Cameron Norrie eliminated third seed Alex de Minaur in the third round of the Canadian Open in Montreal, winning 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-1 after saving a match point. The Briton produced the most dramatic comeback of the tournament on Thursday evening across two hours and 52 minutes.
A fatal double fault
De Minaur appeared in complete control. After taking the first set 7-5, the Australian led 5-2 in the second and earned a match point at 40-30 on his serve. He then hit a double fault, his fifth of the match, opening a gap that Norrie exploited with ruthless efficiency. The Briton reeled off five consecutive games to force a tiebreak, which he claimed 7 points to 5, then cruised through the decider 6-1 in just thirty minutes against an opponent drained both physically and mentally by the turnaround.
The numbers behind the comeback
Norrie struck 41 winners to De Minaur's 36 while converting 7 of his 10 break points. The Australian managed just 5 of 13, an insufficient ratio for a player who had the match in his grasp. Norrie won 111 total points to his opponent's 102, a tight margin that reflects the intensity of a contest where every key moment tipped the Briton's way. He also fired 7 aces to De Minaur's 3, underlining the serving advantage that kept him alive through the critical stages of the second set.
Norrie reaches the round of 16
This victory is the most significant of the season for Norrie, who had not reached the round of 16 at a Masters 1000 since 2022. The Briton has now beaten De Minaur twice in 2026, taking their head-to-head record to 4-3 in his favor. The Australian, the tournament's third seed, remains without a Masters 1000 title after his runner-up finish in Montreal in 2023. He joins Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev on the growing list of top seeds eliminated before the round of 16. Norrie will face 18th seed Arthur Fils in the next round. The Frenchman qualified earlier in the day with a comfortable 6-3, 6-2 win over Mariano Navone in just over an hour, a smooth passage that contrasts sharply with Norrie's ordeal against De Minaur.
