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Cameron Norrie in the quarter-final of the 2021 Delray Beach Open, USA
DELRAY BEACH, FLORIDA - JANUARY 11: Cameron Norrie of Great Britain returns the shot to Frances Tiafoe of the United States during the Quarterfinals of the Delray Beach Open by Vitacost.com at Delray Beach Tennis Center on January 11, 2021 in Delray Beach, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)

Tennis | ATP Rotterdam 2021 | Nikoloz Basilashvili v Cameron Norrie [Q] | Preview & Prediction

Jed Jones
Tennis

  • Cameron Norrie [Q] v Nikoloz Basilashvili
  • First Meeting

ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS – Cameron Norrie looks to continue his good stretch of form as he takes on Nikoloz Basilashvili.

 

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Nikoloz Basilashvili v Cameron Norrie [Q] H2H & Match Fundamentals

Nikoloz Basilashvili v Cameron Norrie [Q] H2H: First Meeting
ATP Rotterdam Rotterdam, Netherlands
Hard (I) Prize Money: €11,500
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Nikoloz Basilashvili v Cameron Norrie [Q] | H2H: First meeting

Cameron Norrie has barley broken a sweat to reach the main draw in Rotterdam. The World No. 65 has dropped a total of just seven games in his two qualifying matches, allowing him to be sharp for the first round. The Briton has been ploughing away on the tour for some time now and seems to be reaping the rewards.

The 25-year-old has won an impressive eight of his last eleven matches and is incredibly tough mentally. This year has seen him reach the third round of a Grand Slam for a second time. A valiant defeat to Rafael Nadal prevented him from breaking new ground at the Australian Open.

 

Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (2021)

H2H: Nikoloz Basilashvili (WR: 40) Cameron Norrie [Q] (WR: 65)
Tournament Previous Best R16 (2019) Debut
1st Serve % 57 66
Service Games Won % 67 78
Break Points Saved % 56 59
2nd Serve Return Points Won % 48 52
Break Points Converted % 32 41

The Briton finds himself in a tough section of the draw, with Stan Wawrinka or Karen Khachanov waiting in round two should he get through his opener.

 

 

Playing Styles

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Basilashvili is one of the hardest hitters in the game right now. The Georgian’s style is to outhit the opponent at every opportunity and is surprisingly consistent for someone who strikes the ball with such ferocity. The ATP recorded Basilahvili’s backhand as the most powerful in data recorded from 2018-2020, and that’s his weaker side.

The 28-year-old is most comfortable on hard courts and already has an ATP 500 series title under his belt – he was the Beijing champion in 2018, overpowering Juan Martin del Potro in the final. This seems to be a distant memory for the world no. 40, who is currently in quite a slump. Basiliashvili is on a four match losing streak and has lost his last nine sets.

The last thing the Georgian would want right now is to face a player in form and Norrie will relish this opportunity. The Briton has become extremely match tough and enjoys gritty, physical matches – so chasing down his opponents booming shots will play perfectly into his hands. Norrie keeps such a consistent level in his matches so he will love Basilashvili’s fluctuating style.

Prediction

Everything about this match-up screams a Norrie victory. The 25-year-old is more than happy to defend from the back of the court and will look to frustrate the Georgian with his resilience. Basiliahvili is capable of moments of brilliance, but you have to back Norrie to whether the storm and get through this one unscathed.

Prediction: Norrie in straight sets. 

 

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