After a series of upsets, Cameron Norrie reached the final of the Indian Wells Masters. The American was able to take out Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets and will now face Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer for a chance at winning his first Masters title.
Cameron Norrie reached the final of Indian Wells by beating Grigor Dimitrov.
When the rankings are released on Monday, Cameron Norrie is expected to break into the top 20 for the first time.
| Date: Sunday, October 17th 00:00 BST (British Summer Time) (Monday, 18 October) Indian Wells Tennis Garden is located in Indian Wells, California. |
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Cameron Norrie of the United Kingdom earned his first Masters 1000 final in Indian Wells, defeating Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets.
In California, the world number 26 dominated the semi-final, winning 6-2 6-4.
Norrie’s performance means he will take over as British number one from Dan Evans, and he will compete for the biggest championship of his career on Sunday.
In the final, the 26-year-old will compete either world number 39 Taylor Fritz or world number 36 Nikoloz Basilashvili.
“I’m becoming more at ease at Indian Wells, and it’s without a doubt the biggest victory of my career,” Norrie told Amazon Prime.
“In the second set, he made it tough for himself. I was able to get through those games by serving effectively. Today, I believe I executed a solid strategy.”
Norrie’s victory at the renowned Indian Wells event comes only three months after he won his maiden ATP singles championship at the Los Cabos Open in Mexico.
Norrie has reached six finals on the tour this year, and his match against world number 28 Dimitrov was his 46th victory in a remarkable season.
Norrie has also advanced to the third round of every Grand Slam, with the exception of the US Open in 2021, and is expected to break into the world’s top 20 for the first time when the current rankings are released on Monday.
Norrie gained confidence after fighting his way through a difficult first game to break Dimitrov’s serve.
The Briton went ahead 4-0 after two quick holds and another break before the tide shifted.
Dimitrov won two games in a row, but the 30-year-old swung a forehand wide, handing Norrie another break in the first set, which he took in 31 minutes.
The indefatigable Norrie took an early break in the second set after a long opening game.
As the set progressed, Dimitrov put up more fight, but Norrie showed guts to save a break point and then remained calm to hold serve and finish out the victory.
If Norrie wins the final on Sunday (00:00 BST on Monday), he will have a chance to qualify for the ATP Finals in Turin at the conclusion of the season.
The other semi-final features American Fritz, who defeated third seed Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals, and Georgian Basilashvili, who defeated second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Paula Badosa and Victoria Azarenka will compete in the women’s final on Sunday as well.
‘It was satisfying to demonstrate to Laver that I can play good tennis.’
Rod Laver was in the audience for the semi-final, and Norrie expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to compete in front of the Australian tennis legend.
The last time Laver saw him play was in the final of the San Diego Open earlier this month, when he was defeated by Norway’s Casper Ruud 6-0 6-2.
“Having him here is really wonderful,” Norrie remarked.
“Casper crushed me in that one [in San Diego], and I thought to myself, ‘he must think I’m a bad player.’ It felt good to come out here and prove to him that I could really play tennis.”
Analysis
Russell Fuller is a tennis reporter.
Dimitrov had glimpses of brilliance, but he was much too unpredictable, and Norrie seldom gave him any relief.
Norrie continued to serve effectively and attack when he could after being a class apart in the opening four games. On a scorching desert day, he was a comfortable victory.
The Indian Wells championship has never been won by a British guy. Norrie will move into the world’s top 16 if he succeeds, giving himself a genuine chance of qualifying for the ATP Finals at the conclusion of the season.
This will be his sixth final of the season, and he will be joined in the club by world number one Novak Djokovic.
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