Korea Open 2022: Cameron Norrie vs Kaichi Uchida preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (2) Cameron Norrie vs (WC) Kaichi Uchida.
Date: September 27, 2022.
Tournament: Korea Open 2022.
Round: Second round (Round of 16).
Venue: Seoul, South Korea.
Category: ATP 250.
Surface: Hard.
Prize money: $1,237,570.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | Australia - beIN Sports.
Cameron Norrie vs Kaichi Uchida preview
After a first-round bye, World No. 8 Cameron Norrie will square off against Japanese wildcard Kaichi Uchida in the second round of the 2022 Korea Open.
Norrie started the season on a four-match losing streak. He quickly turned it around by winning the Delray Beach Open and reaching the final of the Mexican Open the following week. Carlos Alcaraz ended his title defense at the Indian Wells Masters in the quarterfinals.
Norrie won his second title of the season at the Lyon Open, but lost in the third round of the French Open after that. He reached his maiden Grand Slam semifinal at Wimbledon, losing to Novak Djokovic in four sets. The Brit made it to his fourth final of the year at the Los Cabos Open, but was defeated by Daniil Medvedev.
A third-round appearance at the Canadian Open was followed by a semi-final showing at the Western & Southern Open. Norrie made it to the fourth round of the US Open for the first time, but lost to Andrey Rublev. He was able to win just one of his three singles ties at the Davis Cup, and lost his only match at the Laver Cup over the weekend.
Kaichi Uchida mainly competes on the Challenger and the ITF circuits. His best result so far this year was the title at the Oeiras Challenger in June. His previous ATP tournament was the Los Cabos Open, where he lost to Brandon Nakashima in the first round.
Uchida was up against Hong Seong-chan in the first round of the Korea Open. He defeated him 6-4, 6-2 to score his first win on the ATP tour this year.
Cameron Norrie vs Kaichi Uchida head-to-head
The two have not crossed paths on the tour before this, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0.
Cameron Norrie vs Kaichi Uchida odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Cameron Norrie vs Kaichi Uchida prediction
Uchida only managed to get 55% of his first serves in play, but won 85% of the points when he was able to do so. He was more vulnerable on his second serve and will need to defend it well against the Brit in the next round.
Norrie has solidified his position at the top of the men's game with his consistent results. With a 45-23 win-loss record for the year, he has been in pretty good form. Against a player like Uchida who lacks experience on the ATP tour, he should have no problem getting past him.
Uchida rarely gets an opportunity to improve and test himself by competing against the very best. He'll need to play the match of his life to score an upset win here. Norrie is simply way too solid to let that happen as the Brit rarely gives away points that cheaply. He's an excellent counterpuncher and one of the best in the game at the moment.
Uchida might offer some resistance, but Norrie should be able to progress to the next round without breaking a sweat.
Pick: Cameron Norrie to win in straight sets.