British No 1 beaten in straight sets at Italian Open
‘I can’t be in better mental and physical shape’
Cameron Norrie believes he is still well positioned for a strong performance at the French Open despite being shocked by his standard of play during Saturday’s frustrating 6-3, 7-5 loss to Thiago Agustín Tirante in the second round of the Italian Open on Friday.
Norrie, the British No 1, started the match with a slew of unforced errors, immediately falling 3-0 behind. Those tense early struggles set the tone for a difficult day against one of the most explosive players on the tour. Tirante’s massive first serve consistently scaled 140mph, peaking at 148mph, which the world No 69 backed up by dominating the baseline with his heavy forehand.
Having defeated Tirante two weeks ago at the Madrid Open, Norrie felt he should have done a much better job of proactively exposing the Argentinian’s backhand. “That put a bit of doubt in my mind a little bit during the rest of the match,” said Norrie. “I felt I needed to make a few more balls and I should have dictated the play a bit more. But he gave me nothing.
