Perhaps Cameron Norrie was feeling the burden of added expectation here on Tuesday as he set out to match, or perhaps even surpass, his run to the semi-finals 12 months ago, but his opening 6-3, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 defeat of Tomas Machac, a qualifier making his Wimbledon debut, was not as straightforward as the scoreline might suggest.
The set that got away was a reminder of the occasional frailty in his game that a more experienced opponent will exploit and there was another Norrie flat spot in the fourth set before the British No 1 secured his place in the second round.
There was little sign of any extra pressure in the early part of the match, as Norrie breezed through the opening set unthreatened on serve while securing two breaks of his own. He was aided, though, by the 22‑year‑old’s struggles for length and consistency on his first encounter with the Wimbledon grass.
Time and again, his forehands were barely on nodding acquaintance with the baseline, and by the time the Czech player started to find his range, he was 3-5 and 0-40 down. Some brave, inch-perfect hitting in two fierce rallies saved the first set points against him, but rescuing the third proved a step too far.
But the show of resistance was a clear boost to his confidence and with the Machac forehands now apparently able to find the lines in a blindfold, Norrie’s serve was suddenly under pressure.
He was broken for the first time in the third game, coming into the net on break point and then failing to deal with a thumping forehand pass. Machac, on the baseline, guessed right and seized the chance well, but it was arguably an opening he should not have been allowed.
Norrie got the break of serve back in the sixth but then immediately surrendered his own and though he got to deuce in the decider, a weak return on Machac’s second set point levelled the match.
It was all change again as Norrie revived to win six of the next seven games, highlighted by two exceptional points to gain his first break in the third. A stunning cross-court pass on the run took him to break point and another down the line, as Machac – the world No 108 – charged the net, was much more than his opponent could handle.
The fourth reverted to a more even struggle, with an early break for Machac as Norrie’s level dipped again. There was also some fine shotmaking on both sides before an outrageous mis-hit off the frame, which looped just inside Machac’s baseline, gifted Norrie two break points at 4-4. He seized the second with a return to his opponent’s feet and served out for the match with a minimum of fuss.
“It was a lot of fun coming out on to that court, there’s a lot of good memories there,” Norrie said. “I reckon I played a really good match with some normal drops in there, but a lot to learn from and take from that match and it’s nice to get the win.
“For me, it’s a big advantage to win first of all, and to finish my match. I looked at the weather this morning and I knew I could plan as per usual to play. There’s some guys that are still in the first round and I was fortunate enough to play which is big thanks to the club and I feel like I’ve earned the right to play on that court. They also let me hit on that court before I played so I think that was an advantage as well.”
As Norrie departed from No 1, Dan Evans, the No 27 seed, was preparing to return to the fray on Centre Court and with plenty of work to do after his match with Quentin Halys was suspended on Monday evening with the Frenchman two sets to the good.
Evans made a stirring start to his attempt to turn things around, securing the third set on a tie-break to five after Halys had been two points from victory with a serve to come at 5-5. Halys held his nerve to take the fourth set 6-4, however, and advance into the second round.
George Loffhagen, meanwhile, will return to court on Wednesday a set down against Holger Rune, the No 6 seed, but in reasonable spirits having taken the opener to a tie-break.
