Norrie Britain’s last remaining French Open hope as Draper suffers exit
Cameron Norrie is Britain’s last remaining hope at the French Open as the British No1 overcame Frenchman Benoit Paire in a five-set thriller.
The British No1 beat the Frenchman 7-5 4-6 3-6 6-1 6-4 in three hours 33 minutes on a hostile Court Suzanne Lenglen.
Norrie, seeded 14th in the men’s draw, was initially booed by the 10,000 onlookers as he punched the air following the win but later received applause.
With fellow Brit Jack Draper’s retirement early on in his first round match against Tomas Martin Etcheverry – which at one point saw him serving underarm due to injury – and Dan Evans’ defeat on Sunday, Norrie is now the only Brit remaining in either the men’s or woman’s French Open singles draws.
“It was an amazing match, all credit to Benoit, he played really well and it was nice to see him back competing really hard,” Norrie said.
“He definitely put on a good show.
“I was a little bit fortunate for it to go my way in the fifth set, but I’m pleased to be through after a really tough one.
“When he’s serving well and he’s coming forward and using his backhand and being aggressive, it’s really difficult.”
Norrie added: “I just tried to take it point for point and had to fight back really hard.
“I think all the preparation, all the training, makes it worth it for moments like this.
“I knew I was feeling good physically. For the next [match], I guess just rest up, enjoy Paris, [have ] a nice dinner tonight and then get back to the practice court.”
Norrie’s win has earned him a second round tie against another Frenchman, Lucas Pouille.