Great Britain’s Cameron Norrie claimed a first win since September’s US Open, beating Frenchman Arthur Cazaux in a third-set tie-break at the Shanghai Masters.
The British number two was beaten by Novak Djokovic in the third round at Flushing Meadows and has since tasted back-to-back defeats in Chengdu and Beijing.
But it proved to be third-time lucky in China for Norrie as the five-time winner on the ATP Tour clinched a rollercoaster 6-3 0-6 7-6 (7-5) win over the world number 70.
Norrie, the 30th seed and ranked 33rd in the world, showed all his experience as he breezed through the opening set courtesy of two breaks, making just four unforced errors and barely dropping a point on serve.
Yet 23-year-old Cazaux came out firing in the second set, claiming a first break of serve in the opening game before going on to inflict just a seventh bagel – 6-0 defeat – of Norrie’s career.
The Briton did well to regroup in the third, once again showing too much guile for his younger opponent, outfoxing him with his left-hand serve to regain a measure of control.
Neither player was able to make a dent on their opponent’s serve, as they struggled through hot and humid conditions, but a double fault from Cazaux in the third point of the tie-break ultimately proved the difference in a match that lasted two hours.
After being given a bye in the first round, Norrie’s first win at a Masters 1000 event since May, when he won on the clay in Rome, set up a third-round match against 19-year-old American Learner Tien.