Norrie grinds out a Montreal opener
Cameron Norrie needed a tie-break to settle the first set, then never looked back. The Briton beat Argentina’s Camilo Ugo Carabelli 7-6(5), 6-4 in the opening round of the National Bank Open, a workmanlike win that says more about his direction than his level.
The first set hinged on a handful of points. Norrie took the tie-break 7-5, wrestled the momentum his way, and broke once in the second to see it out. Nothing flashy, but the lefty’s grinding style was back in working order.
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Signs of a revival
Norrie’s ranking has slid from the heights of a few seasons ago, when he cracked the top ten and reached a Wimbledon semi-final. The past year has been a grind of tight losses and lost confidence. Wins like this are how a player claws his way back.
His game has never relied on raw power. It runs on legs, angles, and a lefty forehand that drags opponents out wide. On a medium-paced hard court, that formula still frustrates, and Ugo Carabelli spent much of the match chasing.
Building something in Canada
One round means little on its own. But Norrie has spent months searching for exactly this kind of result, and a Masters 1000 draw is a good place to build a run. The next match will show whether the revival has legs or whether this was a single good day.
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