Cameron Norrie wins Indian Wells title with win over Nikoloz Basilashvili
Cameron Norrie became the first Briton to win the Indian Wells title when he fought back from a set and a break down to beat Nikoloz Basilashvili.
Norrie, 26, won 3-6 6-4 6-1 against the Georgian to seal one of the biggest titles in tennis.
“I’m so happy, I can’t even describe it,” he said on court.
His exploits in California have propelled Norrie to British number one and he is in the running to reach the elite season-ending ATP Finals.
Norrie will rise to a career-high 16th in the world, having started the year ranked 74th, after a stunning season where he has reached six finals and won 47 matches.
Norrie had led in the first set with an early break but was pegged back as the big-hitting Basilashvili took charge. But the Briton, whose resilience and fitness has been the hallmark of his successful year, broke to love to level and force a deciding set.
The left-hander broke early in the third and saved three break points on his serve to take a 3-0 lead as unforced errors began to mount for the Georgian world number 36, who eventually sent a forehand long on championship point to hand Norrie the biggest title of his career.
“For a stage he went through and hit so many winners. It was tough for me to get some confidence. The rallies were really short and he was just blasting winners,” Norrie said.
“When I made a couple of big shots in the 5-4 game in the second set it gave me a lot of confidence, and I was able to find my feet again, start moving again, and make the rallies physical like I’ve been doing all tournament and it worked in my favour.”
Norrie achieves a British first
Norrie’s win comes just a month after compatriot Emma Raducanu’s stunning US Open victory as British tennis enjoys something of a resurgence.
While Raducanu’s rise to British number one was sudden and dramatic, Norrie’s path to the top has been more understated and built on consistency.
Only world number one Novak Djokovic has been in as many finals this year as Norrie, whose versality has taken him to finals on hard, clay and grass courts.
His maiden ATP singles trophy came in July when he won the Los Cabos Open in Mexico and he has now backed that up with one of the most prestigious tour titles outside the four Grand Slams.
He has also achieved something that no other Briton has, with Andy Murray, Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski all having reached the Indian Wells final but finishing as runners-up in California.
He is 10th in the race to qualify for next month’s eight-man ATP Finals in Turin and with eighth-placed Rafal Nadal missing the rest of the season, Norrie is within touching distance of overtaking ninth-placed Hubert Hurkacz and booking a spot.
More to follow.
About Author
