Brit No 1 Cam Norrie defeated Tomas Machac in four sets to reach the second round at Wimbledon – despite squandering 14 break points in a hard-fought battle on Court One
British number one Cameron Norrie kicked off his Wimbledon campaign with a four-set win over troublesome Czech Tomas Machac.
The 27-year-old, a semi-finalist here last year, lost the second set but recorded a 6-3, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory under the roof at Court One.
World No. 108, Machac made his Wimbledon debut and played the first Tour match of his career on grass.
But nonetheless, the 22-year-old was a dangerous first-round opponent, beating Norrie’s compatriot Dan Evans in the Davis Cup and taking Novak Djokovic to a decisive tiebreak earlier this year.
There was no drama for Norrie in the opening set though, as he secured a break for 3-2 and another to top it off.
No. 1 Briton Cameron Norrie (pictured) defeated Tomas Machac in four sets at Wimbledon on Tuesday
The 12th seed still wears the tape on his knee that he wore during Queen’s, but whatever the problem, it didn’t bother him too much.
Things got out of hand in the second inning, however, with Norrie pointing an accusing finger at the grass twice after misinterpreting the bounce of the ball and dumping his forehand into the net before Machac tied the game.
But Norrie got back on track in the third and secured a double break to take the set in just 24 minutes.
He recovered an early break in the fourth with a forehand that left a flagging Machac on the baseline.
Machac fought hard and sometimes gave the British favorite trouble by winning the second set
Further break points went back and forth, but it was Norrie who made one stick to take an encouraging victory in two hours and 32 minutes.
“For the past two years I’ve been sitting there waiting in the rain,” Norrie said. “So it was nice to have a run last year and then be able to play on this pitch.
“It’s nice to get it done and get the first one out of the way.”
More to follow.