British No. 1 Cameron Norrie advanced to the second round of the U.S. Open after besting Benoit Paire in straight sets on Tuesday.
The South Africa-born star began as he'll intend to carry on in New York, seeing out a bagel opener as he sealed a 6-0, 7-6(1), 6-0 win. The Wimbledon semi-finalist is targeting his maiden major title at Flushing Meadows, where he's yet to reach the fourth in five previous attempts.
Despite any advantages in experience, 33-year-old Paire looked paltry in comparison to Norrie early on, double-faulting twice in a first set that also included 15 unforced errors on his part. Fortunately for the Frenchman, that represented the worst of his first-round fracas.
"What Cam has done so well is that he has adjusted his goals," Naomi Broady told BBC Radio 5 Live during Tuesday's matchup, praising the Briton after his stunning success at SW19. "He didn't get to the top ten and rest on his laurels. He moves on so quickly and he has great inner self-belief."
Following such a one-sided first set, many fans will have been surprised to see Paire go two games clear at one point in the second. The hope created by that break of serve proved short-lived, however, as Norrie retaliated with an immediate break back to trail 4-5 and eventually force a tiebreak.
Any glimmer of Paire's prospects appeared to evaporate after he was downed 7-1 in that second-set decider. It was shortly prior to that that a fan appeared to faint in the crowd, leading to tensions between Paire and umpire Carlos Bernardes.
Who do you think will win the men's title in New York? Let us know in the comments section.
Seizing his opportunity, Paire sought guidance from his coach before being told their interaction infringed on tennis' newly trialled law. But it was Norrie who responded better to the break, with Paire facing accusations of giving up prematurely on social media after he recorded 11 double faults in the final two sets.
A second bagel scoreline in the final set appeared to confirm as much, and Norrie can be thankful for the opportunity to conserve some valuable energy for the trials to come. The New York audience revelled in the surging Briton's latest success, which he hopes will be the start of something special at Flushing Meadows.
Norrie will face either Joao Sousa or Mackenzie McDonald in the next stage of the competition. Victory in that matchup would match his best-ever run in New York, with Rafael Nadal and Andrey Rublev among the elite opponents potentially in his sights if he advances far enough.
