Britain’s Cameron Norrie’s bid for a maiden Australian Open quarter-final came to a thrilling end on Monday as sixth seed Alexander Zverev prevailed in a five-set epic under the lights of Rod Laver Arena.
The encounter was a see-saw battle, with both players trading blows and sets throughout the match. Norrie, seeded 19th, started brightly, taking the opening set 7-5 before Zverev responded with a 6-3 win in the second. The British number one then roared back to claim the third set 6-3, but Zverev leveled the match again with a 6-4 victory in the fourth.
The decider was a tense affair, with both players holding firm on their serves. In the end, it was Zverev who proved the more clinical, winning the tie-break 10-3 to seal a hard-fought 7-5 3-6 6-3 4-6 7-6 (10-3) victory.
“It was a tough one,” Zverev said afterwards. “Cameron is a great player and he made me work really hard for that win. I’m happy to come through in the end and I’m looking forward to the next round.”
Norrie was understandably disappointed with the defeat, but he admitted that Zverev was the better player on the day.
“I gave it everything I had, but Alexander was just too good today,” Norrie said. “He served well and he didn’t give me many chances. I’m still proud of how I played in this tournament, and I’ll be back stronger next year.”
Zverev will now face Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals. The Greek star overcame Karen Khachanov in straight sets to reach the last eight.
In other results on Monday, Daniil Medvedev beat Nuno Borges in four sets, while Elina Svitolina was forced to retire from her first-round match against Linda Noskova due to injury.
The Australian Open continues on Tuesday with the remaining quarter-finals.