The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Norrie shocks Isner to reach first semi-final
LYON OPEN: British No 3 to face Simon after ousting bigserving American in straight sets
Cameron Norrie stunned John Isner to clinch his first win against a world top-10 opponent at the Lyon Open yesterday.
British No 3 Norrie beat American world No 10 Isner 7-6 (7-1) 6-4 to book a place in his first ATP Tour semi-final, where he will play France’s Gilles Simon.
Norrie, 22, saved all four break points he faced against big-serving Isner, who the Briton broke for the only time in the first game of the second set before sealing victory in 85 minutes.
“I’m so stoked with my performance today,” said Norrie.
“In the past, I haven’t been so good at playing guys with big serves.
“I remember watching Isner when I was younger. He was a big idol of mine. It’s crazy to be competing against guys like that now.”
Simon hit back from a set down to beat Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin 4-6 6-4 7-6 (7-5).
Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic overcame American Taylor Fritz 7-5 6-1 in the other quarter-final and will play Dominic Thiem or Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.
Top-seeded Austrian Thiem was locked at one set all with Spain’s Garcia-Lopez before play was suspended due to bad light.
At the Geneva Open, Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics upset defending champion Stan Wawrinka 6-4 6-0 to reach the last four.
Wawrinka, back on the circuit after two operations on his left knee, failed to convert seven of his eight break points against Fucsovics and crashed out in 75 minutes.
Fucsovics will next face American Steve Johnson, who beat Guido Pella 6-3 6-4 in his second match of the day, having earlier won through to the last eight with a 6-4 4-6 6-3 win against Lukas Rosol.
Italy’s Fabio Fognini celebrated his 31st birthday with a 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-5) victory over American Tennys Sandgren to set up a last-four clash with German Peter Gojowczyk, who overcame Andreas Seppi 6-3 6-7 (3-7) 6-3.
Argentina’s Nicolas Kicker has been found guilty of match-fixing and “other offences”, the Tennis Integrity Unit has announced.
Kicker, ranked 84 in the world, has yet to be punished but has been suspended from professional tennis after the findings of an independent anti-corruption hearing officer in connection with with two ATP Challenger matches in 2015.