Hello and welcome to Telegraph Sport’s live coverage of Cameron Norrie’s Wimbledon third round match against Steve Johnson.
After Heather Watson defeated Kaia Yuvan 7-6(6), 6-2 earlier in the day to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career, Norrie now has the chance to match her feat .
Norrie is a hair’s breadth away from the same feat, having previously reached the third round of all four majors without advancing further. The British No. 1 will face Johnson on Center Court, his first meeting with the American.
Johnson reached the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2016, losing in straight sets to Roger Federer, his best performance at a major to date. Now 32, he is an experienced but extremely beatable opponent.
With Emma Radukanu and Andy Murray exiting the tournament early, Nori now carries greater expectations on his shoulders. The raucous crowd on Center Court will be fully behind him, even if, as the home favorite, he will also have to deal with the resulting pressure.
Norrie impressed in the first and second rounds, defeating Pablo Andujar in straight sets before achieving a tougher five-set win against Jaume Munar. Johnson, meanwhile, started with a loss against Grigor Dimitrov before winning in straight sets against another British hope in Ryan Penniston.
Speaking ahead of tonight’s game, Norrie exuded confidence. “I’ve been saying this all year, I wanted to make the second week for the first time in [Grand] A helmet,” he said.
“I don’t see why not. I feel a little more comfortable, I move a lot better.
“I’m playing one of my favorite tournaments, if not my favorite tournament of the year. It’s another opportunity to embrace the pressure, to embrace the challenge of trying to get to week two.”
Asked if he could be a dark horse to win the tournament, Norrie was equally bullish. “It will be a big shock for me, but I’m still in the tournament, I’m still going,” he said.
“I’m not really focusing on it, but it feels good and I’m looking forward to the next one. I want to win it.
“Now I have another opportunity to play a third-round match here at Wimbledon. I still have a lot of things I’d like to work on and improve, but I feel like my level is improving.”
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