Cameron Norrie’s Eastbourne Exit Continues Season Woes

Cameron Norrie’s challenging season continued as he exited Eastbourne in the first round, losing in straight sets to Emil Ruusuvuori. The defeat, a 7-6 (11-9), 6-3 setback against the Finnish world number 88, marked another disappointment for the 28-year-old, who recently relinquished his British number one ranking to Jack Draper. Cameron Norrie’s 2024 campaign has been lackluster with only 14 wins from 27 matches and a drop to 44th in the world rankings, leaving him unseeded for the upcoming Wimbledon, starting next week.

However, there was a notable victory for Britain’s Giles Hussey, who entered the draw as a lucky loser just 45 minutes before his match against sixth seed Mariano Navone. Ranked 359th globally, Hussey seized the opportunity with a convincing 6-4, 6-2 win over the Argentine. Norrie, looking to improve on his early exit at Queen’s last week, started steadily but faltered when he failed to convert break points at a critical juncture. Ruusuvuori capitalized, securing a tie-break victory in the first set despite Norrie’s initial lead.

In the second set, Ruusuvuori maintained momentum, breaking Norrie’s serve to lead 5-3 and ultimately clinching the match as Norrie missed chances to break back. Ruusuvuori will face Chinese qualifier Shang Juncheng next, following Juncheng’s surprising defeat of seventh seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry. Meanwhile, Hussey, in his ATP Tour debut, celebrated his biggest career win after stepping in for Kei Nishikori on short notice, defeating Navone in just 64 minutes.

Reflecting on his unexpected triumph, Hussey admitted, “I’m still shaking. I didn’t know I would play today until shortly before the match. I focused on enjoying the moment and taking my chances, especially knowing little about my opponent’s game style.” In other matches, British wildcard Liam Broady fell 6-3, 6-3 to Japanese qualifier Yoshihito Nishioka, highlighting British players’ struggles at Eastbourne.