Norrie wins epic in first EVER match on clay
The throaty roar from the travelling British fans could be heard all the way down the Golden Mile as Cameron Norrie completed an extraordinary victory on his Davis Cup debut for Great Britain.
A weekend that promised little more than a spot of winter sun at the sumptuous Puente Romano resort has taken on a different complexion after the British No 3 produced a stunning upset to level the tie at 1-1 with three points to play for.
Norrie, who had never played a professional match on red clay before, took down world No23 Roberto Bautista Agut 4-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in a shade over four hours.
A year ago Norrie, largely raised in New Zealand by Scottish and Welsh parents, was still a sociology student at Texas Christian University and one of the outstanding players on the US college circuit.
he had never played beyond three sets before, let alone five, yet he somehow made up for the absence of Andy Murray and Kyle edmund, who is recuperating from his effort at the Australian Open. The 22-year-old southpaw, ranked 114, came back from two sets and 3-1 down. Murray took to Twitter to proclaim: ‘That’s one of the most amazing wins/ results/upsets I’ve seen in a long time on a tennis court.’
This first day was meant to be a slaughter, but Norrie took his cue from a battling performance by Stockport’s Liam Broady, who was far from overwhelmed in losing 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 to world No 21 Albert Ramos Vinolas.
Winning this first-round tie is still a heroically tall order, but Jamie Murray and Dom Inglot have a fair chance in today’s doubles rubber against Feliciano Lopez and Pablo Carreno Busta. edmund could yet come in for the reverse singles tomorrow.
Norrie was fairly disbelieving afterwards. ‘In the third set, I got my concentration right and Leon (Smith) was telling me to be the one dictating the points,’ he said.
‘I did that and it gave me a lot of confidence. I saw in the fourth set he was struggling a bit physically and just backed myself physically and mentally from then. I couldn’t be happier.
‘A year ago I wasn’t a pro, I was at TCU, but I’ve been professional and stuck with my team and worked hard, so I think I deserve the success.’
Parents David and helen were watching on the other side of the world and Norrie said: ‘They are in New Zealand, it was 1am when I went on and they stayed up all night, so it was pretty cool.’
Smith said: ‘It’s astonishing. We’ve had some amazing moments and this is obviously right up there with any of them.
‘What is great is that we have a chance. If we’re two down, it’s hard to come back. Now we are one-all and that team room is buzzing, with everyone excited about the doubles. If we can bridge the gap again, you never know.’
Norrie, who has an excellent backhand, played hard and smart, utilising the dropshot skilfully and never flagging. Bautista Agut, who has a strong Davis Cup record, became anxious and had unravelled by the end.