Cameron Norrie has suffered three consecutive match defeats on the ATP Tour’s North American swing.
Britain’s second-ranked player, Cameron Norrie, has been eliminated from the Cincinnati Open following a second-round loss to veteran Roberto Bautista Agut.
Norrie previously defeated the world number 53 in four sets at Wimbledon, a victory that propelled him to the quarter-finals at the prestigious All England Club.
Seeded 32nd in Ohio, Norrie received a first-round bye before facing the 37-year-old Spaniard. However, in temperatures exceeding 30C, he appeared to struggle, ultimately succumbing to a 6-4, 6-3 defeat.
Norrie’s prior tournament appearance at the Canadian Open saw him defeated by world number 99 Aleksandar Vukic in the second round.
Continuing his preparations for the US Open in Cincinnati, Norrie faced a determined Bautista Agut, who successfully held his serve through three protracted games before breaking Norrie’s in the fourth.
Serving at 5-2 down, Norrie, visibly affected by the heat, changed his shirt before deuce, managing to fend off two set points.
The 29-year-old then broke back to narrow the gap to 5-4 – converting his sixth break point – but a subsequent double fault in the following game allowed Bautista Agut to secure the first set.
Norrie continued to appear unwell during the second set but maintained a competitive stance, saving five match points to reduce his deficit to 5-3, despite serving three double faults.
However, Bautista Agut, competing in only his second match since Wimbledon, capitalized on his second match point in the subsequent game.
Following Montreal, this marks the second consecutive tournament where Norrie has been eliminated in his opening match, with three losses in his five matches since his Wimbledon run was halted by world number two Carlos Alcaraz.
Spain’s Alcaraz, who was denied a third consecutive Wimbledon title by Jannik Sinner, also experienced a challenging start to his Cincinnati campaign against world number 56 Damir Dzumhur.
The 22-year-old, who has reached the final in his last six tournaments, overcame a mid-match slump to defeat his Bosnian opponent 6-1, 2-6, 6-3. He is set to face Serb Hamad Medjedovic in the next round.
In a surprising turn, 12th seed and 2019 champion Daniil Medvedev suffered an early exit, losing 6-7 (0-7), 6-4, 6-1 to Australian world number 85 Adam Walton, who secured his first victory against a top-50 opponent.
Sixth seed Alex de Minaur also exited on Sunday, with the Australian falling 7-6 (8-6), 6-4 to American Reilly Opelka, the world number 73.
In the Cincinnati WTA draw, world number two Coco Gauff comfortably defeated China’s Wang Xinyu 6-3, 6-2.
The American will next face Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska, who defeated Viktoriya Tomova of Bulgaria 6-4, 2-6, 6-2.
The seventh seed is also through, with Italy’s Jasmine Paolini holding her nerve after two tight sets to beat Maria Sakkari of Greece 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-5).
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