AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Cameron Norrie's local knowledge might have helped him prevail in his second-round match at the ASB Tennis Classic which stretched to almost six hours because of rain before he won 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-3 over Czech qualifier Jiri Lehecka.
Norrie was born in South Africa but grew up in Auckland before his family moved to Britain. He says his experience as a young spectator at the Auckland tournament enhanced his desire to be a professional tennis player.
Norrie has returned to his "home" tournament this year for the first time since he was a finalist in 2019 and took the court Wednesday as the tournament's second-seeded player.
Rather than the warm homecoming he hoped for he faced a match which began before 1 p.m. and ended well after 6 p.m. and which, after three rain breaks, had to be finished indoors.
The 21-year-old Lehecka also proved a tougher obstacle than Norrie may have expected, battling back to level the match after losing the first set and forcing Norrie to work hard to win his way to the quarterfinals.
