HAnd welcome to the live coverage of Telegraph Sports in Cameron Norrie’s third round match at Wimbledon with Steve Johnson.
With Heather Watson defeating Kaja Juvan 7-6 (6), 6-2 to reach the fourth round of the Grand Slam for the first time in his career, Norrie now has a chance to match her achievements.
Norrie was in the immediate vicinity of the same milestone and reached the third round of all four majors without further progress. The No. 1 British will face Johnson on the Center Court, the first meeting with Americans.
Johnson reached the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2016 and lost to Roger Federer in a straight set. This is his best performance ever on a major. Now 32 years old, he is an experienced but very good opponent.
With Emma Raducanu and Andy Murray ending the tournament early, Norrie now has great hopes for his shoulders. The noisy center court crowd will be completely behind him, even if he has to deal with the resulting pressure as a home favorite.
Norrie was impressed in the first and second rounds, defeating Pablo Andujar in a straight set and then winning five more difficult sets against Haumemunal. Meanwhile, Johnson started with a walkover against Grigor Dimitrov before winning a straight set against another hopeful Englishman at Ryan Peniston.
Prior to tonight’s match, Norrie projected an air of self-confidence. “I’ve been saying this year, but I wanted to do it for the first time in the second week. [Grand] “Slum,” he said.
“I don’t know why. It’s a little more comfortable and better moving.
“I’m playing one of my favorite tournaments, if not this year’s favorite. It’s another opportunity to accept the pressure and the challenge of creating a second week.”
Norrie was just as bullish when asked if he could be a dark horse to win the tournament. “It would be a big shock to me, but I’m still in the tournament, I’m still going,” he said.
“I’m not so focused on it, but I feel good and looking forward to the next one. I’m working on it to win it.
“I have another opportunity to play a third round match here in Wimbledon. I still have a lot of work to do and want to improve, but I feel like the level is improving.”