points both on serve and return as this will be a test of the Brit’s confidence on pressure points.
Playing Styles and Prediction
Van De Zandschulp has had a decent season considering the expectation since his run to the quarter-finals at the US Open last year. The Dutchman lost to Rafael Nadal at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon and now he will look to use those matches as lessons that will help him improve his consistency at the big events.
Norrie will look to put Van De Zandschulp in uncomfortable positions in the court while being aggressive in the right moments. The serve will be the key to the Dutchman exerting pressure on the Brit as he will look to make the points as short as possible. It will be a good test for Norrie but his form should mean that he comes through a tight contest in this match.
Prediction: Norrie in three sets.
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