Paris Masters: Cameron Norrie beats Reilly Opelka to maintain ATP Finals bid

3 years ago 36

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Cameron Norrie returns against Reilly Opelka in Paris

British men's number one Cameron Norrie stayed in the hunt for an ATP Finals spot with a straight-set victory over American Reilly Opelka in Paris.

Norrie won 6-3 6-4 to reach the third round of the Masters event, which offers significant points in the race to reach the year-end finals.

The 26-year-old will qualify if he manages to come through a strong field to triumph in the French capital.

Norrie will face Taylor Fritz, who beat Andrey Rublev, in the last 16.

American Fritz, 24, earned his third straight victory against a top-10 opponent with a 7-5 7-6 (7-2) win against the Russian fifth seed Rublev.

Norrie is aiming for a deep run in Paris to potentially land one of the two remaining spots at the season-ending finals, which start on 14 November.

The world number 13 has enjoyed the best season of his career to move into contention for a place in Turin, which has taken over from London as the host city for the year-ending event.

The left-hander has reached six finals this year, most notably when he won the prestigious Indian Wells title last month, and his improved consistency has seen him rise from 74th in the world to the top 15.

However, Norway's Casper Ruud and Italy's Jannik Sinner are in pole position to qualify for the eight-man finals.

Sinner, 20, faces a tough second-round match against Spain's talented teenager Carlos Alcaraz later on Wednesday.

Poland's Hubert Hurkacz is another of Norrie's rivals and he is also through to the third round after a straight-set win over American Tommy Paul.

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