There was little love lost between Britons on Wednesday when Cameron Norrie came from behind to oust Andy Murray from the Cincinnati Open.
Murray, 35, looked to be on track for a place in the third round after going a set up at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. But world No. 11 Norrie came back to beat the three-time major champion 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in his final warm-up outing ahead of the U.S. Open.
Norrie, 26, will face either Casper Ruud or wildcard Ben Shelton in the next phase of the tournament and is looking to build on his impressive Wimbledon run in July. The South Africa-born star ventured as far as the semi-finals in London before being bested by eventual winner Novak Djokovic in four sets.
Murray returned to Cincinnati as a two-time champion and is looking to relaunch himself as a genuine major contender in time for Flushing Meadows. Former British No. 1 Tim Henman recently backed the veteran to return to the top and said he's "only scratching the surface" following a return to full fitness.
But stamina was one factor that worked against Murray in his second-round test, with cramp having a visible impact on his play as the match against Norrie progressed. In truth, Norrie looked less impressive for considerable chunks of their clash, but both Brits departed the court in a happy embrace.
Murray faced just six break points compared to Norrie's 11, although the latter deserved his plaudits for saving all but two of those. Similarly, Murray only had himself to blame for recording three double faults (Norrie had just one), while he also had five more unforced errors than his foe.
The result also marked Norrie's maiden win over Murray, who defeated him in their only previous encounter at the 2019 China Open. Norrie's improvements in the interim were clear to see in Cincinnati, although the path to silverware will only prove more treacherous from here.
Neither player will take an awful lot of encouragement from an error-strewn matchup in which neither managed to shine. Norrie may take some solace in the fact he could win in ugly circumstances, while Murray will hope any new aches or pains don't take a toll ahead of his trip to New York.
Five years have passed since Murray last ventured to the second week of any Grand Slam, though he's holding out for good fortune ahead of the 10-year anniversary of his first major title at the U.S. Open. Norrie's best campaign in New York ended with a third-round defeat to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in 2020, but his prospects look much loftier after breaking new territory at SW19 earlier this year.
