By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday July 24, 2021
Cameron Norrie took out American Brandon Nakashima to claim his maiden ATP title.
Photo Source: Abierto Los Cabos
Cameron Norrie has been a true revelation in 2021. He entered the season with 51 tour-level wins to his name, and is in the process of doubling that number - just give him a few more months.
Norrie racked up his 35th win of the season on Saturday night, defeating 19-year-old American Brandon Nakashima 6-2 6-2 with a smothering display of counterpunching, precision, shotmaking and his trademark defense to earn his first ATP title.
"I feel very happy. I couldn’t be more proud of myself, proud of my team and how I handled the week. I am happy how I improved every match. I used my experience a little bit today and I think it showed in the match," Norrie said. "I think it’s a huge bonus. It was always a goal of mine to get my first title. Obviously I’d lost three finals this year, so it was very nice to get over the line today. I’m going to enjoy it tonight and then straight back to work."
Norrie had previously played three finals this year (and four for his career) but came away empty, but he seized on his opportunity against Nakashima, earning five break points and overcoming a spell of nerves that affected his service toss as he approached the finish line to claim the title in one hour and 23 minutes.
Norrie was solid all week, and dropped just 19 games in his four matches in his first event as the No.1 seed. He dropped just 10 games in his last three rounds as he toppled Americans Ernesto Escobedo, Taylor Fritz and Nakashima.
Nakashima entered the week with zero ATP wins on the season but he showed why he is considered a very promising prospect in wins over Sam Querrey, Jordan Thompson and hard-serving American John Isner.
He is projected to rise from 134 in the ATP rankings to a career-high 115.