By Kingsley Elliot Kaye
For the first time in the Open Era, four British men players reached the third round of the US Open. After the shining performances of Andy Murray and Jack Draper, Dan Evans and Cam Norrie neatly punched their third round tickets.
Evans – Duckworth 63 62 46 64
Facing Australian James Duckworth, ranked 83,Evans strode through the first two sets, imposing his multifaceted game. He broke Duckworth twice in the first set that he won 63. The plot did not change in the second set and Evans comfortably sealed it 62. His intensity slightly slipped in the third, his shots were no longer landing so close to the baseline. It was just enough to let Duckworth back in the match.
The Australian restrained unforced errors and took the third set 64, breaking in the 10th game. When he broke Evans in the first game of the fourth, the match really seemed about to turn around. The Brit was brilliant to dig himself out of the hole, breaking back in the sixth game, determined to dodge a risky decider. In the tenth game, at 54 he delivered his best. An overhead backhand volley, a winning crosscourt forehand, a forehand passing shot down the line, and a final backhand passing shot carried him through to victory.
“It was a good effort. I played some good tennis, and then James was super-aggressive in the third, so it was good to get out of there. I felt good physically. It was more mentally. I didn’t want to go into a fifth, you know. It’s sort of a shooter, and wasn’t seeing a lot of 10-point tiebreakers in the last, so it’s not something I really want to be a part of. “ Evans said afterwards.
Norrie – Sousa 64 64 76
A far different match awaited Cameron Norrie. Joao Sousa is a tricky player to face, with his straightforward aggressive game and his rather clean shots. Errors do creep in, mostly while constructing and rarely unforced or gratuitous, Norrie could not expect to win easy points. Indeed Sousa prefers dictating the rallies, rather than scurrying after his opponents’ pace . Norrie needed to be endeavouring and take the initiative, not just rely on his solidity. And it was so.
In the first two sets he raised his game when he needed, taking a double 64 64 lead. (He just lost service once, in the fourth game, when he traded breaks). The third set was even tighter. Norrie saved a set point in the twelfth game and closed out the tiebreak. Those times when he struggled to put matches away are over. He can harbour ambitions.
“I thought I didn’t start that well. I was pretty nervous in the match, pretty tight. Managed to play good in the big points throughout the whole match. Felt like at the end of the sets I really raised my level,” Norrie said afterwards.
