Norrie Narrowly Avoids Defeat To Argentine Wild Card In Buenos Aires

Cameron Norrie was two points from defeat on three occasions on Wednesday at the Argentina Open, but the Briton found his best tennis at the crucial moments to deny Argentine wild card Facundo Diaz Acosta an upset win in his native Buenos Aires.

In a 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(6) victory, Norrie never truly hit top gear, but the second seed showed his champion mentality to get over the line at the ATP 250. 

“I thought Facu played great and it was a battle out there. It was my first [ATP Tour] match on clay in a while,” said Norrie, who earned two Davis Cup wins on the clay of Colombia earlier this month. “I have a lot of things to work on but it was a great atmosphere and I had a lot of people supporting me as well, so I really enjoyed. But I need to improve a lot.”

In the closing stages, Norrie was able to redirect the pacy groundstrokes from his opponent to great effect, attacking without taking big risks as the pressure mounted. Diaz Acosta was two points from victory on return at 5-4, 30/30 and twice in the tie-break at 5/5 and 6/6 after leading 4/1. But each time, Norrie had the answer.

“I love Argentina. I came here early to prepare,” he shared. “Not really the level I wanted to be playing but I feel good here and obviously my coach and my physio are from here, so it’s a special place for me.”

After saving 10 of 14 break points in the two-hour, 59-minute match, the Briton advanced to the quarter-finals. He will next face another Argentine in Tomas Martin Etcheverry, a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 winner against Roberto Carballes Baena earlier on Wednesday.