Norrie Sinks Rublev To Continue Winning Run

Former champion Cameron Norrie continued his love affair with the BNP Paribas Open Tuesday when he defeated Andrey Rublev 6-2, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals in Indian Wells.

The Briton lifted the biggest trophy of his career at the hard-court event in 2021 and moved to within three wins of matching that feat this week after producing one of his best performances of the season to defeat Rublev after 75 minutes.

The 10th seed absorbed Rublev’s power, redirecting the ball to find stunning angles as he pushed the sixth seed wide. Norrie converted all five of his break points, serving out the match at the second time of asking to earn his eighth consecutive win and level his ATP Head2Head series against Rublev at 2-2.

The 27-year-old lefty, who defeated World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz to lift the trophy in Rio de Janeiro last month, has now earned 21 wins in 2023, including four Top 10 victories. Norrie will continue the quest for his sixth tour-level title when he faces American Frances Tiafoe or Chilean qualifier Alejandro Tabilo in the last eight.

Rublev was aiming to improve on his 9-1 record against left handers since the start of 2022, having defeated Ugo Humbert in the third round. The 25-year-old is 11-7 on the year, with his best result a run to the final in Dubai.