Cameron Norrie has roared back to form at Wimbledon, setting up a quarter-final clash with Carlos Alcaraz by beating Nicolas Jarry.
The Chilean performer gave everything to bounce back from a two-set deficit but was beaten in a highly charged five-set affair.
Jarry had to qualify for this tournament, and he’s beaten Holger Rune, Learner Tien and Joao Fonseca to reach the last 16.
Norrie has returned to form since the French Open, and he will be absolutely delighted to make the last eight.
The Great Britain star came under fire from his opponent, who felt he was taking far too long to serve after faulting on a first serve.
Photo by Peter van den Berg/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty ImagesPat Cash makes Cameron Norrie claim after Wimbledon victory
A five-set match that lasted over four hours shouldn’t see the headlines dominated by controversy, but here we are.
Norrie didn’t seem to be taking an excessive amount of time, and if anything, when he did take longer, it had a negative impact on his serve.
As the game wore on, Jarry even tried to play Norrie at his own game and even then it didn’t really have the desired impact.
Cash didn’t see much of a problem with what Norrie did and has weighed in on the argument on BBC One.
He said: “You can bounce the ball 35 times if you want between first and second serve. That is the anomaly. There are a few weird things in tennis. If you are late coming in for a first serve, you have been running all over the place, and you are tired, all you have to do is get to the line and throw the ball and catch it, and then you can bounce the ball 20 or 30 times.
“But I don’t think Cam does it that extreme. Novak used to bounce the ball 20 or 30 times.
“He is regrouping himself and that’s the anomaly of the rule. I don’t agree with quite a few of the silly rules of tennis that they have.
“But he is within his rights to do so. You can go for a toilet break. I went for two toilet breaks in my whole career over five sets, but they go every set.
“So as he (Jarry) said, I don’t mind you as a player, but that’s a bit extreme. He has got a bit of a point there, I suppose.
“I have not seen Cam bounce the ball that much, I have to be honest. So maybe this is something that he has decided. I am a bit tired, I just need extra breathing space between points.
“I have never seen him bounce the ball that much, so maybe that is just something he has done today.
Norrie needs to recover quickly for Alcaraz test
Alcaraz needed half of the time roughly to beat Andrey Rublev and that’s not ideal for Norrie, who will see himself unite with an ice bath for the next day or two.
Grand Slam tournaments typically mean a short turnaround, and this match is expected to be on Centre Court on Tuesday.
Cameron Norrie head-to-head vs Carlos Alcaraz
Norrie will have to be perfect to get through a match with Alcaraz at Wimbledon, but he is a player who has beaten the best players on tour previously.
Alcaraz leads their head-to-head 4-2, but the fact that Norrie has come through against the Spaniard in the past will give him that air of confidence against the world number two.
Norrie has been a revelation at this tournament, and it’s great to see him back to his best and enjoying his tennis once again.