Cameron Norrie continued his fine form in Monte Carlo, showing real fight as he defeated Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics in round two.
Norrie demonstrated his battling qualities once more as he fought his way back into the first set from 3-0 down and eventually came through 7-6 (7-3) 6-3.
The British No. 2 had not won a Masters 1000 match before this week but he has now reeled off two in a row and his chances of making it a hat-trick look decent against plucky Italian qualifier Lorenzo Sonego.
He said of his next opponent: ‘I don’t really know him too well, but he’s had a very good clay season.
‘I saw him at Buenos Aires. He won a couple matches there. The guy competes like a dog. Solid all around. I’m going to have to expect a tough match.
‘I don’t think there is many easy ones out there on ranking. I think it looks like it’s a good opportunity. I have seen this guy play and compete. He’s really tough. I’m going to have to expect the worst.
‘He’s obviously extremely confident after the win yesterday against [Karen] Khachanov. It’s a huge one on the clay. I think he’s almost more of the favorite a little bit going into this one.’
Norrie is ahead of compatriot Kyle Edmund in the Race to London – with Dan Evans also above the British No. 1 – and there could be a decent race to finish the season as the top-ranked Briton.
‘I think it’s great,’ he added. ‘I think it’s been a couple of years since we have had I think three guys in the top 100 from the UK, so it’s nice to have those kind of guys around the similar rankings and have each other supporting each other and practising each other and having kind of that culture that some of the other countries, like Argentinian guys have and the French guys kind of have.
‘So I think it’s nice to kind of have that, and it will be nice to get a couple more guys in the mix. It’s wonderful to see Dan kind of shoot up very quickly. Definitely going to see him in some of the ATP events, so it will be nice to kind of have him around.’
Elsewhere, there has been little love lost between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev in the past and the pair will face off in the last-16.
The Russian tried to square up to the world No. 8 during the Miami Open last year after a match, with both known not to see eye-to-eye.
Personal feelings aside, it’s also proven to be a nightmare match-up for Greece’s Tsitsipas. The Australian Open semi-finalist is yet to defeat the world No. 14, who he admitted has a mental stronghold over him.
Tsitsipas, who beat Mikhail Kukushkin, said: ‘I have never beaten him before. We played couple of times. He has a different game than other players. He has a good serve, I would say, if he plays with first serve. It can get really aggressive and frustrating to return.
‘He’s maybe like a baseliner who likes to play a bit behind the baseline. He’s a good defenser for his height. Likes to make you play, likes to wait for you, has a different pace on the ball than other players. Very flat shot.
‘I’m just going to have to adjust to that as fast as possible, as quick as possible, and not basically – what I did, mistakes that I did in the past, he just gets into my head too much and I don’t have to think about it too much. I just have to play every single shot that comes to me as if there is no other player on the other side of the court. That’s pretty much it.’
All three of their previous tour-level meetings were won by the 22-year-old Russian. This, however, is their first contest on a clay court.
Typically a clash on clay would favour Tsitsipas, who was a finalist in Barcelona last season, but Medvedev has started well in Monte Carlo, winning his opening four sets 6-1 6-1 6-1 6-2 against Joao Sousa and Radu Albot.
World No. 3 Alexander Zverev, meanwhile, took out talented Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-1 6-4 to set up a tie against Fabio Fognini.
It was less good news for Kei Nishikori – last year’s runner-up – who tumbled out to Pierre-Hugues Herbert. The Frenchman won 7-5 6-4.
Top seed Novak Djokovic will perhaps be happy, however, as clay-court specialist Diego Schwartzman was beaten.
The Argentine – who took out Britain’s Edmund in round one – was surprisingly defeated by the USA’s Taylor Fritz – a player who is not renowned for his pedigree on the dirt.
