An unsteady return but Norrie forces Czech mate
WHILE a Brit of higher renown and a lower ranking was having a stroll on Centre Court, Cameron Norrie was forced to ride out a few unforeseen storms under the roof next door.
That he progressed from his engagement on Court No 1 with Tomas Machac was no surprise. But if the expectation was for an easy evening, then such predictions were stomped into the turf by the dashes, dives and ingenuity of a qualifier on a mission.
The Czech hadn’t played a Tourlevel match on grass, but across two and a half hours, the world No 108 morphed from an entertaining nuisance to a genuine threat.
Had Machac converted one of three break points at 4-3 up in the fourth, Norrie would likely have faced a decider and the rising prospect of an immense upset. Ultimately a fifth set wasn’t necessary, but the nature of this 6-3, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory pointed to an unsteady return to a championship where he reached the semi-finals last year.
‘You guys got me through that fourth set,’ he told the crowd.
‘It was nice to make a run last year and earn the right to play on this court.
‘I just came out here firing. It wasn’t straightforward, I had to battle. But it’s nice to get it out of the way and start my campaign.’
The British No 1, seeded 12th here, will next face the winner of Thiago Monteiro or Christopher Eubanks, the world No 43, with his quarter of the draw also featuring Andy Murray. Escaping that shadow would rank among the more improbable feats in sport, though Norrie has made a habit of exceeding expectations.
It is an enduring riddle how a player with no standout weapon has made such an impressive dent on the game, with 13 career titles and a win over Carlos Alcaraz on clay this year. The latter is increasingly difficult to achieve, but Norrie is a walking argument for why it is no bad thing to be a jack of all trades and a masterful tactician.
With that spinning, lefty forehand, his flat backhand and a moderate serve, he has found ways to grind out wins. Not that this was one to shout about — with 38 unforced errors set against 44 winners and just eight aces, he has generous room for improvement.
That being said, he made a fast start. The 27-year-old broke twice to take the first set with no bother, but novices can be tricky.
Sure, Machac’s record added up to the square root of nothing, and yet the eye test revealed a game that was far more promising, particularly via his work at the net — he was crafty and had a lovely touch, both of which came to the fore in an undulating second set.
Machac and Norrie traded breaks to reach 3-3, but with the Brit playing too shallow off his forehand, and also struggling to navigate those forward charges from Czech, he immediately lost another service game to allow the underdog to lead 4-3. Running for home, Machac eventually converted his fourth set point when serving for 6-4.
Machac’s flurry faded in the third, in which he was broken twice for 6-1 and appeared to hurt his wrist, but he regained his swagger to break early for 2-1 in the fourth. There was life in the underdog yet and with one diving volley he brought half the arena to its feet.
Norrie hit back, securing 2-2 with a forehand up the line, but having squandered five break points on Machac’s next two service games, he found himself in deep muck.
Had Machac taken his chances to break at 4-3, this would have got awkward, but as is his calling card, Norrie managed to contrive a win out of a performance that was less than spectacular.