Great Britain's Cameron Norrie claimed his first win of 2022 in emphatic fashion as he comfortably saw off France's Ugo Humbert 6-2 6-4 in the first round of the Rotterdam Open.
The Indian Wells Masters champion returned to the court for the first time since his disappointing first-round exit at the Australian Open but never looked in any real danger against Humbert.
Norrie raced into a 4-0 lead in the opening set and ultimately prevailed 6-2 before Humbert started to come into his own during set two, battling his way to a 4-1 lead before a late capitulation.
The Frenchman conceded the next five games to Norrie and ended the encounter with a total of 32 unforced errors as the Brit marched onto round two in straight sets.
"It's never easy coming out here, especially with no fans, it would have been nice to play with a little bit of a crowd. But I started well and gave him nothing from the beginning," Norrie told Amazon Prime.
"It's never easy playing a leftie, especially on the return, but I managed to return the first serve well at times. At the start of the year I didn't play my best in the big moments, I have to be the one dictating play and being the one making the other guy move. To beat a guy like Ugo is a big moment for me."
Norrie will now face the winner of Karen Khachanov and Alexei Popyrin's showdown, and GB are represented on Wednesday by wildcard Andy Murray, who battles Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik.
Ben Knapton
