Rotterdam Open 2022: Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Cameron Norrie preview, head to head and prediction
Match Details
Fixture: (3) Felix Auger-Aliassime vs (6) Cameron Norrie.
Date: February 11, 2022.
Tournament: Rotterdam Open.
Round: Quarterfinals.
Venue: Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Category: ATP 500.
Surface: Indoor hard.
Prize money: €1,208,315.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Cameron Norrie preview
Third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime takes on sixth seed Cameron Norrie in the quarterfinals of the Rotterdam Open.
The Canadian enjoyed a very good start to the year by helping his nation to victory at the ATP Cup. Auger-Aliassime won three singles matches at the tournament.
The 22-year-old was seeded ninth at the Australian Open. He reached the third round of the competition after surviving scares from Emil Ruusuvuori and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Auger-Aliassime then beat Dan Evans and Marin Cilic to reach his first Australian Open quarterfinal.
He was two sets up against Daniil Medvedev in the last-eight clash and even had a match point in the fourth. However, the Russian's quality and mentality saw him win the match and advance to the semifinals.
Auger-Aliassime entered the Rotterdam Open as the third seed and started with a win over qualifier Egor Gerasimov after being a set down. The Canadian then produced an exemplary display to beat Andy Murray 6-3, 6-4 and advance to the quarterfinals.
#abnamrowtt
Fabulous Felix. 🙌
What a performance that was from our 2020 finalist, ending with a 6-3 6-4 win over Andy Murray. 🔥
Auger-Aliassime advances into Friday’s quarterfinals. 🍁 #abnamrowtt https://t.co/e7uEcoi7Fg
Meanwhile, Norrie had a disappointing start to 2022 as he lost all of his singles matches at the ATP Cup. The Englishman then suffered a disappointing first-round exit at the Australian Open after losing to Sebastian Korda in straight sets. This saw him drop a spot to 13th in the ATP rankings.
Norrie entered the Rotterdam Open as the sixth seed and was up against France's Ugo Humbert in the first round. The 26-year-old beat him comprehensively to enter the second round. Here, he was up against big-serving Russian Karen Khachanov and won 6-4, 7-6 (5) to advance to the quarterfinals.
♂️Great Britain, indeed! 
💂♂️Great Britain, indeed! 🇬🇧
Following Andy Murray’s success, @cam_norrie secures another British win on Wednesday night.
The sixth seed ousts Karen Khachanov: 6-4 7-6(5). #abnamrowtt https://t.co/86qQt2Y7mP
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Cameron Norrie head to head
Friday's match in Rotterdam will be the fourth meeting between the two players. Auger-Aliassime has won all of their previous meetings, with the first of them coming in the first round of the 2019 Indian Wells Masters. The Canadian won 6-3, 6-2 on that occasion.
Auger-Aliassime then came back from a set down to beat Norrie 2-6, 7-6 (6), 6-4 in Vienna last year. The third match between the two came at this year's ATP Cup with the Canadian winning 7-6 (4), 6-3.
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Cameron Norrie prediction
Given their performances over the last month or so, Auger-Aliassime will enter the match as the favorite to win. However, Norrie's recent performances indicate that it will be a tight-fought contest.
The Canadian has been in fine form this year and will only get better. Auger-Aliassime has won nine out of his 12 matches in 2022, all of them on hardcourts. Norrie, meanwhile, has had a disappointing start to the year, having lost four matches in a row before his wins in Rotterdam.
However, the Brit has the quality to put in a tough fight against the World No.9. Auger-Aliassime will look to make the most out of his serve and forehand while Norrie will rely on his counter-punching and the heavy topspin on his own forehand.
It will be interesting to see how the generally-calm Auger-Aliassime handles Norrie's ability to change the pace. The latter served five double-faults in his previous match against Khachanov and will have to be careful not to do the same on Friday.
Norrie might trouble Auger-Aliassime but the latter should manage to come out on top and reach the semifinals of the Rotterdam Open.
Prediction: Felix Auger-Aliassime to win.
Also Check Out: Rotterdam Open 2022 Results