Cameron Norrie’s challenging season continued with an early exit at Eastbourne, as he fell in the first round to Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori.
Cameron Norrie’s disappointing season took another hit as he exited in the first round at Eastbourne, losing in straight sets to Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori. The British player, who recently lost his British number one ranking to Jack Draper, was defeated 7-6 (11-9), 6-3 by the world number 88.
Norrie, 28, has struggled throughout 2024, winning just 14 of his 27 matches and slipping to 44th in the world rankings. This loss means he will not be seeded at Wimbledon, which begins on Monday.
Despite a promising start, Norrie couldn’t capitalize on two break points when leading 3-2 in the first set. Ruusuvuori managed to hold on and force a tiebreak, where he ultimately prevailed after trailing 5-3 and saving two set points. In the second set, Norrie again missed early opportunities, and Ruusuvuori took advantage to secure a crucial break and a 5-3 lead. Despite the support of the home crowd, Norrie was unable to mount a comeback, missing two break points before Ruusuvuori closed out the match, ending a five-match losing streak.
In contrast, there was a bright spot for British tennis as Giles Hussey, a late entrant to the tournament as a lucky loser, achieved a stunning victory. Hussey, ranked 359th in the world, seized his unexpected opportunity by defeating sixth seed Mariano Navone of Argentina 6-4, 6-2. This victory marked a significant moment for Hussey, who was added to the draw just 45 minutes before the match.
Ruusuvuori’s win sets up a second-round match against Chinese qualifier Shang Juncheng, who caused an upset by defeating seventh seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Argentina 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (7-4).
As Wimbledon approaches, Norrie will need to regroup and find form quickly to avoid further disappointments in what has been a challenging year for the British player.
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