WASHINGTON: Britain’s Cameron Norrie rallied to defeat world number seven Lorenzo Musetti 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 on Tuesday, reaching the third round at the ATP and WTA DC Open.
Norrie, seeking his sixth ATP title, captured his first victory over a top-10 player in 2 1/2 years by eliminating the second seed at the first hardcourt tuneup for the US Open.
Seven-time Grand Slam singles champion Venus Williams will make her return to singles after a 16-month hiatus later, the 45-year-old American to face compatriot Peyton Stearns. Japan’s Naomi Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, meets Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan in another later match.
Musetti, who had a first-round bye, reached three semi-finals and a final on clay earlier this year, falling to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz in a French Open semi-final. But he dropped his opener at Wimbledon and suffered his third loss in a row at Washington.
Norrie managed only three winners in the first set, two of them on aces, but dominated the second set to force a third.
Norrie saved five break points to hold in the fifth game of the final set then broke Musetti on his fourth chance in the sixth game, grabbing a 4-2 lead on an errant backhand by the Italian. Musetti fought off two match points in the final game, one on a Norrie double fault, but fell to the 29-year-old left-hander by sending a backhand beyond the baseline after two hours and seven minutes.
Chinese qualifier Wu Yibing beat France’s Gael Monfils 6-3, 6-1 for his first tour-level triumph since last year at Shanghai after the Frenchman ran into a clock at the rear corner of the court in the first set, hitting it with his right ankle.
“I saw him falling down there,” Wu said. I don’t know what happened but after I asked him. He said his foot actually maybe stuck under the clock.
“Hopefully he’s OK. I didn’t feel any difference (in his game). He was still reaching balls and good rallies.” — AFP
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