By Tony Fairbairn
- Cameron Norrie [13] v Alexandre Muller [Q]
- H2H: First Meeting
ROME, ITALY – Cameron Norrie is searching for a boost in form before Roland Garros as he takes on French qualifier Alexandre Muller in his Rome opener.
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H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Cameron Norrie [13] v Alexandre Muller [Q] | H2H: First Meeting |
| Rome 2023 | Rome, Italy |
| Clay (O) | Prize Money: €27,045 |
| On Court 12 at 11am (10am BST) | Amazon Prime Video <– Sign up for trial |
After failing to win back-to-back matches in Madrid, Cameron Norrie is looking for a boost in form before Roland Garros. First up for Norrie in Rome is French qualifier Alexandre Muller after Muller only lost three games to Kyle Edmund in the previous round.
Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (2023)
| H2H: | Cameron Norrie (WR 13) | Alexandre Muller (WR 100) |
| Tournament Previous Best | R2 (2019, 2021, 2022) | N/A |
| 1st Serve % | 65.3 | 68 |
| Service Games Won % | 80.3 | 77.7 |
| Break Points Saved % | 59.4 | 56.3 |
| 2nd Serve Return Points Won % | 52.9 | 51.6 |
| Break Points Converted % | 40.3 | 46.2 |
Norrie will need to serve consistently well throughout the contest as Muller has an efficient break point conversion rate.
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Playing styles and prediction
Muller has had a good season so far with the Frenchman looking to build momentum towards his home Grand Slam. Muller has a big serve along with some solid baseline groundstrokes as his improvement in point construction has seen clay become his best surface. Now the qualifier looks for another great result this season as he looks to make the last 16 in Rome for the first time.
Norrie will look to use his serve to be aggressive but also construct effective points from the baseline to neutralise Muller’s power. The Frenchman will look to continue his efficiency on break points and put Norrie under pressure on the big points with Muller looking to show his confidence. This will be a testing match for Norrie but if he can will his way to victory, it will be a big win on the road to Roland Garros.
Prediction: Norrie in three sets.
Fabio Fognini [WC] def Andy Murray 6-4 4-6 6-4
As Norrie looks ahead to his second round match, Andy Murray is contemplating whether he should play Roland Garros after another setback in Rome. A three set defeat to Fabio Fognini was not what Murray wanted after picking up so much momentum by winning the challenger event in France.
It was a match full of controversy and endurance as both men brought their best tennis from the first game. Fognini always had the edge though in front of his home crowd with Murray having to survive some long-winded games. The only break came in the sixth game as Fognini took a 4-2 lead and would close out the opening set to love.
Murray responded well in the second set, being more aggressive and securing the early double break for a 4-0 lead. However Fognini managed to get back on serve as Murray reverted to his more passive style of play. In the end a fourth break of the set meant that the Brit would edge to the second set.
Eventually that would count for nothing in the final set as a break in the opening game secured the match for Fognini as Murray only won three points on return in the final set. Now Murray has a big decision to make on whether he should play Roland Garros with the second Grand Slam of the year starting on the 28th of May.
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