Australian Open 2026: Cam Norrie loses out to Alexander Zverev in four sets
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British No.2 Cam Norrie is out of the Australian Open after losing to world No.3 and last year’s runner-up Alexander Zverev.
Norrie put up a strong fight but Zverev’s impressive serve and forehand in the third and fourth sets saw the German through 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 in two hours and 47 minutes.
Zverev continued his winning record against Norrie to seven matches and now moves on to play Francisco Cerundolo in the next round.
For Norrie, it’s a disappointing loss after another solid Grand Slam campaign – claiming wins over Benjamin Bonzi and Emilio Nava in the opening rounds.
In his last four Grand Slams, Norrie has lost out in tough draws against Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Zverev.
"I thought the level was really good from the match," Norrie said. "First three sets, very good. I maybe had a slight dip in that third set, but it was kind of constant pressure I thought in all departments of the game.
"You know, he was serving well, returning well, forehand, backhand moving, and I had to really take a lot of risks to hang with him."
Norrie made a but was unable to capitalise on his early 2-0 lead in the first set, with Zverev firing straight back on the Brit's following service game.
In a big moment late in the set, Norrie didn’t do enough with a key volley, giving Zverev the chance to rip a forehand down the line and take the final decisive break of the set.
It felt like momentum might have started to shift in the German’s direction but Norrie stayed resilient. The Brit saw off three break points at 2-2, before turning the set in his favour.
Leading 5-4 on Zverev’s serve, Norrie saw his chance and took it. The 30-year-old hit a scorching forehand return to bring up set point and then backed it up with another to level at the first time of asking.
The celebrations were cut short after a few loose shots from Norrie in the third game of the third set saw Zverev take the early break advantage and set the tone for the rest of the match.
He lost just two points on serve to see out the set, before hitting a dynamite backhand to set up and then convert break point on Norrie’s first service game of the fourth.
From 4-0 down, Norrie saw break point opportunities come and go on Zverev’s final two service games as the German went on to extend his unbeaten run against left-handers to 10 matches.
"I think it's another bit of experience to push yourself in those moments," he said. "Third round of a Grand Slam against one of the best players in the world at the moment.
"I just need to get better. I know I can hang with him for two hours, two hours 30, and I dropped after that. They're used to playing at that level for long periods of time. But how can I sustain that for longer.
"For him, I think it's normal, and for me I'm feeling like I'm pushing, pushing, pushing. Then I drop a little bit, and then, boom, it's match done very quickly.
"It's a lot of credit to him, but I think I can take a lot from this match and a lot of confidence from, you know, getting through a couple of tough matches and then getting to play these kind of matches that you really want to play."
Overall, Norrie is taking the positives from his performances not just this week but over recent months, stretching back to last season. He's currently up to world No.25 in the live rankings.
"I can't be any more happy where I am. It will always be nice to be higher, but I think the most important thing is I'm healthy, I'm feeling confident, I have a great team, there's no stress anywhere else in my life.
"I'm enjoying everything, and I think that's so much fun to come to these slams, play these matches, and just compete as hard as I can.
"I'm looking forward to the year, and I want to keep going out there and playing matches like this where I can push myself and challenge these guys."
Norrie will now team up with the Lexus Great Britain Davis Cup team ahead of their Qualifier tie with Norway. He will join Jack Draper, Jacob Fearnley, Lloyd Glasspool and Julian Cash.
The Brits will continue in the Australian Open doubles draws with wheelchair tennis action also set to start next week.
