Norrie loses ATP final as title wait continues

Britain's Cameron Norrie was incapable to decorativeness a frustrating play connected a precocious arsenic helium mislaid to France's Benjamin Bonzi successful the Moselle Open final.

Hunting his archetypal ATP rubric since February 2023, 29-year-old Norrie was beaten 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 by the location favourite successful Metz.

Norrie, ranked 57th successful the world, was aiming to assistance the trophy successful lone his 4th tourney backmost connected the main tour, having missed astir 3 months with a forearm injury.

The erstwhile satellite fig 8 has dropped retired of the apical 50 arsenic a effect of the enforced absence.

Earlier this year, helium besides mislaid his presumption arsenic the British men's fig 1 to rising prima Jack Draper.

Having described the play arsenic "challenging", Norrie's tally to the 15th ATP last of his vocation is simply a affirmative which helium volition anticipation to physique connected going into the 2025 season.

"It's been an astonishing week and large to scope different final," said Norrie, who volition emergence backmost to 50th successful the rankings connected Monday.

"Ben played amended than maine and stayed tougher than me. It is good deserved."

Bonzi mightiness lone beryllium ranked 124th successful the world, but helium has been connected a blistery streak which has led to the archetypal rubric of his vocation astatine the property of 28.

Norrie paid the terms for not taking his chances - peculiarly successful a choky archetypal acceptable wherever helium converted lone 1 of 13 interruption points.

A mammoth ninth crippled saw the British fig 2 make 10 opportunities connected Bonzi's serve, but could not instrumentality immoderate of them and his hostile past edged the acceptable connected a tie-break.

Bonzi, having demonstrated the aforesaid resilience helium had shown each week, maintained momentum and clinically broke aboriginal successful the 2nd set.

Norrie's assertive returning became much wayward arsenic helium tried to recover, meaning helium was incapable to use immoderate much superior unit connected Bonzi's serve.

Serving retired for the rubric astatine 5-4, the Frenchman showed nary motion of hostility arsenic helium deed an ace retired wide to acceptable up title constituent earlier sealing victory.

"I was not expecting a week similar that. It's brainsick to decorativeness the twelvemonth similar this," said Bonzi, who volition instrumentality to the world's apical 100 adjacent week.

At the Belgrade Open, Canada's Denis Shapovalov besides ended a agelong hold for an ATP rubric by beating Serbia's Hamad Medjedovic successful the final.

Shapovalov, 25, has been retired of the apical 100 for astir of the play aft a genu injury, but lifted his archetypal trophy since 2019 with a 6-4 6-4 victory.