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Cameron Norrie’s French Open dreams dashed after crushing defeat to Lorenzo Musetti

By Simon Briggs in Paris

British curiosity within the French Open singles attracts is over after Cameron Norrie made a limp exit within the third spherical.

If the final sentence sounds acquainted, that’s in all probability as a result of I may have written it with equal factual accuracy in 2022, or 2021. The stench of déjà vu was overpowering.

If something, this was essentially the most disappointing occasion of the trio. Two years in the past, Norrie may not less than declare that he had been bested by Rafael Nadal, which put him in a not-so unique membership of 80 gamers who’ve suffered that destiny at Roland Garros.

Then, final 12 months, Norrie did not less than handle to burgle a set on his means to defeat towards Karen Khachanov.

This time, Norrie’s opponent was Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti – a 21-year-old heartthrob whose single-handed backhand is among the sexiest pictures on the tour. On paper, Musetti ought to have been a slight outsider, on condition that he was seeded three locations decrease at No 17. On clay, although, his capability to form the ball with a wide range of spins – over, below, and even aspect – was far too refined for a baffled Norrie.

Musetti floated by way of the primary two units in such easy type that he barely appeared to be leaving footprints within the purple dust. Only within the third was he briefly involved, when Norrie managed to break for the primary time within the match.

But simply when a few of us have been questioning if Musetti would possibly show to be a shaky nearer, he produced the shot of the match – a forehand winner that went across the netpost at warp velocity and simply caught the again of the baseline. Even in his bedraggled state, Norrie was impressed sufficient to applaud.

The statistics on the finish of Norrie’s 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 defeat confirmed a large tally of 49 unforced errors, as towards solely 23 winners. It was cool and breezy on Simonne Mathieu, the greenhouse courtroom at Roland Garros, and he by no means appeared to have the ball below dependable management.

He got here in with a easy plan which he would possibly in truth have borrowed from Nadal himself. To break down Musetti’s most photogenic shot – that swordsmanlike backhand – together with his personal lefty forehand assault.

But regardless of what number of high-bouncing throat balls Norrie despatched down that channel, Musetti remained calm, unruffled and in management. If essential, Musetti even opted for the ugly but efficient tactic of looping again moonballs. It should have offended his very Italian sense of fashion. But he appeared to know that there was no different means for Norrie to win the match. As lengthy as he didn’t spray backhand errors, he had far an excessive amount of repertoire on this floor to be derailed.

The one-sided outcome continued what has been one thing of a barren patch for Norrie for the final two months. It is turning into more and more simple to overlook that he started this season with a rare sequence of outcomes, profitable 21 of his first 24 matches and beating man of the second Carlos Alcaraz within the Buenos Aires remaining.

The good occasions have been rolling when he reached the quarter-final of Indian Wells on April 28, headlining what was a very sturdy occasion for the British contingent normally. But he then suffered a routine defeat to Frances Tiafoe, and since then the image has been a superb deal bleaker: eight wins and eight defeats, with no consecutive streak of greater than two victories at a time.

The clarification for this dramatic shift in tone is elusive. Could or not it’s bodily or psychological? Norrie was carrying strapping round his left knee all through this match, which is uncommon for a person with an extremely rugged physique. But then he moved and chased the ball together with his customary doggedness. The drawback was stringing half-a-dozen correct pictures collectively when he reached it. At one stage, he hit a smash that cleared the online after bouncing on his personal aspect of the courtroom first.

Clearly annoyed by Musetti’s unexpectedly bulletproof defence, Norrie additionally appeared unhappy together with his strings. He saved wanting quizzically at them and attempting out varied various rackets. Perhaps he was questioning why he couldn’t form and curve the ball as skilfully as his silky opponent. But then Norrie’s flat-as-a-pancake backhand is all the time a legal responsibility on this floor, which rewards the tennis connoisseur.

And so we attain the tip of one other dismal Roland Garros for British singles gamers – though not less than it wasn’t as unhealthy because the French displaying, sarcastically. No fewer than 27 French gamers began out in the principle draw, and never a single one among them reached the third spherical. The French Tennis Federation’s director of efficiency, Nicolas Escude, confronted a media barracking right here on Friday. One can solely surprise what destiny would befall the Lawn Tennis Association within the occasion of an equal house wipeout in a month’s time.

Cameron Norrie v Lorenzo Musetti: As it occurred. . .

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