Monte-Carlo Masters: Cameron Norrie to face Alex de Minaur in second round after coming through three-set battle
British No 1 Cameron Norrie beats Miomir Kecmanovic.6-2 4-6 7-6 (7-0) in his first clay-court match of the season; Norrie reached quarter-finals at Indian Wells in March before losing to world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz; Jessica Pegula defends Charleston Open title with straight sets win
Sunday 5 April 2026 21:16, UK
Great Britain's Cameron Norrie booked a second-round meeting with Alex de Minaur at the Monte-Carlo Masters after coming through a three-set battle with world No 58 Miomir Kecmanovic.
Norrie - ranked 24th in the world, one spot ahead of countryman Jack Draper - won the first set 6-2 but then lost the second 6-4 and came under pressure while serving to force a tie-break in the third having already been broken when serving for the match at 5-4.
However, the 30-year-old swept the breaker 7-0, sealing victory when his Serbian opponent fired a forehand wide, as he won a match in Monte-Carlo for the first time since 2019.
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Norrie reached the quarter-finals at Indian Wells last month - defeating De Minaur en route - before losing to world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz, while he was then beaten in the second round in Miami by Alex Michelsen.
Why is Draper missing Monte-Carlo Masters?
Draper is skipping the Monte-Carlo Masters as he continues to be patient with his comeback following an arm injury last season.
Left-hander Draper did not play a tour-level tournament match for six months following the US Open last summer due to a bruised bone in his serving arm.
He returned during Great Britain's Davis Cup tie against Norway in February before going on to reach the second round at the ATP 500 event in Dubai later that month.
Draper's Indian Wells defence ended in the quarter-finals with defeat to Daniil Medvedev while he then lost his opening match at the Miami Open to Reilly Opelka.
British women's No 2 Katie Boulter - the fiancée of Norrie's next opponent De Minaur - is playing in the Linz Open this week, taking on Gabriela Ruse on Monday in the last 32.
Emma Raducanu was scheduled to appear in Austria, too, but has withdrawn as she continues to recover fully from illness picked up in the Middle East earlier this year.
Pegula defends Charleston Open title
Jessica Pegula successfully defended her Charleston Open title with a straight-sets victory over Yuliia Starodubtseva.
Ukrainian Starodubtseva was competing in her first WTA 500 final but was no match for world No 5 Pegula, who found her groove after navigating four three-setters to reach the final.
The American romped to a 6-2 6-2 in an hour and 22 minutes as she kicked off her clay-court season in style.
"It's been such a long week, many three-set matches," Pegula said. "I don't know how many hours I spent on court, but it was a lot.
"The fans brought me through so many matches. I love playing here. This tournament is the best tournament, we [players] enjoy it so much."
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