Great Britain’s Cameron Norrie booked a second-round meeting with Alex de Minaur at the Monte-Carlo Masters after coming through a three-set battle with world No 58 Miomir Kecmanovic.
Norrie – ranked 24th in the world, one spot ahead of countryman Jack Draper – won the first set 6-2 but then lost the second 6-4 and came under pressure when serving to force a tie-break in the third.
However, the 30-year-old swept the breaker 7-0, sealing victory when his Serbian opponent fired a forehand wide, as he won a match in Monte-Carlo for the first time since 2019.
Norrie swept his deciding-set tie-break with Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic 7-0
Norrie reached the quarter-finals at Indian Wells last month before losing to world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz before being beaten in the second round in Miami by Alex Michelsen.
Why is Draper missing Monte-Carlo?
Draper is skipping the Monte-Carlo Masters as he continues to be patient with his comeback following an arm injury last season.
Left-hander Draper did not play a tour-level tournament match for six months following the US Open last summer due to a bruised bone in his serving arm.
He returned during Great Britain’s Davis Cup tie against Norway in February before going on to reach the second round at the ATP 500 event in Dubai later that month.
Jack Draper is missing the event in Monte Carlo as he takes a patient approach following his arm injury last season
Draper’s Indian Wells defence ended in the quarter-finals with defeat to Daniil Medvedev while he then lost his opening match at the Miami Open to Reilly Opelka.
British women’s No 2 Katie Boulter – the fiancée of Norrie’s next opponent De Minaur – is playing in the Linz Open this week, taking on Gabriela Ruse on Monday in the last 32.
Emma Raducanu was scheduled to appear in Austria, too, but has withdrawn as she continues to recover fully from illness picked up in the Middle East earlier this year.
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