Federer loses cool as Norrie fights
ROGER Federer lost his cool with umpire Emmanuel Joseph at Roland Garros but recovered to defeat Marin Cilic in four sets and reach the third round of the French Open.
Having cruised through the first set, Federer was a break down in the second when Cilic made it known to Joseph that he was unhappy with the length of time his opponent was spending retrieving his towel between points.
The French official duly gave Federer a warning, prompting a furious response from the 20-time grand slam champion, who, having been absent for most of the last year because of knee problems, is unfamiliar with the change in regulations preventing ball boys and girls from handling players’ towels.
Federer allowed his unhappiness to continue and lost the second set but recovered well to secure a 6-2 2-6 7-6 (4) 6-2 victory over his old rival Cilic, making it back-to-back match wins for the first time since last year’s Australian Open.
Meanwhile Cameron Norrie reached the third round of the French Open for the first time with a gritty victory over Lloyd Harris.
It continued what has been a superbly consistent run of form since the tour resumed last summer and the reward for the British number two’s 4-6 6-3 6-3 6-2 success could well be another meeting with Rafael Nadal. First Nadal must get past Richard Gasquet in the night match while Norrie, who also reached the last 32 at the US Open last summer, can put his feet up and reflect on another job well done.
A double fault gave Norrie the breakthrough early in the second set and from there he made sure he gave nothing away all the way to the finish line.