Cameron Norrie delivers statement win against Jack Draper in battle of the Brits

Cameron Norrie delivers statement win against Jack Draper in battle of the Brits

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Jack Draper may well be the future of British men’s tennis but ­Cameron Norrie gave a timely reminder on Thursday that he is still around and, it seems, would quite like his ­British No 1 ­ranking back. In a match between the country’s top two, ­Norrie ­produced one of his best ­performances of the year as he clinched a 7-6 (3), 6-4, 7-6 (5) victory over the current No 1 to reach the third round for only the second time.

A semi-finalist two years ago, ­Norrie edged a tight first set thanks to a fast start in the tie-break. In the first clash between the British No 1 and No 2 in a grand slam event since Tim Henman beat Greg Rusedski at the Australian Open in 2002, Norrie’s greater ­grass-court experience and nous made the ­difference. He cruised through the second set and then recovered from 5-3 down in the third to wrap up a convincing victory.

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