Cameron Norrie battled past Valentin Royer of France to advance to the second round of the Moselle Open in Metz, while fellow Briton Jacob Fearnley experienced an early elimination in Athens.
Norrie, ranked 27th globally, was stretched to three sets by the in-form Royer, who was dominant in the second-set tie-break. However, the seventh seed regrouped to secure a 6-3 6-7 (2-7) 6-3 victory at the French competition.
Norrie, the British number two, mentioned that his previous week’s triumph against Carlos Alcaraz, then ranked as world number one, was the most significant of his career. He also reached the final of the Moselle Open during the previous year.
Next, he will compete against another local player, Arthur Cazaux, as he aims to secure his first ATP Tour title since 2023.
“The entire match presented challenges,” stated Norrie.
“This is [Royer’s] first full year on the tour, and he is nearing the top 50. I needed to compete intensely.”
Earlier, Jan Choinski of Britain suffered a 4-6 6-4 6-4 loss to Lorenzo Sonego at the same tournament.
At the other ATP 250 event, which is being held during the final week of the regular season, Fearnley, the British number three, was defeated 6-4 6-2 by Bosnian player Damir Dzumhur in Greece.
