Cameron Norrie needed every bit of grit and determination to battle past Carlos Alcaraz in a sensational encounter to reach Western & Southern Open semi-finals.
Trailing 3-1 to Spanish third seed Carlos Alcaraz in the decisive third set, the British number one refused to succumb and eventually ground out a 7-6(4) 6-7(4) 6-4 victory to set up a last-four showdown with Borna Coric in Cincinnati.
It will see Norrie, currently ranked 11th, move into the top ten in the world for the first time next week.
Norrie, who at once staged was cruising through the second set having taken the first, said: “That was unbelievable. Credit to Carlos. I was up a set and a break, 4-1, and I kind of lost a little bit of vision.
“I was thinking a little bit too much about the finish line rather than focusing on how I was winning points and I honestly got a little bit tight and he raised his level, didn’t give me anything.”
Nineteen-year-old Alcaraz, who had beaten Norrie in each of their previous three meetings, two of them this year, looked on course to complete a fourth when he led 3-1 in the third set having scrapped his way back into the match.
However the 26-year-old, who had beaten Andy Muray as well as teenagers Holger Rune and Ben Shelton to make it to the quarter-finals, put his renowned strength to good use to wear down a redoubtable opponent, breaking in the ninth game to set up the win.
Norrie said: “I just wanted to hang tough with him and I think the only place I had him better was the legs and the physicality, so I was just trying to make every rally as physical as I could and make it tough for him to finish points.
“It’s tough because he can take the racquet completely out of your hand. When he’s dictating with the forehand, it’s really tough and you’re running a lot.
“I just had to try to put the ball in awkward positions in the court. I managed to serve well, I improved a lot on my previous matches.”
