Cameron Norrie stopped a six-match ATP Tour losing streak with a straight-sets win over Aleksandar Kovacevic in Mexico, and the result put him into the second round of the Mifel Tennis Open by Telcel Oppo. The British player won 6-4 6-1, but only after a testy start that briefly threatened to extend his slump.
That win matters now because it was Norrie’s first ATP Tour victory since April, a needed lift after a difficult stretch and a reminder that one match can still change the mood around a player. He opened by losing serve, then steadied himself well enough to save two break points in the first set before racing to a 4-1 lead in the second and closing out Kovacevic with little room left.
The timing also frames a different British result on the same day. Katie Boulter was back in action for the first time since a first-round Wimbledon exit, but she lost 3-6 6-2 6-2 to Ashlyn Krueger in the first round of the Mubadala DC Open. Her return ended quickly, and it left Norrie’s result as the sharper sign of progress among the two.
There was still a small contradiction inside Norrie’s scoreline. A 6-4 6-1 win looks comfortable on paper, yet the opening game told a less smooth story, and the two break points he faced in the first set showed why the match was tighter than the final numbers suggest. He did enough to take control, but not before giving Kovacevic a brief opening.
Norrie now moves on to a second-round match against either Aidan Mayo or Jamie Duckworth. That is the next point for the draw in Mexico, and it is the one that will show whether this was a one-off relief result or the start of something more durable.
