Norrie maintains British interest after Wimbledon epic

Cameron Norrie is the final Briton standing in the Wimbledon singles after beating Chile's Nicolas Jarry to reach the men's quarter-finals.

Cameron Norrie roars during his Wimbledon win over Nicolas Jarry
Cameron Norrie is the fourth British man in the Open era to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals on multiple occasions [Getty Images]

Cameron Norrie held off a spirited fightback from Chilean qualifier Nicolas Jarry to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals and keep alive British interest in the singles.

British number three Norrie led by two sets - and held a match point in the third-set tie-break - before finally securing a 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 6-7 (7-9) 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 win under the Court One roof.

After missing his first opportunity, the 29-year-old left-hander regrouped admirably to seal his progress - almost two hours later - at the second opportunity.

The piercing roar which greeted victory indicated Norrie's delight at coming through a bruising battle where he needed all of his characteristic determination and endurance.

Asked how he had come through a scrap lasting four hours and 27 minutes, Norrie said: "Honestly, I don't know. Nico did an unbelievable job of sticking with me."

Norrie tumbled to the court in celebration before receiving a few sharp words from his opponent – who had earlier been irritated by the Briton's prolonged ball-bouncing between first and second serves.

Jarry also tried to fire a forehand at Norrie when he came forward in the decider but hit the net.

"I was a little bit vocal – that's my energy," Norrie said. "I told him 'you competed so well, it was a competitive match and I loved it'."

Norrie's win came a couple of hours after fellow Briton Sonay Kartal - the final home player in the women's singles - was beaten on Centre Court.

Norrie is ranked 61st in the world after a difficult couple of seasons, but is now one more victory away from replicating his run to the SW19 semi-finals in 2022.

To do that, he may have to come through one of the most difficult tasks in the sport - beating reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz in the last eight.

Spain's Alcaraz, seeded second, faces Russian 14th seed Andrey Rublev in their fourth-round match on Sunday.

Category: General Sports