Despite battling illness, Cameron Norrie overcame a match point deficit to defeat young Spanish player Martin Landaluce in a dramatic first-round match at the Madrid Open.
The former British number one has experienced a dip in form recently, with his ranking dropping to world number 91. Before this victory, Norrie hadn`t secured a win on the ATP Tour since the Indian Wells tournament in early March.
He was clearly not in peak physical condition facing the 19-year-old Landaluce but relied on his experience to clinch a 6-7 (4), 7-5, 6-4 victory.
Norrie disclosed post-match that he had been unwell, stating, “It`s terrible timing, but at least I have another day tomorrow to rest. Hopefully, it will pass pretty quickly.”
The match was a rollercoaster; Norrie lost five consecutive games after leading 3-0 in the first set and had to fight back from 3-0 down in the second. Landaluce had a match point at 5-4 but narrowly missed a crucial forehand.
Norrie capitalized to force a decider, and a shaky game from his young opponent at 4-4 in the final set ultimately made the difference.
“It`s perhaps one of my most cherished victories,” commented Norrie, who is set to play 26th seed Jiri Lehecka next. “I felt absolutely dreadful, wasn`t even sure I could play. I had no energy and didn`t sleep at all last night.”
“I started with extremely low energy, practically still sleeping on the court. I had to generate my own momentum. He actually played really well; I know he`s a very skilled player, so I had to compete for every single point.”
Adding to Britain`s positive first round, qualifier Jacob Fearnley secured an impressive 6-3, 7-6 (2) win against China`s Bu Yunchaokete. He will now face 19th seed Tomas Machac.
Norrie`s path in the draw has become potentially easier due to the withdrawal earlier on Thursday of second seed Carlos Alcaraz. Alcaraz, who required treatment for a leg injury after his Barcelona Open final loss to Holger Rune on Sunday, has not recovered adequately.
Alcaraz commented in a press conference, “I am truly disappointed that I cannot compete here in Madrid, a place I dearly love playing, especially in front of my home crowd.”
He added, “It was a genuinely tough situation and decision, but you have to accept it. Sometimes you must listen to your body. I will return stronger.”
Swiatek Survives Scare
In the women`s tournament, defending champion Iga Swiatek avenged her surprising Miami Open defeat against Filipina teenager Alexandra Eala.
However, it proved to be another challenging match for the Pole. The 19-year-old Eala initially held a one-set and a break lead before Swiatek rallied to win the match 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.
Stuttgart champion Jelena Ostapenko suffered a surprising loss. Ostapenko had defeated Swiatek for the sixth time without reply en route to her title in Germany on Monday.
In Madrid, Ostapenko was eliminated in the first round by her compatriot Anastasija Sevastova, who is currently undertaking her second comeback in three years after maternity leave and a significant knee injury.
In other matches, seventh seed Mirra Andreeva defeated Marie Bouzkova 6-3, 6-4, and 11th seed Emma Navarro beat Australian qualifier Maya Joint 7-5, 7-5.
