January 16, (THEWILL) – In the first round of the Australian Open, Cameron Norrie defeated debutant Luca Van Assche in a relatively comfortable 7-6(3) 6-0 6-3 victory.
The match started off with a rollercoaster first set, in which Van Assche pushed Norrie, but ultimately faded in the second half of the match. In that first set, Norrie broke Van Assche’s serve three times, but the French player fought back each time, forcing a tie-break. However, Norrie was able to take the opening set 7-3 in the tie-break after 67 minutes. From there, the match was one-sided, as Norrie dominated the second set with a 6-0 score.
In the third set, Van Assche played more freely and went for his shots, but Norrie’s break in the second game proved to be too much for the Frenchman to overcome. Norrie held all of his service games, including a tough final game where Van Assche had two break point chances, to seal the match.
After the match, Norrie said, “He came out strong and firing. It was a quick turnaround from me, coming from Auckland last week. I was pretty nervous, not knowing what to expect from him but I managed to relax in the second set. It wasn’t my best level but I will improve on it and it was nice to get through a tricky first set.”
The British number one, who is currently ranked 12th in the world, will play Thiago Monteiro or Constant Lestienne in the next round on Wednesday.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
