Cam Norrie quits US Open in Andrey Rublev defeat as all British hopes end

The No. 7 seed was outscored 6-4 6-4 6-4 by world No. 11 Andrey Rublev in a flat performance at Louis Armstrong Stadium. The British No.1, who has been so consistent this year, lacked his usual timing and relentless intensity and took just one break point after two hours and 10 minutes.

That only came after a brief comeback when he even got a code violation for throwing his racket in frustration in the third set.

On Labor Day here, Norrie picked the wrong time to have the day off.

In the battle between Harry Styles superfan Rublev and yellow-clad Norrie - who dubbed himself Spongebob - the Briton was squarely beaten. It was like watching old Norrie in action when he failed to make it past the third round on his 18 attempts.

He reached the fourth round for the first time here but his best Grand Slam win by ranking is still beating world No. 13 Diego Schwartzman here in 2020 the Wimbledon semifinal final before losing to Novak Djokovic.

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Rublev needed two matches in five sets to reach the third round while Norrie didn't just drop a set.

This stat changed after 36 minutes of attritional play in wet conditions. The pair had a grueling 35-shot rally – the second longest in the tournament – ​​before Norrie ended a sloppy game on his serve at 4-4 by hitting a tame backhand into the net. Rublev concluded the first set in 36 minutes with an ace.

The British No.1 was again broken in the third game of the second set after landing a forehand from Louis Armstrong Stadium. He failed to take

At 3-2, play was halted when the drizzle started, but organizers failed to close the roof. Two games later, heavy rain started and the game was delayed for 24 minutes before the pitch dried up.

But Rublev was able to regain his dominance by taking his second set point with a service winner.

Norrie was broken again in the fifth game of the third set when he hit another forehand into the net. And he showed rare emotion in the following game when he broke his racquet before winning the next points and taking his first and only break of the game. He then held on to lead 4-3 after a lucky net cord - and ducked away as Rublev angrily kicked the ball into the net.

However, the raise didn't last as Rublev produced another superb backhand pass to break Norrie's serve for the fourth time at 4-4. And the Russian got his second match point after two hours and 26 minutes when Norrie threw another backhand into the net.

Rublev said: "I played a good game. Cam was maybe a bit tight because at times he helped me.”