Cameron Norrie is through to the Moselle Open quarter-finals after coming from behind to defeat Frenchman Arthur Cazaux in three sets, while Novak Djokovic progressed in Athens.
British number three Norrie prevailed in a hard-fought 6-7 (1-7) 7-6 (9-7) 6-2 win in Metz, France, to reach his fifth tour-level quarter-final of the season – and his first since Wimbledon in July.
The 30-year-old will play a third consecutive home player next, with French lucky losers Dan Added and Kyrian Jacquet meeting on Wednesday.
World number 27 Norrie, runner-up last year, made a positive start and broke the 69th-ranked Cazaux’s serve in the opening game.
But after Cazaux levelled the set, Norrie had to survive a break point to take the first set to a tie-break, which the home favourite dominated.
Both players failed to find a breakthrough as the second set also headed to a tie-break – but Norrie kept pace on this occasion and eventually seized his fourth set point with a sweeping forehand winner.
Norrie carried that momentum into the decider, capitalising on a struggling Cazaux’s fading energy with an immediate break, before racing to the finish line after midnight local time.
“It’s always a battle, he’s a very talented player. I had to fight hard to get myself into the match and I had to pick some battles with myself,” said Norrie.
“I just told myself I wanted to be here and I wanted to be playing.”
The Moselle Open and Athens Open are the two ATP 250 events taking place in the final week of the regular season, before the ATP Finals – featuring the season’s top eight players – begins in Turin on Sunday.
