By Tony Fairbairn
- Cameron Norrie def Lorenzo Musetti [2] 3-6 6-2 6-3
- Norrie v Brandon Nakashima [14] | H2H: Norrie leads 3-1
WASHINGTON D.C., USA – Cameron Norrie edged out Lorenzo Musetti in three sets to reach the third round in Washington where he will face Brandon Nakashima.
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Cameron Norrie def Lorenzo Musetti [2] 3-6 6-2 6-3
Cameron Norrie is into the third round in Washington after a first ever victory over Lorenzo Musetti. The Brit came back from a set down as he continued his impressive run of form over the last couple of months. Despite the victory, it was a poor start from Norrie against an aggressive and proactive Musetti with Norrie struggling to find consistency early on.
On his third break point, Musetti broke before consolidating the break for an early 3-0 lead. After that opening blip, Norrie was much more assured on serve for the rest of the set but the Italian was equally as efficient on his own serve. There was very little threat from Norrie on return and after a tight game in the fifth game, Musetti didn’t lose a point on serve as he took the opening set in 32 minutes.
It looked like the second set was going to go with a similar pattern as Norrie faced early pressure from Musetti. However, that was the boost that Norrie needed as the Brit saved two break points to hold in the opening game. That moment sparked the comeback as Norrie was consistently aggressive and matched that aggression with efficiency, converting both of his break points on his way to a 5-0 lead.
There would be a late comeback from Musetti who saved two break points to secure one of the breaks back in the seventh game. However, Norrie was able to convert his third break point of the set to immediately break back as he levelled this match at one set all.
The final set saw both players produce their best tennis of the contest with Musetti being more aggressive in the big moments in the early stages of the set. It was in the fifth game where Musetti created five break point opportunities and put an intense amount of pressure on Norrie. However, the world number 41 responded in fine fashion saving all break points as he held for a 3-2 lead.
That would be the turning point of the match as Norrie created multiple break points in the next game on his third opportunity broke for a 4-2 lead. The Italian did everything in his power to break the Norrie serve but the British number two was too consistently aggressive on the big points.
On his third match point, Norrie sealed victory and scored a big win as he reached the third round in the American capital.
Cameron Norrie v Brandon Nakashima [14] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Cameron Norrie v Brandon Nakashima [14] | H2H: Norrie leads 3-1 |
| ATP Washington 2025 | Washington D.C., USA |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $32,005 |
| First on John Harris (16:00 BST) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
Norrie will now aim to maintain his positive head-to-head record against Brandon Nakashima in his bid to reach the quarter-finals.
Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (Last 52 Weeks)
| H2H: | Cameron Norrie (WR 41) | Brandon Nakashima (WR 32) |
| Tournament Previous Best | R3 (2021) | R3 (2021, 2024) |
| 1st Serve % | 66.4 | 66.2 |
| Service Games Won % | 80 | 85.5 |
| Break Points Saved % | 65.4 | 64.3 |
| 2nd Serve Return Points Won % | 52.6 | 47.4 |
| Break Points Converted % | 39.8 | 38.5 |
Norrie will need to be at his efficient best on return against a consistently aggressive server like Nakashima.
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Playing Styles and Prediction
Nakashima has had a consistent season with some excellent wins but is yet to make that next step. The American’s effective serve and grinding baseline skills are not powerful enough to match some of the world’s best players yet and that’s something Nakashima will need to improve if he wants to maintain his position as a seeded player at Grand Slams.
Norrie will look to be aggressive on the backhand and use variety to get Nakashima off the baseline on a regular basis. Meanwhile Nakashima will look to extend the rallies, using the forehand to dictate play. This will be a tight match with Norrie needing to defend his serve well if he wants to win this match. In the end, Norrie’s quality and consistency should get him through a tight contest.
Prediction: Norrie in three sets.
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