By Tony Fairbairn
- Stefanos Tsitsipas [3] def Cameron Norrie [5] 6-1 6-4
- Norrie v Borna Coric [6] | H2H: Coric leads 2-1
ABU DHABI, UAE – Cameron Norrie began his campaign at the Mubadala World Tennis Championships with a convincing defeat to Stefanos Tsitsipas and will now play Borna Coric in the fifth place play-off.
Stefanos Tsitsipas [3] def Cameron Norrie [5] 6-1 6-4
Cameron Norrie’s Mubadala World Tennis Championships campaign started with defeat to Stefanos Tsitsipas with the Greek continuing his good form from the end of last season. The conditions favoured Tsitsipas and the third seed took full advantage with some ridiculous backhands to seal a 2-0 lead.
Norrie refused to give in though as the Brit tested Tsitsipas’ serve in the next game producing some high quality angles from the baseline. However Norrie couldn’t find the break and was forced to save break point in the next game to get on the scoreboard with Tsitsipas dictating the tempo of the match.
Despite threatening to break on return, Norrie couldn’t find consistency in the right moments as Tsitsipas continued to find winners when it mattered most. A mixture of slice and depth saw the Greek construct an unbelievable point with a backhand cross-court winner clinching the double break lead for 5-1. Tsitsipas would close out a sensational 39 minute set with a forehand winner to take the opening set 6-1.
Norrie knew that he had to increase his level to get back into the match and the Brit did exactly that in the second set as he produced confident hitting from the baseline to win the opening game. Both players produced consistent hitting on the forehand side as there was limited opportunities for either player to break.
Towards the end of the set, both players tested each other’s serve with both players starting to be passive from the baseline. In the end though it was Norrie who produced more errors and a forehand into the net handed the crucial break to Tsitsipas at 5-4. A comfortable love hold secured a confidence boosting win for Tsitsipas, who will now face Casper Ruud in the semi-finals.
Cameron Norrie [5] v Borna Coric [6] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Cameron Norrie [5] v Borna Coric [6] | H2H: Coric leads 2-1 |
| Mubadala World Tennis Championships | Abu Dhabi, UAE |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: TBC |
| First on Centre Court (11:00 BST) | Tennis Channel International <– Sign up for trial |
Norrie will look to end his campaign in Abu Dhabi on a high in the fifth place play-off when he takes on Borna Coric who lost to Andrey Rublev in his quarter-final.
Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (2022)
| H2H: | Cameron Norrie (WR 14) | Borna Coric (WR 26) |
| Tournament Previous Best | N/A | N/A |
| 1st Serve % | 66.1 | 62.1 |
| Service Games Won % | 81.4 | 82.5 |
| Break Points Saved % | 62.4 | 61.5 |
| 2nd Serve Return Points Won % | 53 | 48.9 |
| Break Points Converted % | 44.1 | 33.1 |
Norrie will need to improve his overall returning statistics heading into this match with Coric being extremely efficient on serve.
Playing Styles and Prediction
Coric was named comeback player of the year in 2022 and for good reason with the Croatian starting the year at 167 in the world and ending it inside the world’s top 30. The Croatian won his maiden Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati and will look to break new ground in 2023 as he has the potential to beat any player in the world on his day.
Norrie will need to be more aggressive in this match as the Brit was too passive against Tsitsipas. The faster hard courts will suit Coric’s power game so Norrie will need to use the return to dictate the tempo of his return games, using depth and pace to force errors from the Croatian. Coric on paper should edge this match but a Norrie victory would give him a platform to build on heading into the new season.
Prediction: Coric in three sets.
Ons Jabeur def Emma Raducanu 5-7 6-3 10-8
Meanwhile on the women’s side it was also a defeat for Emma Raducanu as she was edged out by Wimbledon and US Open finalist Ons Jabeur. The Brit made an aggressive start to the match on return as she tested the Tunisian’s serve on multiple occasions. However it was Jabeur’s creativity that prevailed as she took a 4-1 lead.
Raducanu continued to be resilient and smart with her baseline play with the Brit coming back from a 5-3 deficit to take the opening set 7-5. The world number 76 broke on three occasions as her returning ability looked impressive when testing the world number two.
However the second set showed that Raducanu has a lot of work to do with the Brit still lacking consistent quality as Jabeur raised her level of play. The Tunisian earned the break in the sixth game to take a 4-2 lead and cruised through the second set to force a final set match tiebreak. Jabeur’s returning efficiency would prove too much for Raducanu as she won the last four points to claim victory.
A valiant effort from Raducanu to build on heading into next season with the Brit also appointing a new coach ahead of next year in the form of Sebastian Sachs. The German has coached the likes of Victoria Azarenka, Julia Goerges and Belinda Bencic as he looks to turn Raducanu into a Grand Slam title contender again.
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