Norrie blows 2-0 chance after thinking it was too easy

CRESTFALLEN Cameron Norrie reckons his rampant start counted against him as he suffered a Davis Cup defeat.

The New Zealand-based Scot was disappointed his first home appearance for the British team ended in despair as Uzbekistan’s Jurabek Karimov levelled the tie at 1-1 after day one. Norrie looked to be cruising as he romped the first set 6-0 against a 20-yearold who had never won a Davis Cup singles in six attempts.

And when he extended his lead in the second with a crucial break it seemed a straightforward coast to the end.

But the tide turned in a crucial tiebreak as Karimov survived match point with a breathless rally and went on to snatch it.

From there the Uzbek never looked back, pushing Norrie on his backfoot with his aggressive groundstrokes and breaking to love early in the fourth set.

The momentum never shifted back in Norrie’s favour – losing 6-0 7-5 6-7 2-6 2-6 – and he admitted his flying start may have counted against him.

Norrie, left, said: “Winning a set 6-0 is kind of detrimental against a guy who’s decent. He came back, his double faults dried up and he was soon hitting well from both sides.

“I have another chance to get a win on Sunday.”