Full-throttle Norrie overpowered again by Zverev to end British singles hopes

• Zverev wins 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 to reach fourth round

• Grit, discipline and spirit not enough for Norrie

Cameron Norrie did what he could. Rather than easing into a long best-of-five-sets match, he played at full throttle from the beginning, pulverising forehands and forcing himself inside the baseline at all costs. He worked through every shot in his arsenal, frequently sweeping forward to the net. He punctuated each small victory with booming cries of “Allez”.

In tennis, however, matchups are king and past battles between Norrie and Alexander Zverev had already illustrated how the German’s game is built to outlast and overpower his British opponent. Their seventh meeting produced one of their most high-quality matches but the result was no different as Zverev, the third seed, secured a tough 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory over the 26th seed to advance to the fourth round. Continue reading...