Cameron Norrie continued his solid start to the grass-court season as he navigated the challenges presented by one of the trickier players on the surface and advanced to the Queen’s Club quarter-finals for the second time. After trailing by a set, Norrie soared, recovering to defeat Jordan Thompson 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
“It was the perfect match,” he said. “Jordan really likes the grass. He played a couple of good points to break me and I played a couple of loose points and that was the difference in the first set. I thought I played great so I didn’t really have to change too much.”
In recent years Thompson has established a reputation for his grass-court prowess. The 29-year-old has reached two ATP finals, both on grass, the second in last week’s-Hertogenbosch when he lost against the home favourite, Tallon Griekspoor, in three tight sets.
Unlike most players on the tour outside Great Britain, Thompson spent plenty of time in his youth competing on grass and he has developed a suitable all-court game, with a sweet backhand slice and a precise serve, which comes alive on the surface.
The Australian was sharp from the beginning. As is often the case on this surface, the opening set was decided by a couple of points. Thompson served immaculately, firing 10 aces in his first five service games and the difference between the two players was one loose service game from Norrie.
In the second set Norrie worked his way into the ascendancy. The fifth seed began to read Thompson’s serve much more effectively, landing ample returns while taking care of his own service games.
Norrie’s flat backhand, which skids so low on the grass, also proved a nightmare for Thompson as the match extended. After levelling the match, Norrie broke serve in the opening game of the third set and marched to victory.
“I was able to come out with a lot more energy in the third set and that was the difference,” he said. “There wasn’t much in it. It was definitely a good match to get through and a perfect match, heading into Wimbledon, to start the grass summer.”
Norrie’s quarter-final opponent will be Sebastian Korda, who defeated Frances Tiafoe, the fourth seed, 7-6 (2), 6-3 on Wednesday evening.
Norrie said: “It’s really good to be that consistent but you always want more. It’s really addicting, you want to have better results. It’s been really consistent, which is good, but I want to keep on pushing for more and keep playing my best tennis in the bigger tournaments and especially in a huge tournament like Queen’s.”
Norrie had teamed up with Andy Murray in doubles but, after his first-round defeat against Alex de Minaur in the singles on Tuesday, the Scot opted to withdraw from the first-round match against Joe Salisbury and Rajeev Ram because of fatigue.
Lorenzo Musetti became the first player to reach the quarter‑finals by defeating Ben Shelton 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in a battle between two of the brightest young talents on the tour. At a time when many young players struggle to find their feet on grass, Musetti continues to offer evidence he could one day be a threat on the surface.
This is his second consecutive quarter-final on grass after narrowly losing against the eventual champion, Tiafoe, in Stuttgart.
While Musetti is most at home on clay, his backhand slice, his skill in the forecourt and his resourcefulness suit the surface well. He also continues to move confidently on the grass. The 21-year-old will next face the 20‑year‑old Holger Rune, the second seed, who defeated Great Britain’s Ryan Peniston 6-3, 6-4.
Elsewhere, Elena Rybakina endured an early defeat at the WTA 500 event in Berlin, her first grass‑court tournament since winning Wimbledon last year. Despite a positive start, the Kazakhstani was defeated 6-7 (1), 6-3, 6-4 by Donna Vekic of Croatia in the second round.
