Norrie finishes runner-up to Nadal in Acapulco; Draper makes history in Italy
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British No.1 Cam Norrie made it back-to-back ATP finals last week as he finished runner-up in Acapulco – losing to 21-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal 6-4, 6-4 in the title decider.
Norrie – who won his third title at Delray Beach last week – continued his strong run of form in Mexico, beating Daniel Altmaier, John Isner and Peter Gojowczyk en route to the semi-final.
In the final four, Norrie claimed his third career win over a top five opponent, with a comprehensive 6-4, 6-4 victory over Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Norrie put up a strong challenge against Nadal in the final, but couldn't prevent the Spaniard from extending his unbeaten run to start the season to 15 matches.
Reflecting on the match, Norrie said “Rafa does not give you any free points. If you just give him one or two he takes advantage of it. “It’s impressive to see how he still does it.”
Nadal was full of praise for the 26-year-old Brit in his post-match interview. “Cameron is a solid player, a very tricky player who makes you feel uncomfortable,” he said.
Eight wins in his last nine matches has seen Norrie cement his place as the World No.12, less that 150 points off breaking into the top 10 for the first time in his career.
Draper’s record breaking third Challenger title
Jack Draper’s brilliant start to the season went from strength to strength as he won completed back-to-back titles in Forli.
Draper – who is supported by the LTA’s Pro-Scholarship Programme – is now the youngest Brit in history to win three ATP Challenger titles, surpassing Andy Murray and Kyle Edmund.
Having lifted the trophy last week, 20-year-old Draper made it 10 wins out of 10 after coming back from 5-0 down and saving four match points in the deciding set tie-break to beat Alexander Ritschard 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(8) in the final.
His three title wins in just two months have seen the young Brit rise 120 places in the rankings since the start of the year. This week he has broken into the top 150 for the first time in his career at No.145 and he currently sits third in the race for the ATP Next Gen Finals in Milan.
Two titles in the Dominican Republic
Rounding off a successful week for the Brits was Katie Swan, who won her 10th ITF singles title at the W25 Santo Domingo.
Swan dropped just one set in five matches – ending in a 6-4, 6-3 win over former top 100 player, Sachia Vickery, in the final.
Swan is now 10 for 10 in every ITF singles title match she’s played in her career and will stay in Santo Domingo to defend her title this week.
Meanwhile, Henry Patten also claimed the doubles trophy at the M25 Santo Domingo, partnering with Rinky Hijikata to beat Yu Hsiou Hsu and Tung-Lin Wu 2-6, 7-6(4), 10-3. The win marks Patten’s first title of the season.
For a full round-up of the latest British results and wins, as well as an update on where the Brits are playing this week – head to our new Player Tracker on Fan Zone.
