Cameron Norrie fights back to win Cincinnati battle with Andy Murray

Cameron Norrie had every reason to be filled with frustration as his battle with a great British player seemed to be falling away from him. For all of Andy Murray’s positive, proactive play in the opening set of their match at the Western & Southern Open, Norrie had made too many unforced errors and given away too much for free – and he knew it. But one of the fundamental qualities that have driven Norrie towards the top of his game is his boundless composure.

His head did not drop, his shoulders did not slouch and he emerged from his bathroom break after the first set still positively searching for a solution. He eventually found it. After three tough, physical sets that left Murray cramping badly by his chair at the end of the match, Norrie reached the third round by outlasting Murray 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to secure his first win against the former world No 1.

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Despite years of training together on the courts of the National Tennis Centre in which both players gained a granular understanding of the other’s game, Norrie and Murray had faced each other only once in an official match before, in Beijing, which Murray won in three tight sets. But back then Norrie was ranked 69th, merely a solid top-100 player. He is a different player today.

They arrived on Centre Court on Wednesday morning and, predictably, tough, attritional rallies followed. It was Murray who was extremely sharp from the beginning. After a series of holds, he imposed himself by moving forward positively to finish points off the net and he gave away minimal unforced errors. The constant pressure he inflicted on Norrie eventually told and, at 4-3,