"Looks like he's really back enjoying his tennis and he's such a crowd favourite" - Cameron Norrie on Nick Kyrgios after reaching US Open 4R
Cameron Norrie said after beating Holger Rune on Friday to reach the US Open fourth round that Nick Kyrgios is enjoying his tennis again and is a quintessential crowd favorite.
The seventh seed was in his element against Rune, seeing off the Danish teenager in straight sets to enter the second week in New York. In a tight first set, Norrie squandered a break lead and a set point before clinching it in the 12th game.
Norrie was more clinical for the remainder of the match, dropping only five games to reach the Round of 16 at Flushing Meadows for the first time. The 28-year-old is yet to drop a set this week.
Meanwhile, Kyrgios is also through to the second week of the US Open for the first time, having dropped just one set in the first three rounds. The Australian has been in a rich vein of form in the last few weeks, winning 18 of his last 21 matches. That included his first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon, where he lost to Novak Djokovic, and the double at Washington DC.
A complete performance from Cameron Norrie! https://t.co/FVtfLosTSn
Norrie said it was great to see Kyrgios enjoying his tennis again while terming the Australian a crowd favorite.
"For me, I love to see him doing well and being this locked in, really enjoying his tennis and competing the way he is and going about his business," said Norrie. "Looks like he's really back enjoying his tennis, and he's such a crowd favorite. I love watching him and I love watching him play these matches."
Norrie will next take on Andrey Rublev on Monday for a place in the last eight, while Kyrgios clashes with top seed Daniil Medvedev a day earlier.
"I played a bit better than I did in the previous match, so that was great" - Cameron Norrie
Cameron Norrie was pleased with his performance against Holger Rune, saying that he exhibited a better level of tennis than in the previous round. Norrie struck 22 winners and withstood Rune's heavy artillery to improve to 3-0 against the Norwegian, sealing victory in little over two hours.
Happy to be through in straight sets against a 'talented, up-and-coming' player, Norrie said:
"I thought I played a bit better than I did in the previous match, so that was great. I felt way more comfortable. ... It was tough kind of playing against Holger. He can come out and play very aggressive and can come forward very well. He's extremely talented, and he's a young up-and-coming player, but it was nice to get through in straight."
Norrie will now take on Rublev, who needed a fifth-set supertiebreak to see off Denis Shapovalov.
One to remember in Grandstand!
Andrey Rublev is into Round 4. https://t.co/Py8FVPyOHk
While Cameron Norrie is through to the second week of a Major for only the second time - first in New York - Rublev is a two-time quarterfinalist at the tournament. The pair have split their two previous meetings.