Cameron Norrie downs Juan Pablo Varillas to reach Argentina Open final
British No 1 Cameron Norrie triumphs 7-6 (5) 6-4 over Juan Pablo Varillas in the semi-finals; he faces Carlos Alcaraz in the final; fellow Brit Liam Broady won in the qualifiers at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open
Saturday 18 February 2023 23:12, UK
Cameron Norrie secured his place in the clay court Argentina Open final after beating Juan Pablo Varillas.
Norrie went into the tournament ranked second and beat the Peruvian 7-6 (5) 6-4, saving two break points in the final game to wrap up the victory in an hour and 54 minutes.
The British No 1 will face Carlos Alcaraz in the final after the Spaniard beat compatriot Bernabe Zapata Miralles 6-2 6-2 in the other semi-final.
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"It's going to be a tough one for sure," Norrie, who is aiming to win the fifth title of his career, said.
"I lost a tough final in Auckland [last month], so hopefully I can get some good feelings back tomorrow in the final."
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The 27-year-old has one previous triumph in a final on clay, which came in Lyon last year. His other three tournament wins, in Indian Wells and Los Cabos in 2021, and Delray Beach last year, came on hard surfaces.
Alcaraz has dropped only one set so far in his first tournament of the year, after a right leg injury sidelined him from the Australian Open.
Novak Djokovic's victory in Melbourne saw him reclaim the world No 1 ranking from Alcaraz, who lost his last match to Norrie, in Cincinnati in August, but leads their head-to-head 3-1.
At the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, fellow British player Liam Broady beat home hope Mubarak Shannan Zayid 6-1 6-1 in the first round of qualifying.
Elsewhere, Daniil Medvedev secured a comprehensive straight sets victory in under an hour and a half to beat Grigor Dimitrov and reach the final of the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam.
Medvedev won 6-1 6-2, converting six of 13 break points in the process and set up a final against Jannik Sinner.
"It was an amazing match," the victorious 27-year-old said. "The score (looks) easy, but the match was not.
"I felt physically like I was playing five sets. (There were) some amazing rallies."
Sinner beat wildcard Tallon Griekspoor in straight sets 7-5 7-6 (5) to set up a meeting with the Russian.
