Cameron Norrie is playing for his second career Masters 1000 championship.
By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, August 6, 2026
Photo credit: Rob Newell/CameraSport
Facing match point, Cameron Norrie seemed set to fade from the field like a ghost in a fog.
Summoning fierce fighting spirit, Norrie haunted the highest seed in the draw with a committed comeback.
The 30-year-old Norrie stormed back for a 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-1 triumph over Alex de Minaur at the National Bank Open in Montreal.
“Obviously I was down 5-2. It was looking like it was going to be done, but I just said, no, let’s keep playing, keep testing the legs,” Norrie said. “Managed to do that and get back
and find that right balance of not pressing too much and really finding that good balance where I could come forward when I needed to and make good decisions.
Tennis Express
Grass-Court RacquetsThe frames the pros swing
Shop racquets →
“And I managed to do that in the tiebreak, too, and came forward, and I played to win, and that’s what counted.”
It’s a gut-wrenching defeat for the third-seeded de Minaur, who built a 7-5, 5-2, 40-30 lead.
On match point, de Minaur double faulted. Norrie exploited that lapse breaking in the eighth game then breaking the Aussie again in eventually forcing the second-set tiebreaker.
Afterward, de Minaur said the double fault, one of only two he hit in the second set, didn’t cost him the match.
“The end of that set was tight. It was 5-5 in the breaker. That was just one point,” de Minaur said. “I think there was plenty of chances throughout the rest of that match.
“Of course, I would have loved to take that double fault away, but it’s tennis. These things happen, and sometimes they go your way; sometimes they don’t.”
On a sweaty, steamy day the air produced some wild all-court points.
The third-seeded de Minaur started the day as the highest seed still standing after top-seeded Alexander Zverev lost to Tallon Griekspoor yesterday and second-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime withdrew with a back issue.
Playing for his maiden Masters 1000 championship, de Minaur hit the wall in the final set.
Tennis Express
Wimbledon WhitesOn-court apparel, shipped fast
Shop apparel →
The left-handed Norrie reeled off six games in a row to beat the 27-year-old Aussie for the fourth time in seven meetings.
Defending champion Ben Shelton, the No. 5 seed, is the highest seed left.
Norrie, who is the first British man to post 20 Tour-level wins this season, famously won the 2021 Indian Wells championship and believes that experience can help him in his quest to capture the Montreal title.
“It’s a while ago, but definitely can take the confidence from that. And it was kind of a
similar situation happening in that tournament,” Norrie said of his Indian Wells triumph. “All the top seeds lost. I had to beat some good players, too.
“But it was kind of a similar situation, but I’m feeling the ball good. I can take so much confidence from this win today, saving match points.
“And I’m a ghost in the tournament now, playing for free and shouldn’t even be there. So we’ll
take it.”
Next up for Norrie is dangerous 18th-seeded Frenchman Arthur Fils, who swept Mariano Navone, 6-3, 6-2.
Richard Pagliaro. Richard Pagliaro is Tennis Now Managing Editor. He is a graduate of New York University and has covered pro tennis for more than 35 years. Richard was tennis columnist for Gannett Newspapers in NY, served as Managing Editor for TennisWeek.com and worked as a writer/editor for Tennis.com. He has been TennisNow.com managing editor since 2010.