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British number two Cameron Norrie reached the Wimbledon third round for the first time with a stunning straight-set win against Australian wildcard Alex Bolt.
Norrie, 25, has been one of the leading players on the ATP Tour this year, demonstrating his form and ability on Court One in a 6-3 6-1 6-2 victory.
The 29th seed lost the first three games before winning 11 in a row.
He broke twice more in the final set and could face Roger Federer next.
Eight-time champion Federer, 39, plays France’s Richard Gasquet later on Thursday.
When asked about the possibility of playing the Swiss 20-time Grand Slam champion, Norrie joked: “Come on Gasquet!”
The smiling Briton added: “Both are very experienced players and [it is] another opportunity to get out on the court.
“If there is a time to play Roger, I guess now is the best – but he is still a decent player!”
Whoever he faces, Norrie looks sure to give them a tough test.
Bolt, ranked 149th, was handed a wildcard after winning a Challenger title in Nottingham last month and made a lightning start as he attempted to earn a ninth successive victory.
But Norrie quickly computed what he needed to do against another left-hander, constantly making his opponent play with his relentless returning.
“It was a tricky start, he came out firing and I was down a break,” said Norrie, who beat French former world number 10 Lucas Pouille in the second round on Wednesday.
“I felt the court was easier to move on than court two yesterday and I could really trust the foot.
“I was moving really strong out the corners and didn’t give him too much. There was a lot of improvement from the other day.
“I’m very happy to be in the third round and I couldn’t be more pleased for myself.”
Possibly third time lucky against one of the ‘Big Three’?
Only two players have won more matches than Norrie on the ATP Tour this year – Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas and Russia’s Andrey Rublev, who are both ranked in the top 10.
Norrie has climbed to a career-high ranking of 34th, leading to him being seeded at a Grand Slam for the first time.
Despite that success, and reaching the Queen’s final in the run-up to Wimbledon, there will still be plenty across Britain who know little about his pedigree.
Born in South Africa to Scottish and Welsh parents, he switched allegiance to Britain in 2013 and has enjoyed by far the best year of his career in 2021.
Reaching the Wimbledon last 32 means he has made the third round at the past four Grand Slams – and could face one of the sport’s all-time greats for the third time running.
Spain’s Rafael Nadal beat him at this year’s Australian Open and French Open, but Norrie showed enough in both of those matches – and says he has learned from playing more of the biggest names in recent months – to potentially cause an upset.
Article courtesy of BBC Sport
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