Norrie claims biggest win of career to reach semi-finals of Lyon Open

British No 3 Cameron Norrie recorded his first win over a top-ten player to reach the Lyon Open semi-finals.

Norrie defeated tenthranked John Isner 7-6 (1), 6-4 at the clay-court warm-up for the French Open.

Norrie, who will break into the top 100 next week, saved all four break points to prevail against the second-seeded American.

The 22-year-old will next face local favourite Gilles Simon of France, who beat Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5).

“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.” Norrie, meanwhile, has been rewarded for making a grand slam main draw for the first time by being paired with Germany’s Peter Gojowczyk in the first round at the French Open, which starts on Sunday.

Britishno1kyleedmundwill play Australian teenager Alex de Minaur. Edmund is seeded 16th and, in the absence of the injured Andy Murray, carries his country’s best hopes of an extended run at Roland Garros after recently breaking into the world’s top 20 for the first time. Defending champion Rafael Nadal is chasing an 11th title and will begin his campaign against Ukraine’s Alexandr Dolgopolov.

His great rival Novak Djokovic will hope to put injury and poor form behind him when he takes on a yet-to-be-decided qualifier.

British women’s No 1 Johanna Konta will also hope for better fortunes after a disappointing start to the year when she faces first-round opponent Yulia Putintseva from Kaza- khstan. Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko will open her defence of the women’s title against Ukrainian Kateryna Kozlova and Britain’s other representative in the women’s singles’ draw, world No 86 Heather Watson, faces France’s Oceane Dodin.

Former world No 1 Serena Williams, unseeded and making her first grand slam appearance since the 2017 Australian Open after giving birth to her daughter, faces world No 6 Karolina Pliskova.

0 Cameron Norrie: ‘Stoked’.