Norrie Advances In Rio Before Rain Stops Alcaraz On Brink Of Victory

Two days after he fell to Carlos Alcaraz in the Buenos Aires final, Cameron Norrie found his way back into the win column on Tuesday at the Rio Open presented by Claro. The second seed overcame a strong start from Argentine lucky loser Juan Manuel Cerundolo to run away with a 7-5, 6-1 victory.

From 3-5 down in the opening set, Norrie won 10 of the match’s final 11 games to reach the Rio de Janeiro second round for the second time.

“He was playing well and had some matches here in qualies, so I knew he was going to start well,” Norrie said. “But I was able to find my range and find my legs and really use my backhand pretty effectively towards the end.”

Norrie’s ability to make the match physical and attack the net also keyed his comeback against Cerundolo, according to the Briton. He will next face Brazilian Thiago Monteiro, who beat Dominic Thiem 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(2) on Monday.

Cerundolo’s older brother, fourth seed Francisco Cerundolo, had better luck on Tuesday with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 win against Roberto Carballes Baena.

In the evening slate, Carlos Alcaraz led Brazilian tour-level debutant Mateus Alves 6-4, 5-3 before heavy rain ended the day’s play. The 22-year-old Alves thrilled his home fans with a battling performance, breaking twice while saving five of nine break points.

But Alcaraz braved the vocal crowd — and wet, windy conditions — to move to the brink of victory, with play suspended just before Alves stepped up to serve to stay in the match.

Fabio Fognini was also closing in on a win before the rain, the Italian leading Tomas Barrios Vera 6-2, 5-2. Fifth seed Diego Schwartzman and Dusan Lajovic never took the court for their match, nor did Sebastian Baez and Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci, who were set to close the day’s play on Court Guga Kuerten.