By Tony Fairbairn at Wimbledon
- Cameron Norrie [9] def Jaume Munar 6-4 3-6 5-7 6-0 6-2
- Norrie v Steve Johnson | H2H: First Meeting
LONDON, ENGLAND – Cameron Norrie survived a scare from Jaume Munar to reach the third round at Wimbledon where he will face Steve Johnson.
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Cameron Norrie [9] def Jaume Munar 6-4 3-6 5-7 6-0 6-2
Cameron Norrie had to battle hard to defeat Jaume Munar in five sets and book his place in the third round at Wimbledon. Both players set an aggressive tone early on, finding simple spaces to hit clean winners into the court. As the rallies extended, it was clear that Munar’s aim was to make this a physical battle with Norrie finding it hard to finish the point off at the net.
Eventually it was Munar who blinked first hitting some unforced errors and Norrie made some smart returns to force the Spaniard into uncomfortable positions in the court to break for a 4-3 lead. The Brit started to move Munar around the court and constructed some well-worked points as he mixed up his patterns of play. That saw Norrie with the initiative and he took the momentum well as he comfortably served out the opening set 6-4.
Munar responded well in the second set though as he grinded the errors out of Norrie’s game and used some good angles to create easier opportunities for himself. After saving a break point, Munar capitalised on some unforced errors from the Brit to break for a 2-0 lead.
Suddenly the momentum had swung the Spaniard’s way as he was serving with confidence and purpose, neutralising Norrie’s returning intelligence. Despite some clean hitting from the baseline, Norrie’s variety wasn’t getting through the stern defence of Munar as the Spaniard continued to maintain a consistent base on return. The Spaniard overcame some late resistance from Munar to serve out the second set and level the match at one set all.
In the third set both players would share breaks to start the set as this match was a war of attrition. Munar used a mixture of depth and pace to force more errors from the Brit as he would then break again for a 2-1. Norrie was getting frustrated as there seemed to be no simple solutions against the gritty Spaniard but the Brit would eventually break back with resilient play and aggression as he levelled the set up at 3-3.
However Norrie continued to be passive in key moments which was a recipe for disaster against someone like Munar who was enjoying the longer rallies. The Brit would be made to pay in the eleventh game as the Spaniard grinded out the break and would serve out the set comfortably to take a shock two sets to one lead.
Munar was punished for his hard work in the opening three sets both tactically and physically. Norrie improved his level drastically in the last two sets whilst Munar’s decreased and he was also feeling the burn physically. A medical time-out didn’t seem to help as Norrie tired out his opponent with a mixture of punishing shots from the baseline and aggressive net play.
There was little resistance from Munar as Norrie only dropped two games in the last two sets to roar to victory and a place in the last 32 at Wimbledon. A win that meant an awful lot to the Brit judging by his reaction as he knew he was in a battle.
After the match Norrie spoke about improving his level and the chance to reach the second week of a grand slam for the first time:
“I wanted to make the second week for the first time at a slam,” Norrie said in his press conference.
“Yeah, I think it helps with the seeding and it helps I’m playing well in other events. I think that was the perfect example today. Best-of-five set match. I don’t see why not, I can play better best-of-five. I think I used my physicality to my advantage in that one today.
“I think it’s pretty sick, another opportunity to play a third-round match here at Wimbledon. Still got a lot of things I would like to work on tomorrow and improve. But I feel like my level is improving.”
Cameron Norrie [9] v Steve Johnson H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Cameron Norrie [9] v Steve Johnson | H2H: First Meeting |
| Wimbledon | London, England |
| Grass (O) | Prize Money: £120,000 |
| Last on Centre Court, not before 5pm BST | BBC Sport |
Norrie will now face American Steve Johnson for a place in the last 16 after Johnson comfortably beat Ryan Peniston in the last round.
Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (2022)
| H2H: | Cameron Norrie (WR 12) | Steve Johnson (WR 93) |
| Tournament Previous Best | R3 (2021) | R4 (2016) |
| 1st Serve % | 66.2 | 57.9 |
| Service Games Won % | 80 | 85.1 |
| Break Points Saved % | 60.9 | 65.5 |
| 2nd Serve Return Points Won % | 53.3 | 48.1 |
| Break Points Converted % | 42 | 30.6 |
Norrie is far superior when it comes to converting break point opportunities but needs to be aware of Johnson’s aggressive play on serve.
Playing Styles and Prediction
Johnson has mainly been playing on clay court challengers in recent months to build up his confidence and style of play after recent injuries. That move seems to have paid off with the American playing clean, aggressive tennis and is a dangerous player on this surface on his day. A big leftie serve mixed with impressive net skills is a dangerous combination on grass and Johnson will look to once again use that to his advantage against Norrie.
This will be a test of Norrie’s ability to defend aggressive shot-making from his opponent but also a test of his mental fortitude with a place in a first grand slam fourth round at stake. This will be a tough match for the Brit and it should be expected that Johnson will have spells of dominance. Ultimately best of five sets suits Norrie’s style and he should edge his way into the last 16 of a slam for the first time in his career.
Prediction: Norrie in straight sets.
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