Cameron Norrie’s French Open campaign ended in disappointing fashion with a
straight-sets loss to Lorenzo Musetti in the third round.
It is the third year in a row the British No 1 has fallen in the last 32, and he only managed to mount any real challenge in the third set before going down 6-1 6-2 6-4 in two hours and eight minutes on Court Simonne Mathieu.
There is certainly no disgrace in losing to 21-year-old Musetti, who is ranked only five places below Norrie and whose best surface is clay, but the 14th seed will be disappointed by the manner of what is one of his worst Grand Slam losses in terms of scoreline.
The result, meanwhile, brings an end to British singles hopes at a tournament where only three players even made the start line.
“I came out very flat and I’m disappointed with the attitude in the first couple of sets,” said a very downbeat Norrie.
“It was very, very slow conditions, very heavy, and I was not prepared for it to be that slow. For me, I can play bad and everything, but I was just very flat and disappointed to have a performance like that.
“The first two sets he didn’t really do too much and he was up two sets to love. For a player like myself, I can’t afford to give that much of an edge.
“There is no excuses to play the level that I did today. I missed so many easy short balls and I lost so many points within a couple of shots where usually I can win a lot of those ones.
“I didn’t come prepared. I was changing rackets throughout the match. It was a bit colder today but I’m good enough to not let that bother me.”
Norrie lost to Musetti in Barcelona recently but spoke positively after his second-round victory over Lucas Pouille about what he had learned from that clash.
Musetti could face a potential blockbuster encounter against world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz in the fourth round
He was immediately on the back foot, though, dropping serve in the opening game against the stylish Italian and swiftly losing the opening set.
The second was no better, with Musetti too often finding an answer to everything Norrie could throw at him, and the 17th seed went a break up early in the third as well.
Norrie was staring at his worst major loss but he at least made a fist of it, breaking Musetti, who had lost from two sets up on both of his previous appearances at Roland Garros, back and creating three chances to break for 5-3.
The Italian held firm, though, and drilled a forehand past Norrie to break again before serving out the victory.
Norrie will now head back to London and turn his attention to the grass-court swing a year on from his run to the Wimbledon semi-finals.
“I would say this one hurts more than others being at a grand slam and wanting to play well at the Grand Slams,” he added. “Hopefully it gives me more fuel and get ready for the next Grand Slam, which will be a good one.”
Djokovic & Alcaraz continue winning
Novak Djokovic survived a scare to make the French Open fourth round
Novak Djokovic fought off a terrific challenge from Alejandro Davidovich Fokina to reach the fourth round for a 14th consecutive year.
The 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 victory took three hours and 36 minutes, with Djokovic twice a break down in the first set and forced to save a set point in the second.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion, who again wore a nanotechnology device on his chest, looked unsettled in windy conditions, while he called the trainer before the third set to have his left thigh massaged, but, as he so often does, he found a way to come out on top.
Asked about the medical time-out, Djokovic said: “We don’t have much time to start to name the many injuries I have, and the list is quite long.
“I still kept on playing. These are the circumstances that you, as a professional athlete, have to deal with. Accept it. Sometimes you need help from (a) physio during the match. Sometimes you need pills. Sometimes you need help from the god or angels, or whoever.
“The reality for me nowadays is that my body is responding differently than it did a few years ago. I managed to finish the match.”
Carlos Alcaraz extended his winning streak to 10 matches at Grand Slams
Djokovic could meet Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals, and the world No 1 had a much easier time in reaching round four, beating Denis Shapovalov 6-1 6-4 6-2.
Alcaraz was a break down in the second set but won five games in a row before cruising through the final set.
“I felt great, I think I played a great level the whole match,” said Alcaraz, who next meets Musetti.
“The second set I was in trouble a little bit, I started to make more mistakes but I had to be here all the time, to be strong mentally. I knew I was going to have my chances in the second set to come back and that’s what I did. I hope to take this level into the next round.”
It was another day of long matches, with Italian Lorenzo Sonego fighting back from two sets down to defeat seventh seed Andrey Rublev, while Austrian qualifier Sebastian Ofner saw off Fabio Fognini in five sets.
After his epic victory over Stan Wawrinka, Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis was involved in another lengthy battle with 11th seed Karen Khachanov but was unable to force a decider, losing out 6-4 6-1 3-6 7-6 (7-5).
Russian Khachanov declined to answer questions about the war in Ukraine afterwards, saying: “I am a sportsman, I am not a politician. I don’t want to talk here about politics because, first of all, I am not good at it. And, second of all, it’s not my job.”
