Norrie Secures De Minaur Showdown in Monte Carlo After Grueling Three-Set Match

Britain's Cameron Norrie has advanced to the second round of the Monte-Carlo Masters, where he will face Alex de Minaur, following a hard-fought three-set victory over Miomir Kecmanovic, the world's 58th-ranked player. Norrie, ranked 24th globally, took the first set 6-2 but lost the second 6-4. He then faced pressure in the third set, having been broken while serving for the match at 5-4. However, Norrie dominated the tie-breaker 7-0, sealing the win when Kecmanovic hit a forehand out of bounds, marking his first victory in Monte-Carlo since 2019. Earlier, Norrie reached the quarterfinals at Indian Wells, defeating de Minaur along the way, before losing to world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz. He was then eliminated in the second round in Miami by Alex Michelsen. Fellow British player Jack Draper is skipping the Monte-Carlo Masters as he continues his cautious return from an arm injury sustained last season. Draper, a left-hander, did not compete in a tour-level tournament for six months after the US Open due to a bruised bone in his serving arm. He made his return during Britain's Davis Cup tie against Norway in February and later reached the second round at the ATP 500 event in Dubai. In other news, British women's No. 2 Katie Boulter, who is engaged to de Minaur, is participating in the Linz Open this week, facing Gabriela Ruse in the last 32 on Monday. Meanwhile, Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from the Linz Open as she continues to recover from an illness she contracted in the Middle East earlier this year. Jessica Pegula successfully defended her Charleston Open title with a straight-sets win over Yuliia Starodubtseva, dominating the match 6-2, 6-2 in just over an hour. The Ukrainian competitor was appearing in her first WTA 500 final but was outmatched by the world No. 5 Pegula, who found her rhythm after navigating four three-set matches to reach the final.