Norrie has glimmer of hope despite darkness halting match with Pouille

Cameron Norrie prolonged his French Open adventure by at least one more day after pinching a set in the Paris gloom.

The British No 3 was in danger of being swept aside in the second round by French 16th seed Lucas Pouille.

Norrie trailed by two sets with Pouille clearly a man in a hurry, desperately wanting the match done and dusted before the light failed – the players had only walked on to Court Philippe Chatrier at 7.50pm.

But perhaps in his haste to get the job done quickly Pouille began to tighten and Norrie broke him in the final game of the third set to trail 2-6 4-6 7-5 when they were brought off, in near darkness, at 9.43pm.

A tentative Norrie was broken by his opponent in the first game, and the home favourite struck again on his way to racing through the first set in just 27 minutes.

Norrie forced two break points early in the second set but they were swatted away by Pouille.

The local favourite promptly secured a break in the next game, his ferocious ground strokes and canny drop-shots proving too much for the underdog.

Norrie then required medical treatment but Pouille kept his focus to wrap up the second set.

Norrie did manage two breaks – one to love – in the third, but each time Pouille hit straight back.

However, it had become clear that the third set would be the last of the night and with Pouille missing a regulation smash and putting a simple forehand long, Norrie ensured they will have to come back at lunchtime today.

Norrie, 22, has enjoyed a meteoric rise – this time last year he had only just turned professional and was playing at a Challenger event in Surbition. He was born in South Africa, grew up in New Zealand and his father is Scottish.

This match may well prove a step too far for Norrie, but Pouille at least knows he has a job to finish.

Meanwhile, British No 1 Johanna Konta’s wait for a French Open win goes on after she and Alison Riske narrowly lost their first-round doubles match, in a third-set tie-break against Spain’s Arantxa Parra Santonja and Anabel Medina Garrigues.

Britain’s Heather Watson and partner Tatjana Maria, of Germany, were firstround winners against French pair Sherazad Reix and Manon Arcangioli.

Watson will bid to get past the second round for the first time when she faces Belgian 16th seed Elise Mertens today.

British No 1 Kyle Edmund will also be in second-round action against Marton Fucsovics of Hungary, a potentially tricky opponent who won the Geneva Open last week.

“I played him in Winston-salem and beat him in straight sets. I remember playing quite well that day. But he’s improved since then,” said Edmund.

“He won last week, so for sure he’s feeling pretty good. But I’m feeling good as well.

“It’s just one of those matches where you just have to go in there and put out your A game and see where that is.

“So you obviously analyse it in terms of match-ups and maybe tactics, but I try not to analyse it too much and just go out there and play my game and trust it.”