Cameron Norrie delighted with ‘unbelievable’ Cincinnati win over Carlos Alcaraz
Cameron Norrie admitted he lost focus before battling his way back from the brink of defeat to book a place in the semi-finals of the Western and Southern Open.
Trailing 3-1 to Spanish third seed Carlos Alcaraz in the decisive third set, the Briton refused to succumb and eventually ground out a 7-6(4) 6-7(4) 6-4 victory to set up a last-four showdown with Borna Coric in Cincinnati.
Norrie, who had led 4-1 in the second set having taken the first, told the ATP Tour’s official website: “That was unbelievable. Credit to Carlos. I was up a set and a break, 4-1, and I kind of lost a little bit of vision.
SEMI-FINALS BOUND ⚡️🇬🇧@cam_norrie wins the battle against Carlos Alcaraz 7-6, 6-7, 6-4 to advance in Cincinnati! 💪@CincyTennis | #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/U7NdyIsQte
— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 20, 2022
“I was thinking a little bit too much about the finish line rather than focusing on how I was winning points and I honestly got a little bit tight and he raised his level, didn’t give me anything.”
Nineteen-year-old Alcaraz, who had beaten Norrie in each of their previous three meetings, two of them this year, looked on course to complete a fourth when he led 3-1 in the third set having scrapped his way back into the match.
However the 26-year-old, who had dispensed with teenagers Holger Rune and Ben Shelton to make it to the quarter-finals, put his renowned strength to good use to wear down a redoubtable opponent, breaking in the ninth game to set up the win.
Norrie said: “I just wanted to hang tough with him and I think the only place I had him better was the legs and the physicality, so I was just trying to make every rally as physical as I could and make it tough for him to finish points.
LET’S GOOOO! @cam_norrie @CincyTennis | #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/WnB7KXuJvt
— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 20, 2022
“It’s tough because he can take the racquet completely out of your hand. When he’s dictating with the forehand, it’s really tough and you’re running a lot.
“I just had to try to put the ball in awkward positions in the court. I managed to serve well, I improved a lot on my previous matches.”