By Tony Fairbairn
- Cameron Norrie [13] def Alexandre Muller [Q] 6-2 6-3
- Norrie v Marton Fucsovics | H2H: Norrie leads 4-0
ROME, ITALY – Cameron Norrie eased past French qualifier Alexandre Muller to reach the third round in Rome where he will face Marton Fucsovics.
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Cameron Norrie [13] def Alexandre Muller [Q] 6-2 6-3
Cameron Norrie is into the third round in Rome after easing past Alexandre Muller in straight sets. The Frenchman had form on his side and showed his recent confidence early in the match as he dictated play on his serve, finding effective winners. Meanwhile Norrie adapted to the Rome conditions well in the early stages as he only lost two points on serve in the opening two service games.
Norrie was unable to find his range on return in the opening couple of games but quickly adjusted and anticipated Muller’s serving patterns well towards the end of the opening set. After failing to break in a tight fourth game, Norrie capitalized on some loose tactical errors from the Frenchman to break efficiently in the sixth game for a 4-2 lead. There was no real pressure from Muller on return throughout the set as the world number 13 once again took the match to the qualifier and broke for a second time to seal the opening set in 33 minutes.
The second set saw Muller push more for the break of serve especially early on in the set with Norrie being forced to save his first break point of the match. It was a set which produced some entertaining rallies with Norrie attempting to neutralise Muller’s power. Once again the longer the set went on, the more it favoured Norrie as he was able to anticipate the Frenchman’s patterns of play more effectively, forcing the qualifier into long service games.
Eventually Norrie’s patience and baseline quality paid off as he earned the crucial break in the eighth game to take a 5-3 lead. That was all the 13th seed needed as he produced another comfortable hold of serve to seal victory and a place in the third round.
Cameron Norrie [13] v Marton Fucsovics H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Cameron Norrie [13] v Marton Fucsovics | H2H: Norrie leads 4-0 |
| Rome 2023 | Rome, Italy |
| Clay (O) | Prize Money: €48,835 |
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Next for Norrie is talented Hungarian Marton Fucsovics with the Brit leading the head-to-head 4-0 heading into this third round meeting.
Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (2023)
| H2H: | Cameron Norrie (WR 13) | Marton Fucsovics (WR 92) |
| Tournament Previous Best | R2 (2019, 2021, 2022) | R2 (2021) |
| 1st Serve % | 65.4 | 60.2 |
| Service Games Won % | 80.8 | 76.4 |
| Break Points Saved % | 59.6 | 59.1 |
| 2nd Serve Return Points Won % | 52.7 | 52.8 |
| Break Points Converted % | 40.4 | 44 |
Both players have produced similar stats over the season with Norrie being more dominant on serve and Fucsovics being more efficient on return.
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Playing Styles and Prediction
After a decent start to the season, which included reaching the last 16 at Indian Wells, Fucsovics’s form has dipped having only won three main draw matches on the clay so far. However the Hungarian can play well on any surface on his day and will now look to regain some momentum in Rome as he looks to elevate his ranking into the world’s top 70.
Norrie will look to take advantage of his effective and consistent serving as he aims to test Fucsovics’ defensive shot-making and put the Hungarian on the back foot. Meanwhile Fucsovics will aim to be patient as well as aggressive on return as he looks to set the tempo of the match on his return games and take his opportunities when necessary. This will be a good test to see if Norrie has the consistency and the confidence heading into Roland Garros but the Brit’s defensive and tactical quality should neutralise Fucsovics’ power.
Prediction: Norrie in straight sets.
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