By Tony Fairbairn
- Cameron Norrie def Jacob Fearnley 6-3 7-6(1) 6-2
- Norrie v Novak Djokovic [6] | H2H: Djokovic leads 5-0
PARIS, FRANCE – Cameron Norrie eased past Jacob Fearnley to reach the second week at Roland Garros for the first time and will now face 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in the last 16.
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Cameron Norrie def Jacob Fearnley 6-3 7-6(1) 6-2
Cameron Norrie cruised past Jacob Fearnley in the all-British clash to book his spot in the second week of Roland Garros. It is the first time that Norrie has reached the last 16 in Paris as his resurgent form continues. Meanwhile, Fearnley can be proud of his efforts in Paris but ultimately struggled to deal with the depth and variety in shots from Norrie.
It was a confident start from Norrie who knew what his game plan was going to be and executed it to perfection. The mixture in height and depth from Norrie’s end of the court saw some early errors from Fearnley as he was irresistible on serve. The start to the match from Norrie was rewarded in the fourth game as Fearnley overcommitted on his shots from the baseline and Norrie broke for a 3-1 lead.
There continued to be comfortable holds from Norrie as Fearnley gradually grew into the contest, hitting a flurry of forehand winners. Fearnley enjoyed a late run of success in the ninth game forcing Norrie to playing shorter balls. However, Norrie overcame the test from Fearnley as he secured the hold to take the opening set 6-3.
If Fearnley wanted to win this match then the British number two would need to cut down the unforced errors and that didn’t seem to be happening any time soon with Fearnley once again broken in the opening game of the second set. More unforced errors were produced from Fearnley especially on the forehand side as a good use of angles allowed Norrie to dictate proceedings and a double break lead was secured.
A 4-0 lead looked too strong to come back from especially with Fearnley limping around the court and was on the brink of suffering a bagel. That prospect seemed to wake Fearnley up though as he was more controlled and disciplined in the longer rallies and battled back to gain one of the breaks back. Norrie looked a little more passive and nervy now which is what we are used to seeing from him over the last year and Fearnley capitalised on the opportunity.
It was now Norrie who produced the unforced errors as Fearnley produced a stunning return game to break back at 5-5. Although Norrie got the immediate response by breaking for a 6-5 lead, the British number three was too passive on set points and Fearnley capitalised with some well-constructed points to force a second set tiebreak.
However, Fearnley was just delaying the inevitable as Norrie produced a dominant tiebreak to take a two set lead. The error count continued to mount in the final set as Norrie once again took a double break lead and moved closer to the last 16 in Paris for the first time in his career.
Although Fearnley provided one last act of defiance by breaking back in the seventh game, Norrie learned from his previous mistake and produced another consistent return game to break, securing a comfortable victory. As for Fearnley, he now moves on to the grass court season where he made his breakthrough last season.
Cameron Norrie v Novak Djokovic [6] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Cameron Norrie v Novak Djokovic [6] | H2H: Djokovic leads 5-0 |
| Roland Garros 2025 | Paris, France |
| Clay (O) | Prize Money: €265,000 |
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In a rematch from their Geneva semi-final Norrie will have revenge on his mind when he meets Novak Djokovic for a place in the quarter-finals.
Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (Last 52 Weeks)
| H2H: | Cameron Norrie (WR 81) | Novak Djokovic (WR 6) |
| Tournament Previous Best | R3 (2021, 2022, 2023) | Champion (2016, 2021, 2023) |
| 1st Serve % | 67.2 | 65.7 |
| Service Games Won % | 80.2 | 88.3 |
| Break Points Saved % | 65 | 65.1 |
| 2nd Serve Return Points Won % | 52.3 | 53.7 |
| Break Points Converted % | 40.8 | 40 |
Norrie will need to be aggressive on serve and smart on return as he is facing a consistent and proactive Djokovic.
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Playing Styles and Prediction
A 100th title for Djokovic in Geneva has booster the Serb’s confidence as he has been dominant in the first week of Roland Garros. A record-breaking 25th Grand Slam looms large for Djokovic who will now have to remain consistent as remaining physically and mentally sharp has been Djokovic’s downfall in recent weeks.
Norrie will need to be aggressive on serve as he looks to force Djokovic into uncomfortable positions on the court. Meanwhile Djokovic will return with depth and power as he looks to test the Brit’s consistency from the baseline. While Norrie will give Djokovic a big test, the Serb will have too much consistent quality for Norrie who has had a fantastic tournament whatever happens here.
Prediction: Djokovic in four sets.
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