Cameron Norrie eases past Federico Gomez to reach French Open third round
The British number three won through 7-6 (7) 6-2 6-1.
Cameron Norrie equalled his best French Open run and set up a third-round battle of Britain after beating Federico Gomez in straight sets.
The British number three made hard work of the first set against Argentinian powerhouse Gomez, but eventually cantered over the line 7-6 (7) 6-2 6-1.
He will face Edinburgh-born Jacob Fearnley, who before this year had never played a professional match on clay, for a place in round four.
Gomez was appearing in his first grand slam main draw aged 28 and as a lucky loser having been beaten in the final round of qualifying.
Built more like a Pumas prop-forward than a tennis player, the world number 144 was like a human wrecking ball at the back of a cramped Court 13.
At one stage Gomez narrowly avoiding barging into a line judge, tripped over an advertising board and still won the point.
Norrie needed seven set points to take the first set but it knocked the stuffing out of Gomez, who won just three more games and was limping by the end of the two hour 14-minute encounter.
Norrie, who shocked 11th seed Daniil Medvedev in the first round, said: “It was a completely different kind of a match today – different emotions going into the match being the favourite.
“I played a very steady kind of six, seven out of 10 for the whole time.”
Fearnley was a set up on Ugo Humbert, but a break down at 3-4 in the second, when the Frenchman turned his ankle in a nasty fall on the baseline and was forced to retire from the match.
Saturday’s showdown will be the first time two Brits, male or female, have met after the first round at Roland Garros in the Open era.
It will also be a meeting between two players who took similar paths into the sport having attended the Texas Christian University, albeit a few years apart.
“I know Cam very well,” said Fearnley. “I respect his game. He’s someone that I looked up to as a British tennis player, and as a ‘Horned Frog’ (TCU mascot).
“Yeah, it will be interesting. I’m excited. It feels a little bit different than the last couple matches just purely because I’m playing another Brit. I haven’t really played another Brit at this level.
“It’s good for the British fans to have a guaranteed Brit in the fourth round. It’s pretty cool.”
