Cameron Norrie's Italian Open campaign came to an end with a straight-sets loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the third round, ending Great Britain's hopes of Rome glory for another year.
The men's 27th seed was the last Brit standing in the singles events but was no match for his Greek counterpart, who needed just one hour and 31 minutes to prevail 6-2 7-6[1].
Norrie had triumphed over Tsitsipas in their most recent meeting in Acapulco in 2022, but the British number came up short on their only previous contest on clay in the 2021 Lyon final.
Norrie came out firing with an early love hold, but Tsitsipas - whose highly-publicised breakup with women's player Paula Badosa has been an unwelcome distraction - quickly assumed control of the contest with a double break, before holding for 5-1 with successive aces.
The sixth seed saw out the first set with ease and broke Norrie's serve straight away in the second, although the Briton dug deep and broke back in the fourth game en route to a pivotal tie-breaker.
For all of the 28-year-old's industrious work in the second set, though, he capitulated when it mattered most, ceding the first five points of the tie-breaker to Tsitsipas and failing to end his third-round Masters hoodoo.
How did the other Brits fare in Rome?
Stefanos Tsitsipas beats Cam Norrie 6-2, 7-6 to reach the fourth round of the Italian Open for the 4th straight year! 🔝 pic.twitter.com/x8ANJKcWyD
— Sky Sports Tennis (@SkySportsTennis) May 13, 2024
Norrie has now been eliminated at that stage of an ATP 1000 event in four of the last five tournaments, and not since the 2023 Italian Open has he made it to the last 16 of a Masters competition.
However, the world number 30 still progressed further than any of his compatriots on the Rome clay, as Dan Evans, Jack Draper and Katie Boulter all saw their campaigns end prematurely.
Draper did earn an impressive opening win over Borna Coric before coming unstuck against defending champion Daniil Medvedev, while Evans lost his first-round battle with Fabio Fognini, his fifth straight defeat on the ATP Tour.
As for Boulter - whose 2024 campaign has been one of meteoric progression - the British number one was stunned by Rebecca Sramkova in the second round for a second straight loss, a rude awakening for the San Diego Open champion after getting as far as the last 16 in Miami.
Boulter and Evans are now set to drop down a level to Challenger territory amid their losing streaks, as the latter competes in Bordeaux, while the former clashes with compatriot Harriet Dart in Paris, a competition that Simona Halep will also be present in.
The Bordeaux Challenger will also see Andy Murray make his return from an ankle injury as the French Open draws ever closer, with the second Grand Slam of the year taking place between May 20 and June 9.
Ben Knapton
