CAM NORRIE’s Wimbledon dream was shattered by a knock-out from American Chris Eubanks.
The British No.1, a semi-finalist at SW19 last year, was always on the defensive as the 6ft 7in Atlanta skyscraper sent in punch after punch.
Cameron Norrie was back in action against Christopher Eubanks in round two of Wimbledon
Last year’s semi-finalist battled valiantly against the American
But his dream of going one better than last year was crushed by the former Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets star
Rock legend Jon Bon Jovi was on court to watch the match
And while Norrie did his best to fight fire with fire, it was never going to be enough as he slumped to a 6-4 3-6 6-2 7-6 defeat.
It was a devastating end for Norrie but despite being watched by pal and rock legend Jon Bon Jovi, he was only ‘Living on a Prayer’ of getting to grips with Eubanks’ serve from the start.
The American hit six aces in his first eight deliveries – and 21 in total in the match.
Norrie had no answers, winning just three points out of 23 against the serve in the opener, which the American whistled through in 29 minutes.
The break came, to love, set up by two searing forehand cross-shots, with Eubanks converting at the first opportunity and then holding with ease to go one up.
No wonder the fans inside Court No.1 watched on in shocked silence, as Norrie struggled to give them anything to respond to.
A break at the start of a second, after a double fault opened the door and Norrie then put the pressure on, looked like the momentum-changer.
While Norrie was still struggling to cope with Eubanks’ weight of shot, he kept his nerve, sealing the set at the second time of asking with a glorious forehand down the line.
By now Norrie was just one of three Brits in action, with Andy Murray across the way on centre and Liam Broady on No 2.
But a poor service game at the start of the third saw him broken to love, again handing the initiative to the man from Atlanta, who was still pulverising anything remotely short.
It was savage stuff from Eubanks, too good for the British No 1, and some stunning winners confirmed a double break and the set – leaving Norrie knowing it was all or nothing.
Another twist saw four consecutive Eubanks errors briefly give Norrie the fourth set initiative only for the American’s sheer power to restore parity again.
While Norrie saved one match point as he served to stay in the contest at 4-5, a lucky net-cord wiped out the early mini-break in his favour in the tie-break.
Eubanks then crushed another short return past Norrie, serving himself to the brink of victory before a final thumping forehand set up the easy volley to finish it off.
Eubanks, given a standing ovation by the home fans, said: “That was by far the biggest win of my career, by far. Not even a question.
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“Tons of really good players never get the chance to play the No 1 Brit at Wimbledon in an atmosphere like this and I’ll never forget it for the rest of my life.”
Eubanks admitted he did not expect to be making such an impression on the Wimbledon lawns, especially after an inauspicious early exit at Surbiton three weeks ago.
Asked about the change of heart he smiled: “No kidding!
“I had a rough go at Surbiton on the first week of grass and didn’t like my movement.
“I lost in the second round there and just wanted to complain and tell everyone grass wasn’t for me.
“But I have a different perception of the grass now.
“I watched a lot of Roger Federer growing up and still watch his matches to try to implement it into my game – even though he was better than me at everything.”
Cameron Norrie cut a dejected figure but applauded the crowd after his second-round exit
Christopher Eubanks was overcome with emotion as he celebrated his huge scalp
