Britain’s Cameron Norrie triumphed over Jozef Kovalik with a 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 victory in the first round of the Swedish Open.
The opening set was tightly contested, with neither player securing a break point on the clay, leading to a tiebreak. Norrie gained a 5-3 lead after a well-placed shot down the line from a Kovalik drop shot. He then won his next two service points to clinch the tiebreak and the first set.
In the second set, Norrie had multiple opportunities to break Kovalik’s serve, leading 40-15 in both the second and sixth games, but Kovalik held firm. The Briton increased the pressure at 5-4 as Kovalik served to stay in the match. Norrie, up 40-0, capitalized on his second match point to secure the win in one hour and 35 minutes.
“It was quite difficult. I was pretty nervous at the beginning, having not played much on clay after Wimbledon,” Norrie said. “It was not easy, but I thought I managed my serve and competed really well. I served unbelievably well in the tiebreak, which helped me get through it. I played one of the best games of the match at the end.”
Norrie is set to face Rafael Nadal in the second round, provided the Spanish legend overcomes Sweden’s Leo Borg.
Credit: BBC Sport
