Cameron Norrie rallies to overcome spirited Constant Lestienne to reach Australian Open third round
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Updated 18/01/2023 at 16:56 GMT
Cameron Norrie overcame the challenge of Frenchman Constant Lestienne in four sets to reach the third round of the 2023 Australian Open. The Brit took the first set but allowed his opponent back into the second set before rallying to claim the third and fourth to advance. Stream the 2023 Australian Open live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.co.uk.
Australian Open highlights - Norrie wins in late finish to reach third round
Cameron Norrie is into the third round of the Australian Open after navigating a tricky match with Constant Lestienne.
The Brit needed four sets to overcome his opponent 6-3 3-6 7-6(2) 6-3.
It was a bizarre first set, with interruptions due to the rainy conditions. Despite it being a Grand Slam match, some of Lestienne’s shots were quite casual, acting if he was playing an exhibition game, and the crowd did not hold back on their jeering in his direction due to his attitude. Norrie earned his third love hold of the match before he broke Lestienne to clinch the first set in 41 minutes.
The second set saw a completely different Lestienne on the court. He was still quite erratic in his play, but it was clear he was trying to force Norrie into errors with his tactics while hitting.
The Frenchman earned himself a break point in Norrie's first service game before being pegged back for deuce. On the third advantage, the British No. 1 managed to seal the game with an ace.
The second set continued to prove to be a more even affair, much to the frustration of Norrie, and as Lestienne was one game away from taking the set, he went up 40-0 with three break points. With his back against the wall, Norrie then uncharacteristically slammed a forehand right into the net to give Lestienne the second set.
Lestienne, 30, continued to dominate in the third set in the beginning, taking a 2-0 lead with a low forehand shot before converting a break point after Norrie sent a forehand wide. Norrie slowly became more and more visibly exasperated as his serve continued to let him down, and his unforced errors tally continued to rise as Lestienne led 5-2.
Just as it looked like Lestienne would wrap up the third set, Norrie managed to hold serve, and convert his first break-point opportunity of the match. He managed a comeback to force a tie-break, which saw him land two aces, and a set point to take the third.
As much as Lestienne attempted to get into Norrie’s head, the world No. 14 kept his cool in the fourth set, taking the second match point to seal the victory in the early hours of the morning.
Up next, Norrie will take on Jiri Lehecka, who beat Christopher Eubanks for a spot in the fourth round.
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Stream the 2023 Australian Open live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.co.uk
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