British number one Cameron Norrie was made to pay for two sub-par tie-breaker displays as he fell to defeat against Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the quarter-finals of the Barcelona Open.
The former Wimbledon semi-finalist brought up his 200th ATP Tour win against Roberto Bautista Agut in the last 16, and his only previous contest with Etcheverry on the Buenos Aires clay last year saw him come from a set down to triumph.
However, there would be no scintillating comeback from Norrie this time around, as Etcheverry took two hours and 29 minutes to post a 7-6[4] 7-6[1] victory and set up a semi-final with Casper Ruud or Matteo Arnaldi.
Cameron Norrie is OUT of the Barcelona Open after an impressive display from Tomas Martin Etcheverry 🤝 pic.twitter.com/cGPJUVpm2a
— Sky Sports Tennis (@SkySportsTennis) April 19, 2024
Norrie got off to the worst possible start in the Catalonia sunshine on Friday, losing serve in the opening game of the match, but he replied almost immediately with a swift break back for 2-2.
The world number 31 powered away two more break points for Etcheverry to ensure a tie-breaker, but he failed to recover after losing the first point on serve, and Etcheverry needed just one set point to seal the deal.
The majority of the second-set pressure came from Norrie, but the Briton squandered three chances for a crucial break against the South American, who again proved a class above in the tie-breaker and advanced on his first match point as a chipped Norrie backhand at the net landed wide.
Prior to Norrie's quarter-final exit, British number two Jack Draper was also knocked out of the BMW Open in Munich at the same stage, losing to American Taylor Fritz in three sets.
Ben Knapton
