Norrie beats the heat to go through

CAMERON Norrie has booked his place in the second round of the US Open with a hard-fought win over the Australian Jordan Thompson.

The British number two, pictured right, whose mother comes from Cardiff, was below his best on Court 13 at Flushing Meadows but still had enough in his armoury to overcome Thompson 7-5 4-6 6-4 6-3 in a match lasting three hours and 19 minutes.

The result means Norrie, 23, is almost certain to climb the rankings once the tournament is over. He currently sits 67 in the world and now has a good opportunity to go further in the draw having been paired against Dusan Lajovic of Serbia in round two.

Lajovic, who underwent surgery for a hernia at the end of last year, has never made it beyond the first round at the US Open in three attempts and is currently ranked 62.

Norrie made 43 unforced errors and committed 11 double faults against Thompson, the kind of form which would probably have been punished had he been facing a seed rather than a player from outside the top 100.

On the plus side, he served 18 aces and converted six of the 12 break points that came his way, winning 74 per cent of points on his first serve.

Kyle Edmund’s surprise loss on Monday means Norrie, who will play Lajovic later today, is the highestranked Brit left in the men’s draw, with Andy Murray – now 382 in the world following hip surgery – also through to the second round.

“I’m really happy,” Norrie said. “I played well. I lost concentration at some points, but I really enjoyed it. I just got better and better as the match went on, so I was proud of that.

“It was so humid tonight that I think I went through nine or 10 shirts,” he said. “But I didn’t mind it. I dealt with it well. I felt physically great at the end.”

Norrie, who played tennis for three years at Texas Christian University, thinks the courts and conditions suit him.

“I played a lot of college tennis at TCU on hard courts and I like the hot conditions,” he said. “They don’t bother me too much.”

Asked if he thought he was getting physically stronger, Norrie said: “I think I’m just more experienced. I’ve played a couple of Davis Cup matches and I’ve been working pretty hard in the gym and in my fitness sessions.

“I also had a good physical block before I came to the US Open. I think that’s helped a lot.

“I also think just being around this level in general and being around these players, I’m kind of getting used to that and dealing with the ball that they hit. I do feel fitter and stronger.”