Cameron Norrie’s last Davis Cup appearance was in 2023.
Cameron Norrie overcame a stern challenge from world number 545 Tomasz Berkieta to secure a 1-0 lead for Great Britain against Poland in the Davis Cup.
Norrie, ranked 34th globally, saved set points in a tense opening set before rallying to win his nation’s first World Group 1 match 7-6 (11-9) 6-4 in Gdynia, Poland.
Arthur Fery, ranked 227th and aged 23, is set to make his Davis Cup debut in the second match against Olaf Pieczkowski, ranked 484th. This follows the withdrawal of British number three Jacob Fearnley due to a rib injury.
The victor of this tie, being held across Friday and Saturday, will advance to next February’s first round, keeping them in contention for the 2026 title.
The world’s top-ranked doubles team, Lloyd Glasspool and Julian Cash, are slated to debut on Saturday, followed by two reverse singles matches.
Jack Draper, ranked seventh globally, is absent from the tie due to an arm injury that has sidelined him for the remainder of the season.
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With Poland missing their top two singles players, Hubert Hurkacz and Kamil Majchrzak, Pieczkowski is their highest-ranked competitor.
This context positioned Britain as strong favorites heading into the competition, drawing parallels to a Premier League team facing a non-league side in the FA Cup.
However, Captain Leon Smith cautioned against overconfidence, a sentiment echoed by Norrie’s hard-fought match against the 19-year-old Berkieta, who is ranked 511 places below him.
Norrie immediately faced pressure, having to fend off two break points in his initial service game.
A challenging set ensued, with neither player creating further break opportunities, leading to a tie-break forced by the Polish player.
Norrie saved two set points but then squandered three of his own amidst a tie-break marred by errors. Ultimately, a double fault from Berkieta followed by a precise serve from Norrie secured the opening set for the 30-year-old.
In the second set, Norrie leveraged his experience as Berkieta’s confidence and performance waned. An early break of serve proved sufficient for Norrie to clinch victory and secure Britain’s first point in the tie.
A torn bicep and illness had kept Norrie, a former top-10 player, out of Davis Cup action since the 2023 quarter-final against Serbia.
Despite participating in 22 tournaments already this year, he affirmed that playing for his country remains “one of my favourite weeks” annually.
Following a 3-2 defeat to Japan in the first round of this year’s Davis Cup, Britain must win this tie to preserve their elite status. A loss would necessitate a February play-off, potentially resulting in relegation to World Group 2.
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