Cameron Norrie advanced to the fourth round of Wimbledon with a straight-sets victory over Mattia Bellucci, rekindling memories of his impressive run in 2022. The British No 3 secured the win 7-6 (5), 6-4, 6-3 in a match that, while not a classic, showed his ability to stay composed under pressure.
It was a match marked more by errors than brilliance. Both players struggled to find rhythm early on, each seemingly constrained by the magnitude of the occasion. Unforced errors were frequent, with momentum often lost as quickly as it was gained. The crowd, eager to support a home player, had to be patient in their applause.
Norrie, though, emerged as the steadier of the two. The first set tie-break mirrored the earlier games scrappy and nervy until Norrie produced a brilliant backhand passing shot at 5-5, followed by a Bellucci error that handed the Brit the set. That moment appeared to tip the balance, as Norrie settled into a more confident rhythm while Bellucci’s belief seemed to falter.
The second set followed a familiar script, with both men exchanging breaks early on. But Norrie’s strategy of targeting Bellucci’s backhand began to pay dividends. The Italian was forced into increasingly risky shots, many of which failed to clear the net. Norrie broke to go 4-3 up and, despite being dragged to deuce while serving for the set, finished it with a decisive volley to take a two-set lead.
By the third set, Norrie appeared in control as Bellucci’s level dipped further. Norrie surged ahead 5-1 and looked poised to close out the match swiftly. Yet consistency eluded him in the final moments, and Bellucci managed to break back before Norrie eventually sealed the victory following a string of unforced errors from the Italian.
In total, Bellucci racked up 58 unforced errors to Norrie’s 32, with the Briton displaying enough composure to take advantage at key moments. It was not a vintage performance, but it was enough to move forward. Norrie acknowledged he hadn’t started as strongly as he wanted, but was pleased with how he held his nerve and took control as the match progressed.
Now into the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the fifth time, Norrie faces Chile’s Nicolás Jarry next a winnable match on paper. With British hopes in the tournament dwindling, he will again carry the nation’s hopes. If he can build on this performance and recapture some of the spark from his semi-final run three years ago, he could yet light up the latter stages of the tournament.
