British tennis player Cameron Norrie defeated Australian qualifier Rinky Hijikata in the round of 16 at Indian Wells, and a quarter-final match against world number one Carlos Alcaraz is a potential next step.
Norrie has not conceded a single set in this year’s competition, following up his earlier triumph over sixth seed Alex de Minaur with an impressive 6-4, 6-2 performance against world number 117 Hijikata, completing the match in one hour and sixteen minutes.
The left-handed player, aged 30, secured a service break against Hijikata in the initial game of the encounter, and after concluding the first set, he achieved two more breaks in the second set, propelling him rapidly into the last eight.
While serving, the player seeded 27th encountered only one break point opportunity during the entire contest.
Norrie boasts a strong performance history at this hard-court competition in California.
This marks his eighth appearance in the men’s singles event, and it is the fourth instance that he has advanced to at least the quarter-final round.
He secured the championship in 2021, but was eliminated in the quarter-finals in both of the subsequent years.
